Lo Wai-lap is the third-generation heir of Wing Fook Funeral Parlour and the third generation of his family’s funeral business. He is only 26 years old this year, with a thin build. He often wears a suit when he goes in and out of the streets of Hung Hom, which are full of funeral parlours, and he is often mistaken for a real estate agent. "I have to wear a suit, otherwise I would look too young and it would be difficult to gain the trust of customers." He also speaks steadily, "I have to, otherwise it would be difficult to make a living, haha!"
He has an elder brother and an elder sister. His brother is in a band and his sister works in property management. However, he, the youngest son, inherited the family business, and even his father frowned upon it, complaining that this line of work is too hard. But Lo Wai-lap is not afraid of hardship. He started from the frontline as an undertaker, and he is proficient in cleaning the bodies, changing clothes, applying makeup, carrying coffins, and driving hearses. After doing this for a year and a half, he now works in the sales department and has become the company’s ambassador, giving speeches and accepting media interviews everywhere.
As you step into Hung Hom’s Wah Fung Street, you can already feel a wave of wind. Of course, the main reason for this is that it is currently winter. The second reason is that the place is full of funeral parlours and undertakers, and there are few people around. Lo Wai-lap’s family started their funeral business when his grandmother was around. It was originally called “Sheng Fu”, and after his father took over, he split it into “Wing Fook”, which has at least two shops, namely the “Wing Fook Funeral House” that the father and son are currently operating.
Born in Hong Kong, Lo Wai-lap did not have any work experience after graduating from the Business Administration Department of Jinan University in Guangzhou. He frankly said that he initially wanted to make quick money, so he plunged into the family business.
That was in his final year of university, when he had more time and joined Wing Fook as a part-timer.
"At first, I didn’t think there was any meaning to this job, and I didn’t need to go for an interview. I could earn 1,000 to 2,000 yuan a day—but we are like construction workers, we don’t have work every day." While learning from the experienced masters, this newcomer, despite being the heir, was still often scolded. "Once, I was checking documents while driving, but the master said that I should have checked them earlier." Lo Wai-lap went home and complained to his mother, and his mother told him to reflect on himself.
His elder brother is the lead singer of the heavy metal band "Against the Current" Lo Wai-kit, and his elder sister works in the property management industry. He is the youngest son, but he is the only one who took over the family business. Doesn’t this arrangement seem to go against tradition, as the youngest child is usually the most rebellious? "Not necessarily... and my parents have never asked us to take over the business since we were young."
Supernatural experiences
After working in the funeral industry for four years, he has never encountered any supernatural events, except for once... The reporter saw many memorial tablets as soon as he entered the door. It turned out that because they are a long-established funeral parlour, they have the right to temporarily store customers’ ashes and coffins in the shop. Seeing this, the reporter asked the photographer to take a picture, but to take it obliquely so as not to directly photograph the photos of the deceased. However, Lo Wai-lap looked troubled and said, "It doesn’t seem to be very good..." The reporter asked a few more questions, and he then revealed the truth, saying, "Last time, some of your colleagues came to take pictures, and all the photos taken from this angle turned out to be black..."
Whether it was a mechanical failure or some other reason, no one knows for sure, but he said that this was the only "supernatural event" he had ever encountered. He and his father are both Catholics, and his parents have always held the view of "respecting ghosts and gods but keeping them at a distance". They have never encountered any strange things. They even said that "strange things" are just people scaring themselves.
The day of the interview happened to be his birthday, so the reporter asked him why he didn’t hang out with friends.
"We in this line of work rarely celebrate birthdays." Funeral parlours are only closed on the first, second, and third day of the Lunar New Year. Otherwise, they are open all year round. They have no taboos, and what’s more, there will definitely be deaths around the Lunar New Year, so funeral services still need to be provided. Wing Fook Funeral Parlour was founded in the 1970s and currently has 30 employees, 10 of whom are full-time employees, including him and his parents. He was born in Hong Kong, so the reporter asked him why he went to Guangzhou to attend university. "Well... first of all, it’s because I couldn’t make it in school." He said frankly.
Then why didn’t he go abroad to study?
"Studying abroad is more expensive, and my sister was already studying in Germany, which was a financial burden for my parents. I decided to go to Guangzhou, where the tuition fees are lower and the threshold is also lower." He scored 11 points in the HKDSE and went straight to Guangzhou to attend university after finishing Form 6. Like many business people, he is not interested in repeating a year or taking an associate degree because it takes too much time.
