Religion in Hong Kong

Do you know that about 43% of Hongkongers practice some form of religion?

Why didn’t I just say “43% of them are religious”?

Because they are not aware of that.

That’s true, and funny in a way, that lots of Hongkongers claim that they are non-religious, yet they will still practice some form of religion, like promoting the teaching of Confucius in the form of Confucianism, practicing the “live in harmony and union” philosophy of Taoism and worshiping ancestors. While technically they can’t be called religion, these are some religious behavior.

And we have our own deities. They don’t have to be some “magical superpower supernatural beings”, but can be the representation of the nature power, ancestors of families or lineages, or even divine heroes who have great impact on the history.

If you are familiar with Chinese history / literature, you might have heard of some of them before: Guan Yu (關羽), who is famous for his loyalty; and the Money King (孫悟空 / 齊天大聖), that naughty but powerful monkey from the Chinese fiction “Journey to the West”.

And since Hong Kong is originally a fishing village, the fishermen worship Tin Hau, the Goddess of the Sea (天后) in the hope of having good weather and great fish catches.

Then there is also the worship of Kwun Yam, the Goddess of Mercy (觀音, originally a Mahayana Buddhist deity), since she inspires love and devotion, and can comfort those who are sick or in pain.

Of course there are also “more aware” followers for religions like Christianity, Islam and Hinduism, albeit being less in numbers.

…And then there are people who believe in nothing, like me.

Wait, isn’t “believe in nothing” a belief as well?

So I am religious after all?