About 150 black-clad guests were seen arriving to pay their last respects to Ms Abby Choi on June 19, nearly four months after her murder. - PHOTO: I_AM_NUMBER_WAN/TWITTER via The Straits Times/ANN
HONG KONG, June 18 (Agencies): Family and friends of Abby Choi, a Hong Kong model who was murdered in a gruesome case in February, gathered at a memorial hall in the city on Sunday to pay their final respects.
The vigil took place at Po Fook Memorial Hall in the Tai Wai area of Sha Tin district, adhering to Buddhist traditions.
The murder of the 28-year-old influencer shocked the world after parts of her remains were found in a village house in Hong Kong.
The funeral ceremony on Monday morning was followed by a cremation at a famous monastery on the city's Lantau Island.
Choi’s partner Chris Tam and her mother Cheung Yin-fa were among the first to arrive with Buddhist monks at around 8am to conduct final rituals at Po Fook Memorial Hall in Tai Wai where the vigil was held, reported the South China Morning Post.
About 150 black-clad guests were seen arriving in the morning to pay their last respects as Ms Choi’s remains were loaded onto a hearse embellished with pink roses, white orchids and pink ribbons. Some guests circled the vehicle to take turns catching their last glimpse of the coffin.
Shortly after 10am, the hearse left the memorial hall for Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island. Tam sat in the passenger seat, clutching a framed photo of Choi.
At least three coaches fetching guests were headed for the monastery while some family members, including Cheung and young children believed to be Choi’s, left in their own vans. Choi leaves behind four children, two fathered by her former husband and the younger pair by Tam.
In a departure from traditional Chinese funerals where black and white is normally used for mourning, the memorial hall for the service was decorated in pink, said to be Choi’s favourite colour.
Abby Choi’s remains were loaded onto a hearse that left for Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island shortly after 10am on June 19. - PHOTO: I_AM_NUMBER_WAN/TWITTER
The entire ground floor of the memorial hall was draped with pink curtains and decorated with pink and white flowers. Two 1.5m-tall photos of Choi were placed at either side of the entrance.
Hundreds of mourners had gathered at the memorial hall since Sunday to pay their final respects to Choi.
The Hong Kong media reported in May that Choi’s family were planning to have her face remade using “bioprinting” technology for the vigil and funeral, events that reportedly cost over HK$3 million (S$514,000) to prepare.
Some people who attended the vigil on Sunday told Sing Tao Headline that her body looked life-like.
The vigil took place at Po Fook Memorial Hall in the Tai Wai area of Sha Tin district, adhering to Buddhist traditions, Reuters reported.
Floral tributes from various celebrities could be seen being carried by workers into the funeral home, including from Aaron Kwok, a veteran of Hong Kong’s pop music scene in the 1990s.
The murder of the 28-year-old socialite and influencer in February shocked Hong Kong and the world, after parts of her remains were found in a village house in Hong Kong.
Her head and parts of her ribs were found inside a large pot, and her legs were discovered in a freezer.
Six people have been charged in the brutal killing of the wealthy influencer.
Choi’s ex-husband Alex Kwong, 28, his brother Anthony, 31, and their father, Kwong Kau, 65, have been charged with murder over her death. Alex Kwong’s mother Jenny Li, 63, is charged with perverting the course of justice.
The family was denied bail and are currently in jail custody, with the next hearing scheduled on July 31.
Two others have been charged with assisting the ex-husband’s effort to escape, though they have been released on bail.
Pre-trial reporting restrictions are in place. - Agencies
