RELIGION AND CUSTOM
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Other leading deities include Kwan Tai (God of War and the source of righteousness), Pak Tai (Supreme Emperor of the Dark Heaven and local patron of the island of Cheung Chau) and Hung Shing (God of the South Seas and a weather prophet).
The very popular Wong Tai Sin Temple in north-eastern Kowloon is dedicated to a Taoist deity and is built in traditional Chinese architectural style. Other notable temples include the Che Kung temple in Sha Tin in the New Territories, which is dedicated to a Sung Dynasty general; Man Mo Temple for the Gods of Literary Attainment and Martial Valour on Hollywood Road on Hong Kong Island; and Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island, home to the world's largest outdoor bronze statue of Buddha, the Tian Tan Buddha.
The Protestant Community
The presence of the Protestant community dates from 1841. The latest survey in 1994 recorded 380 000 baptised Protestants. Of these, 260 000 are currently living in Hong Kong. The Protestant Church is made up of over 1 200 congregations in more than 50 denominations with a large number of independent churches. The Baptists form the largest denomination, followed by the Lutherans. Other major denominations are Adventist, Anglican, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Church of Christ in China (representing the Presbyterian and Congregational traditions), Methodist and Pentecostal. With their emphasis on youth work, many congregations have a high proportion of young people.
Protestant organisations operate three post-secondary colleges
Chung Chi College at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University and Lingnan College. They run 131 secondary schools, 146 primary schools and 233 kindergartens. They also operate 13 theological seminaries and Bible institutes, 16 Christian publishing houses and 57 Christian bookshops.
They run seven hospitals with 3 463 beds, 24 clinics and 61 social service organisations which provide a wide range of social services, including 221 community, family service and youth centres, 72 day care centres, eight children's homes, 29 homes for the elderly, 97 centres for the elderly, three schools for the deaf and 21 training centres for the mentally handicapped and disabled. There are also 15 camp sites. Five international hotel-type guest houses are managed by the YMCA and YWCA.
Ninety-six para-church agencies and various Christian action groups minister to the Protestant community and respond to current issues and concerns within the Hong Kong society at large. The church supports emergency relief and development projects in third world countries. The 'Five Loaves and Two Fish' Campaign, sponsored by the Hong Kong Christian Council, was the first overseas aid project initiated in Hong Kong. Two weekly newspapers, The Christian Weekly and The Christian Times, present news and comments from a Christian perspective.
Two ecumenical bodies facilitate co-operative work among the Protestant churches in Hong Kong. The older one, dating from 1915, is the Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union with a membership of 275 congregations. The second co-operative body is the Hong Kong Christian Council, formed in 1954. Major mainline denominations and ecumenical services constitute the membership core of the council, which is committed to building closer relationships among all churches in