Dead in theWater

A ferry departs from North Point’s eastern pier bound for an indistinct patch of sea. Once the destination has been reached, the ship’s engine dies down and passengers gather in small groups next to narrow wooden slides installed along the sides of the vessel. Some might say a few words, whisper a prayer, shed a tear, or hold a moment’s silence, before placing a biodegradable bag of ashes on the slide, letting it go, and watching as it slips beneath the waves. It’s a scene that plays out every Saturday morning—an act of sustainability, according to the government, which touts the disposing of ashes at sea as part of its campaign for greener practices around death and a solution for the city’s chronic shortage of space.

There’s no escape from Hong Kong’s world-beating real estate prices, even for the dead. Being buried in a grave is now rare due to lack of space, yet the city has also run out of niches, or alcoves, to store funerary urns. One plot