Making the local and the decentralized governable: a study of the implementation of the Chinese Temples Ordinance

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims at illustrating how the local and the decentralized temple management bodies were made governable and governed through law.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper examines the implementation of Chinese Temples Ordinances (the Ordinance) and the activities of the Chinese Temples Committee (the Committee) in Hong Kong during colonial times by analyzing official archival records from 1920s to 1970s.

Findings

This paper delineates how the local and decentralized temple management bodies were made governable under the Ordinance. The Ordinance and the Committee translated Chinese temples into financial resources for Chinese charity activities managed by the elite merchant class. Chinese temples were also sometimes translated as obstacles for land development. Though there existed different representations of Chinese temples in practices, the Committee and related officials provided legal reasons under the same legal framework suggested by the Ordinance.

Originality/value

This paper suggests that folk religion as a research topic is not only relevant to studies of religious doctrine, belief and ritual performances. A study of the history of temple management bodies is also highly relevant to the study of colonial governance in Hong Kong. It adds value to the discussion on the trajectory of the development of local communities.

Citation

Fung, W.Y.K. (2022), "Making the local and the decentralized governable: a study of the implementation of the Chinese Temples Ordinance", Social Transformations in Chinese Societies, Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 46-58. https://doi.org/10.1108/STICS-04-2020-0007