February 1999

Dear friends,

Twelve years ago, I spent my first Chinese New Year in Hong Kong. I remember that clearly because 1987 was the Year of the Rabbit by the Chinese zodiac, which runs in a twelve-year cycle. This year we return again to the Year of the Rabbit, and I think of how Hong Kong and I have changed over the past decade. In 1987 I was on leave from my church in Washington, D.C., to study Chinese and teach English for a year. I recall watching the fireworks over Victoria Harbor with Hong Kong friends. I joined the pastor’s family with whom I was living for the traditional Chinese meal and went to the flower market at midnight. I remember wanting to take in every moment during that year because I thought I might never come back again.

As Hong Kong prepares for another Year of the Rabbit, many would rather forget last year and hope they never see a year like it again. Unemployment continues to rise and many stores will probably close down after Chinese New Year. Salaries for domestic helpers, already the lowest in Hong Kong, have been cut by 5 percent. The air pollution index is frequently in the hazardous range. Citizens question the government’s competence in light of investigations of last year’s disastrous opening of the new airport. Violence among youth seems to be increasing.

Yet, in the midst of all this bad news, I am encouraged by those who refuse to give up on Hong Kong. The number of people emigrating from Hong Kong is at its lowest in many years. Newspapers are giving a lot of publicity to the pollution problem and pushing the government to be more transparent and accountable. The education department is trying to revamp its whole approach to education, which may be impossible, but at least they admit there are fundamental problems that must be addressed. The housing department is finally getting tough on kicking out rich tenants in public housing. The church is getting serious about ministry to new immigrants from mainland China, realizing these persons are not foreigners but persons who need protection and assistance. There is good news out there if we are willing to look for it.

The church in Hong Kong has always had a dilemma when Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, coincides with Chinese New Year, as it does in 1999. How does one observe a day of fasting and abstinence on what is supposed to be one of the most joyful days of the Chinese year? Chinese Catholics and the Vatican decided long ago that when this happens, the lunar new year will take precedence. In other words, go ahead and celebrate! Most of the rest of the Christians seem to have followed their practice. That makes sense, especially this year, as Hong Kong needs to find reasons to rejoice and to hope for a more prosperous year ahead. This Year of the Rabbit, I will be watching the fireworks at home on the television with my children and husband (one of those Hong Kong friends from 1987). We will have his family come to our home for Chinese New Year dinner, and we are probably too old and tired to deal with the crowds at the flower market so late at night. But we will celebrate—we will celebrate God’s faithfulness to our family and Hong Kong and we pray for a more prosperous year spiritually and economically for all of Asia.

God’s blessings,

Judy Chin Chan

The 1999 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, page 180