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RELIGION AND CUSTOM

There are about 360 Chinese temples in Hong Kong. Some temples are centuries old, built by fishermen or early settlers. Because of the short supply of land, some temples are established in multi-storey buildings to cater for the spiritual needs of smaller circles of city-dwellers.

All Chinese temples are required to be registered under the Chinese Temples Ordinance. The Chinese Temples Committee manages some 40 public temples and the income, from donations by worshippers, is used for preservation and restoration not only of public temples but also privately-owned ones of historical value. Any surplus is put towards a charity fund.

Each temple is dedicated to one or two deities whose images are enshrined in the main hall, with side halls housing images of subsidiary deities. Since Buddhism and Taoism are both accepted as traditional Chinese religions, Buddhist and Taoist deities are often honoured together within one temple. Leading deities include Buddha, Kwun Yum (the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy), and Lui Cho (a Taoist god).

There is also a diversity of deified mortals traditionally worshipped as a result of their performance of actual or mythical feats. Foremost of these is Tin Hau, the Queen of Heaven and Protectress of Seafarers, worshipped originally by the fishing population but now by others in the community as well - reflecting Hong Kong's dependence on fishing and trade by sea. There are at least 24 Tin Hau temples in Hong Kong, the most famous being the one in Joss House Bay, which is visited by tens of thousands of worshippers each year during the Tin Hau Festival on the 23rd day of the third moon.

Other deified mortals include Kwan Tai, the God of War and Righteousness; Pak Tai, lord of the North and Patron of Cheung Chau Island; Hung Shing, God of the South Seas and weather prophet; and Wong Tai Sin, a Taoist deity, in whose honour a 72-year-old temple, built in traditional Chinese architectural style in northeastern Kowloon, enjoys great popularity. Dedicated to the gods of literary attainment and martial valour, Man Mo Temple in Hollywood Road on Hong Kong Island is also very popular. It is run by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, a charitable organisation. The Che Kung Temple at Sha Tin in the New Territories is dedicated to a general in the Sung Dynasty.

Protestant Community

The presence of the Protestant community dates back to 1841. In the 150 years since the first Protestant church came into being, the community has grown to 258 000 in over 900 congregations which comprise 52 denominations and independent churches. The Baptists form the largest denomination followed by the Lutherans. Other major denominations are the 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. Since the 1970s, the number of independent churches has increased significantly due to the strong evangelical zeal of lay Christians.

The Protestant churches are also deeply involved in education, health care and social welfare. Protestant organisations operate three post-secondary colleges Chung Chi College at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist College and Lingnan College. They run 122 secondary schools, 141 primary schools and 146 kindergartens. In addition, they operate 13 theological seminaries and Bible institutes, 16 Christian publishing houses and 57 Christian book shops.

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