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8 Th e Hong Kong Church and Nineteenth century Colonial Attitude s THE Churc h ha s held t o certain basi c beliefs sinc e its foundation , but thes e hav e bee n subjec t t o historica l developmen t an d adap tation withi n differen t cultura l settings . I n th e process , churc h thought an d practic e hav e interacte d wit h th e contex t i n whic h they have existed . China provide d a new contex t fo r a n old faith , wit h a differen t language, differen t though t forms , customs , economi c an d poli tical structures , an d socia l institutions . Th e propagatio n o f th e Christian faith accompanie d an aggresive foreign trade. Both were resisted b y China , whic h maintaine d i t neede d nothin g fro m th e West. The missionar y t o Chin a cam e fro m a tradition wher e civiliza tion wa s equate d wit h Christianity . Non-Christia n people s wer e 'heathen' an d henc e barbarian . Th e Chinese , on thei r part , iden tified thei r own nation an d culture with civilization an d those out side the Middle Kingdom a s barbarians. The Chines e literati-gentr y elit e wer e no t abou t t o abando n their traditional views, and Christianity made few converts among them. Th e commo n ma n generall y accepte d th e traditional view , even thoug h hi s participatio n i n th e highe r Chines e cultur e wa s limited. H e wa s mor e ready , however , t o submi t t o th e inferio r position th e missionar y expecte d hi m to accep t a s a person o f a n 'inferior' an d 'heathen ' nation . Th e missionar y wa s slo w t o ac knowledge th e Chines e a s equal s i n cultur e an d character. 1 Th e result wa s a tendenc y toward s denationalizatio n o f th e convert . This process was reinforced whe n the Church established itself in a colony. In Hon g Kong , missionary effort s ha d th e support o f a familia r legal system, they were tolerated, an d they had a n established (a s in th e cas e of th e Anglicans) 2 or a semi-established statu s (othe r groups vis-a-vis traditional Chinese religions). This chapter will examine aspects of the adaptation of the Protestant Churc h i n a colon y wit h a predominantl y Chines e populatio n and wil l focu s particularl y o n th e way s i n whic h th e Churc h ha s dealt with cultural distance and superior-inferior relationships . COLONIAL ATTITUDE S 173 Distance and Dependence Thirteen day s afte r th e Britis h flag was plante d o n Possessio n Point, a party of eight Protestant missionaries came to Hong Kong from Maca u on an exploratory trip. They found a temporary village rising on the beach where the town of Victoria was to be. It was mad e u p o f a cluste r o f hut s an d matshed s hastil y throw n together. The missionary party also visited some of the agricultural and fishing villages. They estimated th e entire population o f the island to be less than 2,500, practically all of them very poor. The island's significance as a Chinese settlement did not impress them, but they envisaged a glorious future fo r it as a British possession. 'There is no question but that in the course of time, the island of Hong Kong will, if retained by the British, rise in importance and influence until it becomes the first insular emporium in these Eastern waters.' As to its missionary prospects, they felt that Hong Kong might form, 'i n th e providence o f God , a place on which to establish, under the auspices of the flag that now waves on its summits, the true principle s o f commerce , justic e an d th e Christia n religion , which protected, these may flourish untrammeled until the nation (China) be enlightened and saved'.3 The...

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