The Experience of Chinese Bereaved Persons: A Preliminary Study of Meaning Making and Continuing Bonds

ABSTRACT

This study explores the bereavement process of Chinese persons in Hong Kong, with the focus on how they make meaning of the death as well as how they maintain a bond with the deceased. A review of video- and audiotapes of 52 bereaved persons in bereavement counseling pointed to how these concepts are reflected in key themes that appeared throughout these interviews. The way this bereaved population found meaning in the death was reflected in how they understood the cause of death, their observations at the death moment, their understanding of the life of the deceased after the death, the life of the bereaved after the death, and the burial and mourning rituals that were followed. The continuing bond the bereaved felt with the deceased was experienced by the bereaved as either initiated by the deceased, for example by the deceased appearing in dreams or initiated by the bereaved themselves in their talking with the deceased. These 2 aspects of the bereavement process seem to be similar to those found in other societies, but the ways in which they were manifested were unique to the Chinese culture. Based on these findings, the authors conclude with implications for intervention with this bereaved population.

The work described in this article was substantially supported by a grant from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Project No. HKU 7110/01H). We extend our gratitude to Dr. Phyllis Silverman and Dr. Sam Silverman for their valuable feedback to the earlier drafts of this article. We also express our sincere gratitude to the staff of the Jessie and Thomas Tam Centre (JTTC), the Society for the Promotion of Hospice Care in Hong Kong for their support and assistance given to this study.

Notes

¹ Karma means action. It is one of important concepts of Buddhism that determines one's experiences in their lives. For people doing good deeds, they will have good consequences and vice versa. Good karma is action motivated by non-attachment, benevolence, and understanding whereas bad karma is motivated by greed, hatred, and delusion. One's fortune is solely dependent on oneself. Yet Karma can be accumulated and experienced in later lives. The analogy of seed and fruit is usually referred to when talking about Karma. Karma is the seed that planted under the soil and the consequence is the fruit yielded in special circumstances (Keown, 1996).

² Qi is a central concept in Chinese cosmology. It can be translated as “vital energy” or “life force,” but this does not capture its essence. Qi can be understood from three perspectives. From a Chinese medical point of view, accumulation of orthopathic qi is life-nurturing. On the other hand, pathogenic external qi (such as cold, heat, damp, and wind) causes illness. The sick qi mentioned by the informant partly referred to this concept. Secondly, qi can be viewed as alchemy, in which special herb or exercise can transform the qi as beneficial. Thirdly, qi can be viewed as geomancy. Cosmic qi can be facilitated or blocked according to the configuration and natural environment with the buildings, thus further affecting the peoples who live or work there (Bray, 1999). The sick qi mentioned by the informant embraced both the first and third points of medical and geomancy.

³In each court of the hell, there is a magistrate and a team of secretary-attendants (Cohen, 1988). The deceased will be tried based on his actions and deeds on earth. Each court has its own mandatory punishments for specific wrongdoing. For example, the second court is for doctors who malpractice; they will be cut into pieces. The fourth court is a bed of sharp nails for pinning dishonest merchants. The tenth court is the court of reincarnation, where the magistrate will decide whether the deceased to be reincarnated into an insect, animal or human in the next life and to which family they to be born as well as into a male or female (Tong, 2004).