James Tak-Ming Pong (; also Te-Ming; September 19, 1911October 16, 1988) was an

Hongkongese Hongkongers (), Hong Kongers, Hong Kong citizens and Hong Kong people are demonyms that refer to a resident of Hong Kong, although they may also refer to others who were born and/or raised in the territory. The earliest inhabitants of Hon ...

Episcopalian Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protes ...

bishop who served as the fourth bishop (second bishop of Chinese descent) of the

Episcopal Diocese of Taiwan The Episcopal Diocese of Taiwan ( zh, t=臺灣聖公會, s=台湾圣公会, first=t, l=Episcopal Church of Taiwan) is the Anglican diocese in Taiwan and a member diocese of the Episcopal Church of the United States. It was established in 1954, fi ...

. Pong was born in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

, where his father was a

compradore A comprador or compradore () is a "person who acts as an agent for foreign organizations engaged in investment, trade, or economic or political exploitation." An example of a comprador would be a native manager for a European business house in Eas ...

for

Jardine Jardine is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Al Jardine (born 1942), member of the Beach Boys * Alexander Jardine (British Army officer) (died 1799), Scottish army officer and author * Alexander Jardine (Medal of Honor) (1874– ...

and

Blue Funnel Line Alfred Holt and Company, trading as Blue Funnel Line, was a UK shipping company that was founded in 1866 and operated merchant ships for 122 years. It was one of the UK's larger shipowning and operating companies, and as such had a significan ...

ships and his mother was a shopkeeper. At a young age, Pong moved with his family to his father's hometown in

Beihai Beihai (; Postal romanization: Pakhoi) is a prefecture-level city in the south of Guangxi, People's Republic of China. Its status as a seaport on the north shore of the Gulf of Tonkin has granted it historical importance as a port of internati ...

, where he resided from 1916 to 1920. His family later returned to Hong Kong, where he attended St Paul's College. He went on to attend St John's University in Shanghai, majoring in History and Government. Upon graduating, he accepted a teaching position at Lingnan Middle School in Canton (starting in 1935) and

Lingnan University Lingnan University a public research university located in Tuen Mun, New Territories, Hong Kong. Lingnan University has 3 faculties, 3 Schools, 16 departments, 2 language centres, and 2 units (science and music), offering 29 degree honours ...

(starting in 1942) as an Instructor and later assistant professor in History and Government. In 1947, he won a fellowship given by the Associated Board for Christian Colleges in China (known as the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia since 1951), which enabled him to earn an MA degree in Political Science from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

in 1949. On

Trinity Sunday Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christianity, Western Christian liturgical year, liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity. Trinity Sunday celebrates the Christian doctrine of the ...

1952 (8 June), Pong was ordained priest at

York Minster York Minster, formally the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. The minster is the seat of the archbishop of York, the second-highest of ...

, England, by

Cyril Garbett Cyril Forster Garbett (6 February 1875 – 31 December 1955) was an Anglican bishop and author. He was successively Bishop of Southwark (1919–32), Bishop of Winchester (1932–42) and Archbishop of York (1942–55). Early life Garbett was ...

Archbishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers the ...

— likely the first Chinese person to be ordained there. However, upon his return to Hong Kong in 1953, he was seconded to be the Dean at

Chung Chi College The Chung Chi College is one of the constituent colleges of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, a public university in New Territories, Hong Kong. The college is one of the three original colleges that joined to form the CUHK in 1963. F ...

(later to become part of the

Chinese University of Hong Kong The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a public university, public research university in Sha Tin, New Territories, Hong Kong. Established in 1963 as a federation of three university college, collegesChung Chi College, New Asia Coll ...

). From 1957 until 1970, he served in the Diocese of Hong Kong and Macau in various positions, including Vicar of St James's Church in

Wan Chai Wan Chai (Traditional Chinese characters, Chinese: 灣仔) is located in the western part of Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It is bounded by Canal Road, Hong Kong, Canal Road to the east, Arsenal St ...

and Vicar of St Paul's Church in Glenealy. He spent a sabbatical year studying at

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

in 1963. From 1964 to 1969, he was concurrently the Anglican Regional Officer for South-East Asia. Pong was consecrated as

Bishop of Taiwan The Episcopal Diocese of Taiwan ( zh, t=臺灣聖公會, s=台湾圣公会, first=t, l=Episcopal Church of Taiwan) is the Anglicanism, Anglican diocese in Taiwan and a member diocese of the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Church of the ...

on January 6, 1971, a position he held until 1979. He was also Acting President of St John's and St Mary's Institute of Technology at Tamshui from 1972 to 1975. After returning to Hong Kong, he served as Rector of the Tao Fong Shan Christian Centre from 1980 to 1982. His remains are interred at the Chinese Christian Cemetery in Hong Kong alongside his wife Lily Yun Yu (née Yeung, 1911–2014). On November 30, 2015, the Taiwan Episcopal Church dedicated the Bishop James T.M. Pong Memorial Conference Room in the Diocese of Taiwan office in

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

References

Sources

*Pong, James T.M. (1977) ''Worldly Ambition versus Christian Vocation. Autobiography of a Chinese Bishop.'' Diocesan Press. Taiwan Episcopal Church. Taipei, Taiwan.
Chinese-language biography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pong, James Te-Ming 1911 births 1980 deaths 20th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of Taiwan 20th-century American clergy

See also

References

Sources