NOTES AND QUERIES
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be noted below that one of the halls visited was established in the period 1912-13 (No. 3) and another about 1910 (see under No. 2).
The expansion of vegetarian halls in the second decade of this century is referred to, though with specific reference to the New Territories, in the Administrative Report for 1920 of the District Officer, North. He wrote:
One of the most remarkable features of the year has been the rapid growth of "chai t'ong"* or “vegetarian halls". Five years ago these religious or quasi-religious establishments had practically no foothold in this district: now they are everywhere in parts within reasonable reach of the railway and main roads, Sha Tin, Tai Po, Fan Ling and Pat Heung, each have several and are asking for more. Their promoters or managers are extremely secretive as to the objects of these enterprises, but it is sufficiently clear that they are designed chiefly to attract the well-to-do of Hongkong, particularly the womenfolk and that the believer is not expected to come empty-handed. Pending a straightforward explanation of the sudden "boom" in these "halls" permission is being refused for all new establishments as well as for extensions to existing ones.
There is another entry in his 1921 Report:
The embargo on “chai t'ong" continues in force. The revelations in a "fung shui” case coupled with certain vague statements from the "T'ongs" regarding funerals of members seem to indicate that one of the objects of these institutions is to find good "fung shui's" for their supporters.
The same District Officer commented to his superiors:
Nominally they are places of retreat where the earnest-minded withdraw from their fellowmen and living on the simplest of food can meditate upon ‘the most Excellent “Way”.' But in practice they come nearer to a Thames-side hotel.
An unfavourable opinion was also expressed by the District Watch Committee, a statutory body of leading Chinese citizens in Hong Kong to whom the matter was referred for advice. It was also asserted that the then Government of Kwangtung had an equally unfavourable opinion and had in fact expelled them from its territory "which, if true, would at once account for their phenomenal growth in ours" he wrote.
* Cantonese romanisation.