In Chinese culture, a pagoda is an architecture associated with good spiritual power and the idea of merit – a protective force which accumulates from good deeds. Eventually, a pagoda symbolises the accumulation of merit through charitable giving.
Building a pagoda requires the concerted effort of citizens. The Chest selected the pagoda as its logo because it aptly represents the notion of every little helps. As many a mickle makes a muckle, every dollar donated to the Chest will bring happiness and hope to those in need in Hong Kong.
Since 1968, the Chest's pagoda has stood sentinel over the changing face of Hong Kong. It is a testament to Hong Kong people's generosity and unwavering spirit of caring.
Our Story
The Pagoda
The Beginning
1960s
Hong Kong experienced a dramatic population growth in the 1960s. At same time, the city's social problems were getting worse. The situation caught the attention of the international community, and overseas emergency relief agencies and religious organisations started arriving in Hong Kong to alleviate the problems with cash and supplies.
As Hong Kong's economy started to develop steadily, some of the international agencies began to leave, leaving a gap in social welfare services. To provide and maintain services, welfare agencies had to devote a lot of resources to fundraise and compete with each other for donations. In view of the situation, a group of community leaders, including Dr Tang Ping-yuan (1898 – 1971), Lady Fung (1910 – 2001), Lady Hogan (1918 – 1995) and Dr Samson Sun (1925 – 2021), came up with the idea of setting up a community fund to raise money on behalf of all agencies, thus eliminating competition among them in their fundraising efforts and providing them with the resources to focus on service delivery – this was the beginning of the Chest.
1968
The Chest was founded on 8 November 1968 with a fundraising target of HK$6 million. The amount raised exceeded the target in under three months and benefitted the 43 agencies it funded in its early years of operations.
8 NOV
Founding Date
$6M
Initial Fundraising Target
43
Beneficiary Agencies
NOW
Today, the Chest prides itself in raising funds on behalf of 167 member agencies in six major areas of services – children & youth, the elderly, family & child welfare, medical & health, rehabilitation & aftercare, and community development – making every effort to contribute to a better Hong Kong.
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