In the past, only members were allowed to enter Zetland Hall, and members we know of include three Hong Kong Governors — Robinsons, Macdonnell and Blake — as well as some eminent Chinese, such as Sir Kai Ho Kai, a barrister and physician, and Sir Boshan Wei-Yuk, the compradore of Mercantile Bank of India and member of the Legislative Council.
Zetland Hall was razed in air raids during the Second World War, after which it was moved to the present location, No. 1 Kennedy Road, in 1950.
Freemasonry set foot in Hong Kong after the colonization. The Hong Kong branch was established in 1844, and in 1853 the headquarters, a majestic two-storey structure, was put up on the slope of Zetland Street, Central. It was named Zetland Hall after the then Grand Master of the England Freemasonry, Thomas Dundas, Second Earl of Zetland. Even until today we know little about the mysterious Freemasonry; all we recognize is that admission is granted by member’s invitation, irrespective of race and religion, and only to people with good character who are, at the same time, pursuing brotherly love, relief and truth and believing in the existence of a supreme being. Those who are accepted have to pay membership fee and perform the enigmatic Masonic ritual.
