Opinion: Remember Those Who Came Before You at Mount Hope

Mount Hope Cemetery in Mattapan is the oldest Chinese burial ground in New England, with more than 1,500 sojourners interred. These were among Boston’s earliest Chinese immigrants, many of whom lived here during the Chinese Exclusion Act of the late 1800s. Facing discrimination and immigration restrictions, many were prevented from traveling between China and the U.S. and were unable to bring family members to join them. Most labored to support their families, intending to return to China. Many were never able to fulfill that dream, however, and died here alone. The site serves as a reminder of the racial segregation and inequity that marked that era.

Originally these burial grounds were intended to be temporary. Per Cantonese tradition, the remains of the deceased were to be returned to their ancestral villages in China, symbolizing "homecoming after death" and honoring the men for their sacrifices. Early on, the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association helped ship remains of the dead to China, but stopped because of financial constraints, wars, the cutting of ties with Communist China and other reasons.

Motivated by the deteriorating state of the Chinese burial grounds, the Chinese Historical Society of New England (CHSNE) was formed in 1992. Board members Deborah Dong and Bik Ng led the construction of a new memorial altar and gateway, which was dedicated in 2007. Additional initiatives included creating a database of those interred, led by Professor Peter Kiang, director of the University of Massachusetts-Boston Asian American Studies Program. At the time, gravestone restoration was prohibited and many are in poor condition.

The Friends of the Chinese Burial Grounds at Mount Hope Cemetery has been organized to continue restoration efforts which will include gravestone restoration, completion of the altar design, landscape improvements, and increasing public awareness. Members comprise former and current CHSNE members: Deborah Dong, Alice Kane, Kiang, Landscape Architect Terry Guen, and myself. The anticipated cost of this project exceeds $1 million. Funding will be sought through historic preservation and open space grants, alongside a fundraising campaign.

Please join us on April 11 at 2 p.m. for a collaborative exhibit with the Pao Arts Center titled “Ancestors of Chinatown: A Ceremony for Remembering and Dreaming.”

— Nancy Lo, Friends of the Chinese Burial Grounds at Mount Hope Cemetery