Disturbing experiences
Starting as an undertaker, he never felt scared. "I have a first aid certificate and have seen bloody photos, so I am mentally prepared." He said, "But when I first came into contact with a dead body, I was actually shocked because it was really cold. It was an uncle, and he died of natural causes."
Unlike living people, dead bodies do not know how to exert force, so undertakers need a lot of strength to clean their bodies and change their clothes. Regardless of whether it is a male or female corpse, it is customary in the industry for two to three male undertakers to handle it. "If the customer requests a female undertaker, that’s fine too, but we need to send twice as many people, and the price is also more expensive." It turns out that undertakers only touch the body with their hands and elbows. When changing clothes, they hold the deceased’s hands and lift him up halfway. Women do not have enough strength to do this. He said that he had heard of male colleagues making inappropriate comments about the bodies of young women while handling them. "I find that very offensive."
Among all the different ways people die, those who die from falling from a height disturb him the most. "For example, the whole person is cut into two pieces, with all the organs exposed; the skull is shattered, like clay. If you touch it accidentally, it will be dented." He would suggest that customers not apply makeup to those who died from falling from a height. If there are children present, it is best not to let them view the body. They also do not change clothes for these deceased, but instead place the clothes on them. "We will clean them as much as possible, but if blood keeps oozing from the body, we can’t stop the bleeding for them."
Another type of case is a body discovery case. Because the body has been placed for too long, maggots grow on it, and there is a foul smell.
"There was one case where I estimated that he had been dead for about two or three weeks. His skin had turned dark green and was covered with maggots—after the body was treated, those maggots were maggot corpses. At this time, the coffin must be sealed with cellophane tape to prevent the smell from leaking out."
The reporter has been to disaster sites for interviews, and someone taught him to apply white flower oil under his nose to block out the stench, but Lo Wai-lap said that they usually only wear masks, which are not very effective. In addition, they will wear work clothes and gloves. "In the days of my grandmother and father, gloves were very expensive, and they just did it with their bare hands. The refrigeration system back then was not good and insufficient. After some disasters, the bodies were piled up like a mountain. It was not easy to find one of the bodies from among them." He has also seen bodies that were burned to death. There is no stench. "Of course, it’s not a fragrant smell either, for example, it smells like burning charcoal." How do you handle bodies with severed limbs? "After the forensic doctor has handled them, they will put the severed limbs in a container. We usually put them in the corresponding positions, or replace them with a paper-made prosthetic limb."
Applying makeup to dead bodies
Applying makeup to dead bodies is usually done by a single undertaker. In addition to the commonly known eyebrow drawing, powdering, and lipstick application (men usually only apply powder, and the lipstick is lighter in colour), they will also provide services such as hair dyeing, nail polish, and wig wearing upon the customer’s request.
In movies, undertakers will talk to the deceased. He said that in reality, they will also do this.
"For example, we will tell the deceased that we are going to change his clothes now. If we accidentally use too much force, we will also apologize to the deceased. After changing the clothes, we will say: you look so handsome, you look so pretty."
During his one and a half years of frontline work, he came into contact with hundreds of dead bodies. Now he still gets "itchy hands" and helps out occasionally. In addition to the morgue, he has seen scenes that often appear in dramas, such as "the mistress appearing at the funeral house".
"Once, a mistress sent a wreath, and she came uninvited, all by herself. But the wife did not stop her, she just upsetting for the whole time. In fact, this mistress just wanted to bow, and I personally think that it’s no big deal. Every family has its own problems." These deceased men are probably all successful people, right? "Not necessarily..." He thought for a while and said.
What did you learn from your father?
He said that when he was young, his father often asked him what he had learned that day. "It’s not necessarily something from a book, it could be how to conduct oneself and deal with things."
He also mentioned that once at a funeral, he saw a woman crying so hard that she almost fainted. He wanted to go up and help, but his father stopped him and whispered to him, "This is not real crying." He was doubted. Someone said to call an ambulance, and the woman immediately stood up and was fine. "My father said that when a person is truly heartbroken, they will definitely shed tears silently."
After a day’s work, does he still have the mood to have dinner with friends?
"It doesn’t affect me, but to prevent my friends from smelling anything strange, I will change my clothes before going out." He said that his friends are more curious about his industry than scared of it. His girlfriend works in a clerical job, and he met her after he joined the funeral industry. He has a sweet photo of the two of them on his phone screen. "My girlfriend was just very curious when she first heard about my industry."
Finally, the reporter asked him what he thinks about death. "The body is just a shell. I hope that one day after I die, I can donate my body to a university to become a silent teacher or a body teacher."
