Universal Chung Wah Funeral Directors

Yes, I would agree with the other reviewers that it is strange to be writing this review. However, the services they provided my family were valuable and so important to us. They also performed everything professionally and wonderfully.
They provided the space, professional chanters, supplies, casket, police detail, and coordination with Rose Hills. They also helped my Grandma look her best. We had an open casket ceremony and she really did look like she was sleeping. She didn’t look like she did two weeks prior in the hospital: sick, pale, scared.
Although the coordinators spoke Cantonese and Mandarin, it was helpful that our professional chanters spoke our Chinese dialect, Teochew. Our dialect is an intimate connection because there’s so few of us who can speak the dialect. So it felt right that our chanters spoke to us in our dialect; it felt like they were an extension of our family somehow. They helped our family properly perform the ceremonial rites at the funeral home, at the grave site in Rose Hills, and even in the home of my Grandmother.
We spent 4 hours on Saturday praying then 2 more hours Sunday morning praying, traveled to the grave site, traveled to Grandma’s home, and then enjoyed a celebration of life by sharing a vegetarian lunch with our chanters.
New to Chinese Funerals Guest Advice:
— When you enter, sign the guest book and please donate money in an odd number amount using the white envelops. Funerals are very costly to the family.
— Take a red envelop. Inside is small change to make sure you return home safely. Also inside is candy which must be consumed that day before going home.
— Don’t wear tight-​fitting or short clothing. There is a lot of kneeling and bowing involved. Women, watch the cleavage. It’s ok to wear jeans.
— Avoid wearing metals like watches or jewelry. Not only is jewelry or other adornments discouraged at a funeral, there is a lot of joss paper burning and the fire can heat up metallic objects on your body.
–Tissues are readily available in the pews
— When the casket is being closed at the funeral home and lowered into the ground at the grave site, you MUST look away or simply turn your back. Watching it being closed and lowered is very unlucky.
Grandchildren help with the burning of joss paper money. You can fan out the thin sheets of paper, making it easier to burn, by using your knuckles and twisting against the stack of paper.
For those new to Chinese funerals, this helped me understand the process and proper rites

A sad occasion to be writing a review, but this place did a wonderful job with planning and holding our funeral. As a previous review mentioned, Dominic Tsui was a kind and helpful consultant. He and the rest of the staff truly conveyed a sincere caring for the customers who come here, especially in a time of such deep grieving and loss.
Dominic sat with us for the initial consultation, which took a long time because we had many questions and decisions to make, but he was very patient and not pushy. He was able to speak in both English and Chinese, which helps multi-​generational families and millennials like me. He was also conscious and careful around our budgetary concerns.
He explained all the options for traditional Chinese customs — they really have a lot of possibilities available on offer, a major plus — as well as more modern customs and even made the both of them work together (we wanted both Christian and ancestral Chinese traditions in the same service).
They have packages available for both Rose Hills and Forest Lawn cemeteries, where a lot of other Chinese families bury their loved ones, so you can be confident they know what they’re doing and have done it successfully for years. Additionally, they managed family drama professionally and were glad to bear with us as the family was more high-​strung than normal due to the stress of the event. «We see this kind of drama often,» they said, making us feel at ease.
The staff made the process seamless and coordinated our service, too. I was really surprised they all took the time to attend and even direct the ceremony because we all had no idea how to run a funeral service. They pulled out all the stops and even thought quickly on their feet when it turned out a few things went wrong (we were missing some flowers, etc.). Even the driver of the hearse was kind and pleasant to talk to, on the ride over to the cemetery.
If you’re in the position to consider Chung Wah’s services, I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking to respect their loved ones’ Chinese traditions, or those who have a hard time communicating in English. (My deepest sympathies for those in the market for a funeral home, but Chung Wah will help you make the best of the situation.

I felt that the manager Henry Kwong was callous, uncooperative, uncaring and insincere. It has colored my view of this industry. We would not recommend going there.

