It was fascinating to learn about Hong Kong’s Parsee community from General Committee member Neville Shroff in the latest instalment of our “Dialogue with GC Members Series.”
Shroff, Chairman and CEO of Shroff and Company Ltd., explained that the Parsees in Hong Kong can trace their roots back to the 18th century, when they first came to China along important trade routes and settled in the Fragrant Harbour.
An ethnoreligious group of Persian origin that migrated to India in the 7th century, Parsees follow Zoroastrianism, one of the oldest religions in the world, which originated in ancient Persia over three thousand years ago. The monotheistic faith is rooted in three principles, good thoughts, good words and good deeds. It is associated with the fires that burn night and day in the temples, symbolizing purity, explained Shroff, who is President of the Zoroastrian Parsee Association of Hong Kong. However, the religion is currently facing a crisis, with the number of practitioners around the world dwindling due to strict rules about conversion and inter-faith marriage.
In Hong Kong, for example, Parsees number a little over 200. The Zoroastrian Building on Leighton Road in Causeway Bay, which was inaugurated in 1993 and houses a prayer hall, is where they come together for festivals such as “Navroze” (New Year) and other events.
The community’s contributions to Hong Kong belie its size. Prominent Parsee businessmen helped to fund and establish institutions such as The University of Hong Kong, Ruttonjee Hospital and the Kowloon Cricket Club. It echoes their influence in Indian cities like Mumbai and Calcutta, where their businesses flourished, and where they became synonymous with critical infrastructure like universities and hospitals.
Here in Hong Kong, their legacy continues to live on in the names of streets like Bisney Road and Mody Road, as well as the iconic Star Ferry, which was founded by a pioneering Parsee businessman – one of the many who contributed to this multicultural city and called it their own.