Following a devastating fire at the Marco Polo Residence in Hong Kong, a local funeral home is taking exceptional steps to aid grieving families.recognizing the extent of damage to some victims, the home has invited a team of restorative artists from Taiwan to provide free services, aiming to facilitate identification adn allow for more personal goodbyes. The specialized team, led by Guo Zhangcheng, brings expertise in handling remains from mass casualty events and a preference for manual restoration techniques over emerging technologies like 3D printing.
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A Hong Kong funeral home is offering free restorative services for victims of a recent devastating fire, bringing in specialists from Taiwan to help families identify and say goodbye to their loved ones. The move comes after many bodies were severely damaged in the blaze at the Marco Polo Residence.
“It’s an artificial skull,” explained a Taiwanese restorative artist, demonstrating the process. “We use this sculpting material to recreate the deceased’s form.”
郭璋成, or Guo Zhangcheng, a Taiwanese restorative artist with experience in mass casualty events, arrived in Hong Kong with a team of five others at the invitation of the funeral home. The time required for restoration varies depending on the extent of the damage, ranging from one to three days to restore 70 to 80% of the original appearance.
“For example, bodies closer to the fire’s origin are often in very poor condition, sometimes even carbonized,” Guo explained. “Those further away may have suffered from high pressure, causing the skin to harden and the muscle tissue to become fibrous.” He emphasized the importance of initial consultations, stating, “We haven’t seen the deceased, so we need families to provide photos for confirmation.”
Guo also noted that Taiwan began utilizing 3D printing for restorative work eight years ago, but believes manual restoration offers superior results.
“If a skull is fractured, a 3D printing company will simply overlay a photo onto it, leaving the fragmented skull untouched. That’s just covering up the damage, not actually restoring the body,” Guo said. This highlights the importance of a comprehensive approach to honoring the deceased.
The team aims to complete restoration of each body within a day, with preventing decomposition as the primary concern.
The funeral home has hosted several public memorial events over the past month, hoping to provide a space for collective mourning. Offering restorative services is intended to allow families a more personal and meaningful farewell.
“Often, the rituals of mourning aren’t about the literal truth of the event, but about providing a time for reflection and emotional release,” said Chiang Lung Cheung, the director of Kowloon Funeral Home.
Guo Zhangcheng added, “Restoration serves two key purposes: allowing families to say a proper goodbye to their loved ones in their final moments, and providing a sense of comfort and closure. I believe everyone deserves a dignified farewell.”
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