I used Universal Chung Wah when my father passed away suddenly a month ago. Dealing with death never comes easy. My mom told me about this place so I looked into it. Dominic Tsui was the one who was my consultant. I had my father’s viewing here and proceeded with his burial at Rose Hills with the help of Chung Wah
Dominic assisted me with everything. They have a list they go down and tell you exactly what you’re supposed to do during the memorial service. This was the first time I ever had to deal with it so he took his time and explained everything to me. There were times when I asked him «what about Chinese traditions» and he would explain to me. I don’t come from a very traditional type of family but when my father passed away I was left with the responsibility to plan his service.
They are a one stop shop here. They basically did everything for me. I just had to make the decisions. I also bought my father’s casket here. They have tons of different ones. They even referred a monk who chants during the service, they get the death certificate for you, they offer police escorts, they offer Chinese attire for the deceased. They also tell you what you need to bring on the day of the viewing like certain foods depending what religion you are. They even let me have a mini viewing for immediate family on the 7^th day my Father passed away (Chinese ritual). During that time Dominic said it would only before an hour but he ended up letting me stay for 3 hours. My father’s service turned our beautifully.
Chung Wah also assisted me with buying my plot at Rose Hills. They set me up with an agent that took me to Rose Hills to look at plots. Henry Wong was the consultant at Chung Wah who assisted me with information for Rose Hills.
Overall I am giving them 5 stars because they have made the process very easy for me. I also had some family drama on the side because we didn’t know how my father wanted to be buried but Dominic and Henry were there to help me and guide me through. They were willing to bend backwards for me during this chaos with my family affairs. And they told me they see these kinds of things every day. They were very understandable, caring, and easy to talk to, They really wanted to help me. Becuz planning a funeral and deciding to do burials or cremations range in prices, they made 2 lists for me and so I could compare the both.
I am so grateful I stumbled onto this place. I am very happy I used them for my father’s memorial. I would recommend. I know my father is happy with his service. If you know someone who needs a service please don’t hesitate to call. They are extremely helpful and genuine people.

My grandma’s funeral and viewing was held here. They provided a small private room for us which was perfect for my small family. There are multiple rooms and also larger rooms. The viewing was from the morning till 4pm on a Tuesday. The burial was the next day at Rosehill. I suggest bringing someone that speaks Chinese here for better communication. I didn’t understand what was going on, because they were speaking in Chinese. Other than that, they seem well organized and helpful with assisting in the traditional Chinese burial.

We have had a few family members at this facility and they are considerate that my generation isn’t familiar with the traditional Chinese burials. They had someone there to help and explain some of the traditions. Over all the experience was easy. They did a good job on the make up on my grandmother.

It’s not that bad here. My grandpa’s ceremony was held here and the people who set it up for us were alright. there are 3 restrooms right side at the entrance. This place also did a ceremony burial for reagan back in 2003 I think… or was it ’04? but it’s not bad. nobody did any shit talking behind your back if you were ABC.

My family recently used the services here, and although I did not take part in working directly with them, I was happy with the services held and the funeral. They were respectful of requests and very knowledgeable of cultural and traditional rituals. It has been a difficult time but they were responsive to our needs and remained very professional. I hope that we will not have to utilize their services again for a very long time, but I recommend this place.

When my father passed away suddenly a couple of months ago, our family debated on where to hold his memorial service. Because our family has had many good experiences with Rose Hills, we tried to book the SkyRose Chapel there. Unfortunately, it had already been booked for the day of my Dad’s service.
Universal Chung Wah ended up being a good alternative, as we were looking for a facility that could accomodate over 300 people. Located just outside of Downtown Alhambra, there is nothing fancy about their building or facilities. However, the service here is incredible. They are sensitive to the needs of the families here, especially to those who are Asian. They have staff who speaks many different Asian languages, not just Taiwanese and Mandarin Chinese, but also Cantonese, Vietnamese, and others. And because they specialize with the Asian community, they are incredibly knowledgable about and sensitive to their cultural needs.
Various Buddhist organizations have good relationships with Universal Chung Wah, as do many different Asian Christian denominations.
One major drawback about this location is that the crematory is not located on site so it is necessary to go to a location in Duarte or Whittier for this to be done. Nonetheless, they have good relationships with other facilities and can handle many of your requests.
The service here is impeccable and very detailed-​oriented. I was very happy with the staff here and the way they were on hand to make sure everything ran very smoothly.