ENG-1973 — Page 225

16

Religion and Custom

ALTHOUGH not always apparent to the visitor, religion plays an important role the life of the average family in Hong Kong. It is easy to be misled by different appearances of religious observance, particularly between traditional Chinese practices and Christian churches, and even to assume a lack of religion in Chinese life. Hong Kong's business centre may not have as many temples as there are churches in the City of London, but there are more signs of religion in the average Chinese home, or business, than in its Western counterpart. Many Chinese shops have a 'God Shelf' and many homes their ancestral shrines, while the traditional religious rites associated with birth, marriage and death are still widely observed.

Religious practices include Taoism, Confucian teaching, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism and Christianity. There has been a notable revival of Buddhism and Taoism in recent years, mainly due to the immigration of Buddhists from China. Although Buddhism has more followers in Hong Kong, both maintain a strong hold among older Chinese and are far from dying out among the younger people.

Religious studies in both ways of life are conducted in a large number of monas- teries, nunneries and hermitages. Because of their accessibility, those at Shatin and Tsuen Wan are popular with urban dwellers. However, some better known monasteries are situated in more remote and unspoilt parts of the New Territories. The Buddhist Po Lin monastery at Ngong Ping on Lantau Island is reputed to have the best view of the sunrise and is regularly visited at weekends and holidays.

Sightseers and devotees are attracted to other Buddhist and Taoist monasteries in the New Territories, such as Ching Shan Tsz and Tsing Chung Koon at Castle Peak, Tung Po Tor and Yuen Yuen Hok Yuen near Tsuen Wan and Sai Lam at Shatin. At Tao Fong Shan, near Shatin, there is a Christian study centre on Chinese religion and culture, where the work of the Christian Mission to Buddhists has been carried on for many years. To meet the demands of the urban population, Buddhist Ching She (places for spiritual cultivation), Fat Tong (Buddha Halls) and To Yuen (places for Taoist worship) have been opened in apartments in residential areas. Sutras are also expounded under the auspices of various Buddhist institutions in the urban areas.

As places of public worship, temples play an important part in Chinese religious life. It is estimated that one major deity (Tin Hau) has not less than 250,000 worship- pers. The temples generally house, and are named after, one major deity, but sub- sidiary deities may often be found in the same temple. Many of them are sea gods and goddesses, reflecting Hong Kong's origin as a fishing port.

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