RELIGION AND CUSTOM
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. About 300 000 Protestant Christians currently live in Hong Kong. The Protestant Church is made up of over 1 300 congregations in more than 50 denominations with many 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 144 secondary schools, 192 primary schools and 273 kindergartens and 116 nurseries. They also operate 13 theological seminaries and Bible institutes, 16 Christian publishing houses and 57 Christian bookshops.
They run seven hospitals with 3 749 beds, 18 clinics and 59 social service organisations which provide a wide range of social services, including 227 community, family service and youth centres, 74 day care centres, 17 children's homes, 35 homes for the elderly, 106 centres for the elderly, two schools for the deaf and one for the blind, 47 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 Hong Kong as well as with churches in the mainland of China and overseas. The
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