Hong Kong: Chronology

April 1853 • Hong KongHosea Stout, James Lewis, and Chapman Duncan arrived in Hong Kong as missionaries but were unsuccessful and returned home after a few weeks.

July 10, 1949 • Kowloon, Hong KongA Chinese Mission was established with Hilton A. Robertson as president.

1945–49Due to civil war in China, millions of refugees fleeing conflict crossed the border into Hong Kong. The stream of immigrants continued into the 1950s.

February 25, 1950 • Hong KongMissionaries H. Grant Heaton 席德恩 and William Pa’alani 白乃利 arrived.

December 31, 1950 • Hong KongThree sisters, Koot Siu Yuen (Nora) 葛肇媛, Koot Siu Foon (Beatrice) 葛肇歡, and Koot Siu Hung (Rose) 葛肇慶, accepted baptism, becoming the first members of the Church in Hong Kong.

January–February 1951 • Hong KongAmid rising military tensions due to the Korean War, 15 people received baptism just prior to the evacuation of the missionaries to Hawaii on February 6, 1951, leaving just 18 members in Hong Kong.

1951–53 • Hong Kong, Hawaii, San FranciscoChinese Mission headquarters were moved to Hawaii and then to San Francisco, where work was conducted among the Chinese American population. Having little success, the mission was eventually suspended.

August 1955 • Hong KongH. Grant Heaton and Luana Carter Heaton were called to preside over the newly organized Southern Far East Mission, serving Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, the Philippines, Macau, Singapore, and Guam.

October 23, 1955 • Hong KongThe North Point Branch was created, the first in Hong Kong. Additional branches were created in Tsim Sha Tsui and Sham Shui Po on November 17.

first group

May 31, 1956 • Hong Kong

Dr. Tong Feng Shiu Yu and her children Tong Sheung Yuen and Tong Shuk Sau, as well as Ying Wah Mei, Lam Tat Chew, Lam Hau Chew, Lee Wing Foon, Ng Kat Hing 伍吉慶, Tsao Tsoi Cheung, Alberto C. Estanislao, and Ko Sau Ping were the first new converts baptized after the creation of the Southern Far East Mission.

November 11, 1956 • Hong KongTsao Tsoi Cheung, Lee Nai Ken, Lee Wing Foon, Chang Chi Cheong, and Lam Ping Lin were ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood within the Kowloon Hong Kong District.

June 12, 1956Mission headquarters moved to a new mission home located at 2 Cornwall Street. The on-site swimming pool was regularly used for baptisms.

February 17, 1957 • Hong KongLee Nai Ken, an early convert, served as a full-time missionary for six months before beginning studies at Brigham Young University.

May 26, 1957 • Hong KongKoot Siu Yuen (Nora) 葛肇媛 became the first local female member to serve a full-time mission, eventually serving for over two years in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

September 1957 • Hong KongA translation committee of local members was created to translate the Book of Mormon. After two years of work, the project eventually stalled due to financial constraints and was later reassigned to volunteer translators in Taiwan.

May 25, 1958 • Hong KongWang Chih Tsao 王志超 became president of the Tsuen Wan Branch. He was the first local member to serve as branch president in Hong Kong.

March–June 1959 • Hong KongMissionaries and local members worked together to build a small meetinghouse at Tiu Keng Leng, the first Church-built meetinghouse in Asia since the 1850s.

April 12, 1964 • Hong KongLuk Wing Wah 陸榮華 became the first district president of the Hong Kong District.

October 28, 1964 • Hong KongRelief Society members held a bazaar at Kom Tong Hall, attracting around 600 people and earning a total of HKD 5,847—a considerable sum for that time.

December 1965 • Hong KongThe Book of Mormon was printed in Chinese.

May 1967 • Hong KongSerious political riots caused half of the missionaries to be reassigned to other countries.

June 1974 • Hong KongThe Doctrine and Covenants was published in Chinese.

April 2–3, 1974 • Salt Lake City, UtahA group of 18 Saints traveled to Salt Lake City and received temple ordinances with linguistic help from President Poon Shiu-Tat (Sheldon) 潘紹達.

April 25, 1976 • Hong KongThe Hong Kong Stake was created with Poon Shiu-Tat (Sheldon) 潘紹達 as president.

April 1976 • Hong KongThe Chinese Pearl of Great Price was published.

Ho Man Tin meetinghouse

May 1977 • Hong Kong

The construction of the Ho Man Tin meetinghouse, which also served as the Hong Kong stake center, was completed at the intersection of Shek Ku Street and Sheung Shing Street.

July 5, 1977 • Hong KongChan Hok Shun (David H. H. Chen) 陳學信 became the first Chinese man to serve as president of the Hong Kong Mission.

1980 • Hong KongTai Kwok Yuen 戴國源 was called as the first Chinese man to serve as regional representative for Hong Kong and Taiwan.

August 2–4, 1980 • Chitou, TaiwanYoung Women and Young Men organizations from Hong Kong and Taiwan held a three-day youth conference.

1984 • Hong KongWong Chung Hei (Patrick) 黃松熙 was called as the regional representative of the Hong Kong–Taiwan region.

1988 • Hong KongEighty-five local young women and young men became full-time missionaries, making up half of the missionary force in Hong Kong.

June 4, 1989 • Hong KongAn Asia area conference was held in Hong Kong, with priesthood leaders from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Taiwan in attendance.

July 1992 • Hong KongChurch President Gordon B. Hinckley determined the location and unique design of a temple in Hong Kong (see Stories of Faith: “A New Kind of Temple”).

October 1992 • Hong KongTai Kwok Yuen 戴國源 became the first Chinese-born member to serve as a General Authority when he was called to the Second Quorum of the Seventy.

May 26, 1996 • Hong KongThe completed Hong Kong China Temple was dedicated by Gordon B. Hinckley.

July 1, 1997 • Hong KongGovernance of Hong Kong reverted from British to Chinese control. Dancers from the Polynesian Cultural Center of BYU–Hawaii participated in a celebration parade.

1998 • Hong KongThe China Hong Kong International District was created to serve Church members who did not speak Cantonese.

January 12, 2001 • Hong KongThe Chinese name of the Church changed from 耶穌基督末世聖徒教會 (“Church of Jesus Christ of the Last Days”) to 耶穌基督後期聖徒教會 (“Church of Jesus Christ of the Later Period”), a more accurate translation that avoided the erroneous doomsday connotation of the older version.

August 2, 2005 • Hong KongPresident Gordon B. Hinckley came to Hong Kong to dedicate a new 12-story Church administration building on Gloucester Road in Wan Chai. The building contained chapels, classrooms, recreational facilities, apartments, and the Asia Area Office.

2007–08 • Hong KongA revised translation of the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price was published in traditional and simplified Chinese characters.

March 9, 2014 • Hong KongIn an effort to make the blessings of the temple accessible to members employed as domestic workers, who had demanding work schedules, the Hong Kong temple began operating on some Sundays.