The Hong Kong China Temple (formerly the Hong Kong Temple) is the 48th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The LDS Church first sent missionaries to Hong Kong in 1853. Almost 140 years later, in 1992, then- First Counselor in the First Presidency, Gordon B. Hinckley, announced plans to build a temple in the territory. Finding a site on which to build, however, proved difficult, especially given the high cost of real estate in the area. Finally, it was decided that the temple would be built on the site of the existing mission home and chapel.
Because of the land shortage in the territory, the temple had to be 'built up' instead of 'spreading out' to build. This scarcity of space contributed to the unique design of the Hong Kong Temple. The six-story building is designed to house not only the temple, but also a chapel, mission offices, and living quarters for the temple president and several missionaries. This is known as the Hong Kong Temple Plan and has since been repeated with the Manhattan New York Temple.
The dedication of the Hong Kong China Temple took place on May 26, 1996. The temple serves church members from parts of India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Mongolia, Guam, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Cambodia, Micronesia, Majuro, and Indonesia. It has a total of 21,744 square feet (2,020.1 m2), two ordinance rooms, and two sealing rooms.
Famous quotes containing the words china and/or temple:
“In a country where misery and want were the foundation of the social structure, famine was periodic, death from starvation common, disease pervasive, thievery normal, and graft and corruption taken for granted, the elimination of these conditions in Communist China is so striking that negative aspects of the new rule fade in relative importance.”
—Barbara Tuchman (1912–1989)
“The difference of the English and Irish character is nowhere more plainly discerned than in their respective kitchens. With the former, this apartment is probably the cleanest, and certainly the most orderly, in the house.... An Irish kitchen ... is usually a temple dedicated to the goddess of disorder; and, too often, joined with her, is the potent deity of dirt.”
—Anthony Trollope (1815–1882)