This is a fascinating piece of history, Mark. Thanks for writing. In my opinion, it’s less about whether or not you are Chinese and more about whether you are honoring the tradition and cultural practice. It sounds like your heart and mind are in the right place. ~Wes

Near where I live in Western Kentucky there is a National Recreation Area called Land Between the Lakes. Located there are two Chinese cemeteries dating back to the mid 1800s. They were labourers for a large iron industry that was located here at that time. These cemeteries are all but forgotten back in the woods, and accessable only by a fairly long hike or kayak to a point on the nearby lake shore. There are approximately a dozen graves at each cemetery, most only marked with rocks or concrete markers placed in the 1960s by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

I recently watched a documentary about Chinese graves in New Zealand that were recently located and a how important it was for a group traveling from China to observe Qingming there. This got me to thinking… I am interested in visiting on Qingming this year to clean the cemeteries, and possibly burn joss paper and incense to remember and honor those buried there. My question is, would this be considered insensitive because I am not Chinese? Any input or direction you have would be appreciated. Thank you.