Frequently Asked Questions


Why "Great Body Teacher"?

Great Body Teachers are those who have donated their bodies to be used in the teaching of the visible structure and organisation of the human body.

Since this branch of anatomy is called Gross Anatomy (大體解剖學), we respectfully call them Great Body Teachers (大體老師).

If we follow our heart in the doing of good, we are what Mencius called great people: "those who follow their greater parts (大體) become great people; those who follow the lesser parts (小體) are the lesser people."

Great Body Teachers are those great people who help others achieve medical miracles beyond the boundaries of life and death.

(Below listed some frequently asked questions, please tap on each question to view its answer.)

No, there is no upper age limit for body donors. However, donors must be age 18 or above.

The University may decline a donation if it is considered unsuitable because of certain conditions, such as unnatural cause of death (e.g. suicide or traumatic death), death due to highly contagious diseases, when the body is classified as Category II or III according to HK Hospital Authority's protocol, when an autopsy has been carried out, presence of large wounds or ulcers, weight over 80 kg, serious abnormal limb flexion and deformation, including spinal malformation or joint stiffness caused by illness, etc.

We reserve the right to accept or decline the donations because the University would have to consider the suitability of the donated body for medical education, research and training, and the limitations of the technology and space. We regret that we may need to decline some donations when necessary.

If a funeral service with a licensed undertaker is held, the family will bear the cost of delivering the body of the deceased to us in a simple coffin. Otherwise, the University will bear the cost of necessary transport and cremation as arranged with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD).
During the service period of the Great Body Teacher, the coffin that was sent to the university may be discarded due to storage space limitations/constraints/considerations. After the Great Body Teachers completed their work, the programme will arrange to purchase a new coffin for the body and send it for cremation. Registrants and family members must understand this arrangement. It is therefore recommended that family members choose an environmentally friendly coffin with a rectangular shape that is suitable for cremation to transport the body.

Yes, it is acceptable to register with both the HKU Body Donation Programme and Organ Donation Programme administered by the Department of Health of the Hong Kong Government. We support our registrants who want to Light Up Lives through organ donation. Please let your wishes be known to your other family members and close friends so that your wishes will be respected after your death.

Click here to register for the Department of Health's Organ Donation Programme.

Yes, you can. On the registration form, please indicate that you consent to have specimens made from your body if they are needed for medical education or research purposes by the University.

Once the registered member has passed away, the family/next-of-kin/the executor should contact the Programme office (during office hours) in order to confirm the donation and make arrangements for the transfer of the donor's body. For details, please refer to Procedure Details - At the Time of Death.

We apologise for not being able to accept registered members who passed away abroad.

The procedures for body donation and subsequent handling of ashes require relatives or executors of the will to contact us and handle on behalf of them.

If there are no relatives or friends to handle this, you may consider consulting and authorising a social welfare organisation to handle your post-mortem affairs and express your willingness to donate your body. Here are some social welfare organisations that provide "afterlife planning" services. Please compare and choose according to your preference:

  • Funeral Navigation Service by St. James' Settlement; Tel: (852) 2831 3230
  • Endless Care Service - Elderly Services Department by Tung Wah Group of Hospitals; Tel: (852) 2884 2033
  • 寧安服務計劃 by Caritas Hong Kong - Services for the Elderly; Tel: (852) 2551 2481
  • Banyan Services Association; Tel: (852) 2763 9944
  • 心澤坊善終服務 by Hong Kong Association of the Deaf; Tel: (852) 5448 1309
It normally takes 3 months to 4 years for a Great Body Teacher to serve at the University. We will inform the executor/next-of-kin, by telephone or in writing, before a body is sent to Crematoria of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), HK Government. We will keep the executor/next-of-kin informed of when the cremated ashes are ready for them to collect. There will be time for them to make a final decision about the disposal of cremated ashes. For details, please refer to Procedure Details - Mission Accomplished.

The Board of Management of the Chinese Permanent Cemeteries (BMCPC) offers the family members of Great Body Teachers* the option of scattering their loved one's ashes in the Garden of Remembrance at Junk Bay Chinese Permanent Cemetery. Meanwhile, the selfless act and spirit of Great Body Teachers would also be documented on memorial plaques prepared by the University. You can contact our Programme office or visit BMCPC's website for more information: http://www.bmcpc.org.hk/tc/service/remembrance_ garden/ashes_scattering/s0/index.html

Video on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBoGIfgFRHY

*This is applicable only to those donors who fulfill the criteria set by The Board of Management of the Chinese Permanent Cemeteries.

Please send us the "Teachers' Voices" when it is ready. We will keep it on file and then show it only to the relevant students, medical professionals and educators. If you wish, you can also sign a copyright authorisation letter for us to share your message with the public. For details, please refer to Procedure Details - Share Your Thoughts with Us.
If your family disagrees with your decision to donate your body, or if you change your mind, please complete the Body Donation Registration Withdrawal form, and email it to hkubdp@hku.hk or fax it to 2817-0857. But after death, the legal right to dispose of a body rests with the executor or next-of-kin. We can only accept the body in the absence of any objection from such persons.
We are sorry that we cannot accept body donation from outside of Hong Kong. Please contact local organisations to support their medical education.

Besides regular teaching and learning, there are various experiments of different degrees of danger ongoing at the LKS Faculty of Medicine. We are sorry that the Faculty is not open to the public due to these reasons.

The HKU Information Day will be held from September to November each year. Anyone who are interested in visiting the anatomy lab and related facilities can closely follow the latest news on our website or Facebook page.

If social welfare organisations or schools are interested in making appointments for an Introduction to Body Donation Programme and/or Visit to Human Anatomy Museum & Dissecting Laboratory, please call (852) 3917 6334 or fill out the Application Form for Life and Death Education/Anatomy Lab Visit and email it to hkubdp@hku.hk or fax it to 2817 0857.