ENG-1960 — Page 331

RELIGION

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kept in specially built pagodas within the compound of a monas- tery. It is also a common practice among Buddhists to have the cremated remains of their relatives preserved in such pagodas, but the fees charged are rather high and not within the means of all. The Hong Kong Buddhist Association has applied to Government for the grant of land for a crematorium and pagodas, and will charge low fees for the preservation of cremated remains there.

In 1958 the Tung Wah Hospitals revived the ancient and solemn ceremony of Autumn Sacrifice at the Man Mo Temple in Hollywood Road and in the same year the Hong Kong Buddhist Association for the first time held a Memorial Service for the dead at the Tung Lin Kok Yuen on Remembrance Day. These ceremonies are now held annually and the Government is officially represented.

Chinese temples fill an important part of the life of many of the people of Hong Kong. Temples are usually named in honour of one particular deity though in many temples several deities are worshipped. Statues of Kwun Yam, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, may thus be found standing next to the shrines of local Taoist dignitaries such as Wong Tai Sin and Tam Kung. As Confucian ancestral tablets will often be found in another part of the building, the three religions of China are frequently all accommodated under the one roof. As most residents of Hong Kong in the old days were fishermen, a number of old temples are dedicated to Tin Hau, the Queen of Heaven and the guardian deity of seafarers and fishermen, and to Kwun Yam, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. Perhaps the oldest, and certainly one of the most popular, of the Hong Kong temples is that dedicated to Tin Hau, at Causeway Bay. Other Tin Hau temples are found near the entrances to most fishing harbours. The Man Mo Temple in Hollywood Road, which is dedicated to the Gods of Literacy and Martial Valour, is equally famous and is under the control of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals. In recent years by far the most popular Taoist temples have been the Wong Tai Sin Temple in New Kowloon and the Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin. All Chinese temples in Hong Kong, apart from those which are specifically exempted, must be registered with the Secretary for Chinese Affairs and come under the general control of the statutory