ENG-1962 — Page 365

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RELIGION

have been opened in flats in residential areas. Sutras are also expounded under the auspices of various Buddhist associations in the urban areas.

Sarira (relics left after the cremation of renowned high priests or living Buddhas) are treasured by Buddhists and are distributed to the close followers of the deceased. They are usually kept in specially built pagodas within the compound of a monastery. 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 high and not within the means of all. The Government has decided to set aside part of the new Cape Collinson Cemetery as a Buddhist section under the charge of the Hong Kong Buddhist Association. An up-to-date crematorium will be provided by Government.

Chinese temples play an important role in the life of many Chinese in Hong Kong, being open for public worship. Temples are usually dedicated to one major deity, but in most of them several deities are worshipped. The deities are either mortals or legendary figures deified, or dignitaries borrowed from Buddhist or Taoist sources. Taoism has many followers, although it is not as widespread as Buddhism. Statues of Kwun Yum, 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. Because the early settlements in Hong Kong were fishing villages, most temples have been erected in honour of deities connected with the sea or seafarers such as Tin Hau (the Queen of Heaven and guardian deity of seafarers), Kwun Yum, Hung Shing (the Lord of the South Seas) and Pak Tai (the Lord of the North). 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, and the best known of these is the one at Fat Tong Mun, Joss House Bay.

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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