Man Mo Temple

The earliest of these voluntary organizations (established by local Chinese elites) was the Man Mo Temple, founded in 1847 by Loo Aqui (盧阿桂) and Tam Achoy (譚三才). Although its ostensible (外表的) purpose was to worship the gods of literature and war and to observe religious festivals, the temple served other important functions. It soon became the main social center for Hong Kong's Chinese population, regardless of their regional or occupational affiliations (聯繫). The temple also evolved into the self-managed, informal government of the Chinese community, with the merchants electing a committee to deliberate (仔細討論) disputes. Thus, between the Man Mo Temple and the smaller neighborhood committees, the Chinese community soon developed mechanisms for managing its own affairs. Although the European community often eyed the temple suspiciously for clandestinely (祕密地) controlling "native affairs," the colonial government was happy with the arrangement since it fit with the government's policy of ruling the Chinese on the cheap.

攝於2015年，地點︰上環荷李活道

Carroll, J.M. (2007). A Concise History of Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.