Hong Kong Cemetery is located on the western side of Happy Valley and was previously known as the Protestant Cemetery or the Colonial Cemetery.
Founded in 1845, It is the oldest western cemetery in Hong Kong. It is one of several other cemeteries located side by side along Wong Nai Chung Road, namely: the Muslim Cemetery, Roman Catholic Cemetery, Hindu Temple and the Parsee Cemetery, each representing different religions of Hong Kong. Further up Happy Valley is the Jewish Cemetery.
Of course, the main attraction is the historic stone monuments and graves which present a colourful picture of the personalities in old Hong Kong who have contributed to its success over 150 years. But there is much more than graves here!
History
The Cemetery was founded in 1845 and previously known as the Protestant Cemetery or the Colonial Cemetery. Happy Valley was previously rice paddies farmed by the villagers of So Kun Po, but due to the prevalence of malaria, most of the valley was drained by the Government. The name "Happy Valley" was thought to be a little ironic joke by the British army to describe this very unhealthy and deadly area.