Hong Kong: A Temple for Every Corner of the World

Authors

Keywords

Hong Kong, temple, Latter-day Saints

Abstract

A Special Case: An Exception to Temple Rationale

There was a sense of urgency for providing a temple in Hong Kong in the 1990s as in no other temple construction. This was because the ninety-nine-year lease that made Hong Kong a British colony was going to expire 30 June 1997.1 The British government would be handing over Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China on 1 July 1997.2 When Hong Kong became part of China, “religious organizations,” according to Elder John K. Carmack, “were to be given the right to acquire property; receive outside financial support, have ownership rights, operate seminaries, schools, hospitals, and welfare institutions, and provide other social services. . . . Of special significance is the right of religious organizations and individuals to have relationships with religious organizations and believers elsewhere. The result should be the freedom of religious organizations and individuals to continue their present rights and practices.”3 In an agreement signed between China and Great Britain in December 1985, China promised to adopt a policy of “one country two systems.” In other words, China agreed to let Hong Kong retain its autonomy as a special administrative zone and keep its capitalist system for fifty years after 1997.

BYU ScholarsArchive Citation

(2019) "Hong Kong: A Temple for Every Corner of the World," Mormon Pacific Historical Society: Vol. 40, Article 18.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/mphs/vol40/iss1/18