Sikhism in Hong Kong


Sikhism in Hong Kong is a minority religion. Sources vary on the Sikh population of the territory, ranging from between 12,000–15,000 Sikhs in-total.

History

In the colonial-era, Sikhs in China were most prominent in Hong Kong, with Shanghai following next. During the 1800s and 1900s, many Sikh Punjabi people were recruited from British India to work as officers for the Hong Kong Police and Shanghai Municipal Police. A contingent of Sikh policemen arrived in Hong Kong in 1867.
After the Indian police unit of the Shanghai Municipal Police force was disbanded in 1945, most of its former policemen were repatriated back to India or moved to Hong Kong or Singapore. After the advent of Communist rule in 1949, many Sikhs who had been employed as watchmen in mainland China departed for resettlement in Hong Kong, immigrated to the West, or returned to India. Most of the remaining Sikhs left Shanghai in 1973 after the Sino-Indian War in 1962, these fleeing Shanghai Sikhs shifted to Hong Kong. In contrast to the gurdwaras of mainland China, Hong Kong's gurdwaras still function normally.
The modern Hong Kong Police Force increasingly has admitted Sikh applicants to join the force, causing it to adjust its policies to allow the Sikh cadets to don a specially-provided turban as part of their uniform. There have been cases of native Cantonese Hongkongers converting to Sikhism.

Gurdwaras