Hong Kong singer explores life and death through music, seeking a path to find solace.

When life reaches its end, how should we say goodbye? This question may be one that many avoid discussing, but Hong Kong singer Kuang Zhi Cheng chooses to respond with music.

“Many farewells come too suddenly, be it due to pandemics, illnesses, or the passing of a star, catching people off guard,” Zhi Cheng lamented, “You wish you could attend their concert again, listen to their new songs, but there is no longer a chance. Shouldn’t we cherish the present moment more and learn to appreciate ourselves?”

On last year’s Double Ninth Festival, the Hong Kong band “Enjoyment Band” held a concert at a funeral parlour in Kowloon, bringing familiar music into an unfamiliar farewell ceremony, sparking much discussion. This year on the Tomb-Sweeping Day, this concert will move to the Hong Kong Fringe Club in Central, leading the audience on a more complete and detailed journey of life and death.

Reflecting on the origin of all this, Zhi Cheng recalled, in these years after the epidemic, many friends and family passed away around him, and he himself had experienced accidents, deeply understanding the uncertainty of life. It was only after he was invited to participate in public events at the Kowloon funeral parlour last year that he truly realized that music could be a force to bring comfort and solace. This determination led him to use music to do more meaningful things for society.

On the Double Ninth Festival last year, Zhi Cheng received a special invitation stemming from an open day at the Kowloon funeral parlour, which has a century-old history, allowing the public to visit the funeral parlour and its related projects. When planning the open day event, the management team contacted his band, asking if he and his bandmates were interested in jointly organizing this unique “musical farewell ceremony.”

Zhi Cheng readily agreed and within a short two weeks, planned a stage-play-style concert, using songs to showcase funeral procedures and creating a warm atmosphere, providing visitors with a unique funeral parlour music experience. Unexpectedly, while collecting song recommendations, some online users suggested Cantonese songs he had never thought of, such as “Living Viva,” “Isn’t This the Case,” and “Full of Joy,” which gave him a lot of inspiration. During the performance that day, he sang many songs that portrayed life experiences, such as Beyond’s “Faraway,” Eason Chan’s “Man on the Moon,” Ryuichi Sakamoto’s “Happy Christmas on the Battlefield,” and Anita Mui’s “Flowing Years,” bringing much resonance to the audience.

“I have always sung my own creations or performed busking on the streets, getting closer to everyone to play together. But this time, performing at a funeral parlour, singing songs that everyone is familiar with, stepping into a different domain with Cantopop, not only was it a special experience for the audience, but also an important experience for me,” Zhi Cheng shared. “To make music or to live as a person, each one surely carries many regrets. From childhood to adulthood, you will definitely encounter unexpected situations, with many different reasons leading to regrets in life. If given the chance to choose again, you might do better. I hope through the music concert, to embark on a journey of healing with everyone.”

In January this year, Zhi Cheng’s name made it into the social news of major Hong Kong media, not for his musical achievements, but for a narrowly avoided “near miss.” At 3 am on January 17th, a metal curtain track support around two feet long fell from the sky, smashing onto the roof of a parked seven-seater, with a loud bang, damaging the roof of the car. The support hit Zhi Cheng’s car, who at that time was hesitating inside about going out to buy takeout. Fortunately, the metal support did not directly hit his head, and he was unharmed inside the car.

Recalling this experience, Zhi Cheng still feels a sense of fear, “If I wasn’t inside the car, what if it had hit me when I came back after buying takeout? Life may have been at stake in that moment. This incident made me understand that accidents are unpredictable, some things cannot be foreseen, so it is even more necessary to cherish and not let regrets haunt ourselves. Life is already tough as it is, why not live happily? This incident has prompted me to move forward, wanting to continue the musical journey of healing with everyone, as before at the Kowloon funeral parlour.”

He feels the unpredictability of life and the need to cherish the present, learning to let go of regrets: “As mentioned earlier about sharing life and death experiences, including real farewell ceremonies, it is hoped that everyone can feel that they are actually living in the present moment. Life in this world is fleeting, this world is vast, we are just specks of dust, but we can live splendidly. Living without any regrets is challenging, but in such difficult situations, why not use simple music to release our emotions, learn to let go, recharge ourselves, and become a better version of ourselves.”

With the increase in youth suicide cases in recent years, such life and death education becomes more crucial. After the open day event, Zhi Cheng received an invitation from a school, inquiring if he could hold a music-themed life and death activity on the school grounds, which he and some friends in the funeral industry believed to be a meaningful endeavor, and agreed to take part.

In this special life and death education activity, they brought a real coffin to the school to showcase, allowing students to tangibly experience the topic of life and death through the fusion of visuals and music, making it a more intuitive experience. Although the students may not have firsthand experiences with funeral parlours, they were fully engaged, listening attentively and being touched by resonant songs throughout. Zhi Cheng believes that such an experience will become a part of the students’ growth, and in the future when faced with life and death matters, they can recall this sharing, helping them approach death more rationally.

“After such life and death education sharing, it will definitely be helpful for them, because each person’s encounter with death is an unknown variable, causing fear and uncertainty on how to deal with it. However, through different people’s sharing or different stories, they will find it easier to know how to face their own situation. Therefore, I think life and death education in secondary schools is very important,” he asserted. Through music, guiding students through regrets, understanding letting go, letting them learn how to let go, reduce attachment, positively impacting psychological health. When young people feel down, if they can recognize life’s inevitability and uncertainty, perhaps it can help them face adversity with a more open mindset, avoiding extreme choices.

“I consider the last concert a success, through music interpretation and environmental coordination, in the venue and atmosphere of the Kowloon funeral parlour, truly enabling everyone to let go of regrets and move forward in a positive direction. It became a journey of healing,” armed with last year’s experience, Zhi Cheng hopes to once again bring the concert out of the funeral parlour this year, interpreting its spirit once more, hosting more sessions for more people to benefit.

“This time, we will move the actual funeral accessories, coffins, archways, etc., into the Fringe Club, allowing the audience to feel as if they are in the funeral parlour,” Zhi Cheng explained that the choice of a real performance venue this time is mainly due to restrictions on the funeral parlour’s license, it cannot function as an entertainment venue for public ticket sales, accommodating more audience members.

“The ‘Let’s Go First! Music Farewell Ceremony Funeral Life and Death Music Concert’ will be performed in 5 shows from April 4th to 6th on the Tomb-Sweeping Day at the Hong Kong Fringe Club in Central.” Zhi Cheng specially emphasized that this event was planned for nearly two months, with very touching segments set up, each show being an unparalleled musical journey, believing that every audience member attending will have a special takeaway. Before the concert begins, he does not want to give away spoilers, hoping to keep the suspense, allowing participants to have a deeper immersive life experience. In life’s journey, regrets seem inevitable. There will always be those who miss some farewell moments, leaving unspoken words. With this concert, Zhi Cheng hopes to help everyone let go of past regrets through music and ceremony, and move forward with a renewed attitude of appreciation and hope.#