Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
youngsters are trained to work hard as well as to treat parents and teachers with courtesy.
Many adults live with their folks (though this is related to the city's exorbitant rent); almost
everyone is expected to provide for their parents though whether they do is another matter.
Adjustments
Confucian ideals are not carved in stone and Hong Kongers are known for their remarkable
ability to adapt different traditions for their convenience. Parents and schools increasingly
value independent thinking and vocalising one's opinion, though speaking to an elder like
an equal is still frowned upon. Dining with the family is a must in the Lunar New Year but
the meal may take place in a restaurant.
Perhaps the Confucian precept most unwittingly embraced by Hong Kongers is the right
to remonstrate. Mencius (372-289 BC), a celebrated Confucian philosopher, proposed the
concept of a 'divine right of rebellion'. This is enacted daily by protesters and activists in
Hong Kong.
The ancestors of Hong Kong's small Parsee community migrated to the city from Mumbai
in the early colonial period. Some were buried in a tiny Parsee Cemetery in Happy Valley.
Despite their small number, the Parsees' influence had been great. At one time, three of
the 13 board members of HSBC were Parsee. It was also a Parsee who founded the Star
Ferry.
Buddhism
Buddhism is Hong Kong's dominant religion. It was first introduced here in about the 5th
century, when the monk Pui To set up a hermitage in the western New Territories. The area,
a stop on the ancient route linking Persia, Arabia and India to Guǎngzhōu, is regarded as the
birthplace of Buddhism in the territory.
Although a tiny fraction of the population is purely and devoutly Buddhist, about a milli-
on practise some form of the religion, and use its funeral and exorcism rites. Generally
speaking, the ritual of taking refuge in the Three Jewels (Buddha, Darma, Sangha) is re-
garded as the Buddhist initiation rite. Some followers abstain from meat on certain days of
the month, others for longer periods. Very few are strict vegetarians.
Life & Afterlife
Buddhist organisations here do not play an active political role, unlike some of their coun-
terparts in Southeast Asia. They focus instead on providing palliative care and spiritual ser-
 
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