Qingming Memorial Service at Lorraine Park Cemetery, Baltimore County

By Shuli Xia

On Saturday, April 5, 2025, I attended the Qingming (Ching Ming) memorial service at Lorraine Park Cemetery & Mausoleum in Gwynn Oak, Baltimore County. This event was organized by Ms. Kathryn Lee, Mr. George Young, Mr. Vincent Liu and others from the older generation of Chinese American immigrants in Baltimore. I serve as the founder and president of the Chinese American Parent Association of the Baltimore Community (CAPA-BC), representing the newer wave of immigrants. Baltimore holds historical significance as the first U.S. city where Chinese Americans are recorded to have settled 200 years ago.

Nearly 100 people attended the memorial service, including some children. Not all attendees had traditional East Asian features; I noticed several individuals who looked Western in appearance. Later, I learned that these individuals were descendants of early Chinese American immigrants. Among the attendees were Ms. Christina Poy and Ms. Yang Yu from the Maryland Governor’s Office, both of whom added their presence and support to the occasion. Ms. Christina Poy is the Administrative Director of Governor’s office of community initiatives and Ms. Yang Yu is the Chair of Governor’s Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs.

The ceremony was a beautiful reflection of Chinese traditions. Offerings for ancestors included flowers, food, wine, incense, and money for the deceased. The food offerings were particularly symbolic, with three items representing animals from the sky, sea, and land: chicken, fish, and pig. These offerings, along with other ceremonial practices, are central to Qingming, a time for honoring our ancestors.

The event began with Mr. George Young, one of the organizers, sharing the history of Lorraine Park Cemetery. This cemetery is the final resting place of approximately 200 Chinese Americans from the Baltimore area. Some gravestones are inscribed in English, while others feature Chinese characters. Among the names I recognized were "Wong," "Wu," and "Guangdong Taishan." Many years ago, young men from Guangdong Province, China, came to Baltimore seeking a better life. They sent money back home to support their families. After their deaths, they were buried in this cemetery, but initially, they were only allowed to be interred in one corner. Later, a community leader purchased more plots for the use of the Chinese community, and this cemetery became a sacred resting place for many Chinese immigrants. One monument was built to honor the ancestors and provide a place for descendants to pay their respects and continue Chinese traditions in their new homeland.

A touching story was shared by Mr. Vincent Liu, a retired police officer, who frequently visited the cemetery. One year, while traveling in Beijing, he met someone who mentioned that one of their relatives had lived and died in Baltimore. Upon investigating, Mr. Liu found the relative’s name on one of the gravestones, a powerful reminder of how interconnected the Chinese diaspora is.

Ms. Christina Poy also spoke, sharing the story of her own ancestors' journey to the United States. She recalled her childhood memories of the Qingming festival and the connections she made with others during the event. One of her dear friends turned out to be a relative of Ms. Kathryn Lee’s family. This moment underscored the true meaning and purpose of events like this: to bring people together, to share in the rich history of our community, and to strengthen bonds across generations.

Ms. Yu shared a poem from Song dynasty regarding Qingming. As I reflected on the significance of Qingming, I shared my thoughts with the group. I spoke about how important this day is for remembering our ancestors, honoring their legacy, and carrying forward their values. Our ancestors were known for their many admirable qualities: intelligence, bravery, diligence, and endurance. Yet, there is one quality I believe stands out as especially important: sacrifice. No matter their social status, our ancestors sacrificed deeply for their families—giving up their own pleasures and comforts to ensure that their children would have a better future. This spirit of sacrifice remains central to our culture.

Today, new immigrant parents continue this legacy of sacrifice. They work tirelessly to provide the best education for their children, often forgoing personal time and enjoyment to support their children’s college tuition. This dedication and sacrifice are key to the success and prosperity of the Chinese American community, which is often regarded as a model minority. This tradition of selflessness can be likened to the American Memorial Day, when we honor the soldiers who sacrificed for the country. On Memorial Day, we remember the ultimate sacrifices made by service members; on Qingming, we honor the sacrifices made by our ancestors.

Now, as immigrants in the U.S., it is our time to sacrifice once again. While we continue to carry on our ancestors' spirit of hard work and perseverance, we also face challenges as a community—our social status does not always align with our economic status. To address this imbalance, we must build a stronger, more unified community. This requires sacrifice—not just for our families but for our community as a whole. We must dedicate time, energy, and resources to help one another and ensure that our community remains strong and resilient, especially in light of the political climate in the U.S.

One of the ways to contribute to this effort is through community building. I am heartened to see more Chinese Americans recognizing the importance of this. Recently, many non-profit organizations have emerged to unite Chinese Americans and facilitate the sharing of ideas and resources. For example, Kathryn Lee, a schoolteacher and one of the event organizers, is leading a project to preserve the history of early Chinese American families in Baltimore. She is working to archive photographs and documents from the past, and she has also proposed cleaning some of the gravestones at the cemetery, many of which have darkened with time.

The memorial service concluded with a traditional Qingming ceremony: candles were lit, and all attendees gathered to bow three times in respect to their ancestors. Then, especially the young children, poured wine three times in front of the monument. As I watched the children pour wine onto the ground, I felt a deep sense of hope that this memory and tradition would be passed down through generations. I hope that as these children grow into adulthood, they will carry the lessons of their ancestors with them and continue to honor Chinese traditions for years to come.