State leaders and senior officials gathered in North Point this morning for the state funeral of Tung Chee-hwa, former vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee and Hong Kong’s first chief executive.
The public memorial service began at 9am at the Hong Kong Funeral Home. An 87-member funeral committee was chaired by Shi Taifeng, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee.
Shi arrived by minibus alongside vice-chairmen including Wang Dongfeng, vice-chairman and secretary-general of the CPPCC National Committee, former chief executive Leung Chun-ying, and Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the CPC Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council.
Shi Taifeng (Center)
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and Zhou Ji, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, greeted the delegation outside the venue.
Dressed in plain attire, relatives and invited guests arrived early at the venue. Floral tributes lined the entrance of the funeral home and extended across the street to Java Road Playground, while a heavy police presence maintained order in the area.
Due to space limitations, attendance at the funeral home was restricted to invited guests, while authorities set up a temporary public condolence point at the lobby of the nearby North Point Government Offices, with additional condolence books opened at three community halls until noon.
Members of the public holding fresh flowers gathered at the location to pay their respects. Mourners recalled Tung’s gentle and warm demeanor, praising his housing policies during his tenure that provided homes for grassroots families and improved living environments.
Others commended him for fostering national identity and maintaining social stability, describing his vision—including the development of the cruise terminal and mother-tongue teaching—as far-sighted decisions that ultimately benefited Hong Kong in the long run.
