A parade was organized on Friday to celebrate the anniversary of the Na Tcha Temple and also the birth of Na Tcha, a character in traditional Chinese legends and myths
Macau is a treasure trove of both Western and Eastern religious architecture. For a long time, churches such as the Ruins of St Paul’s have been popular with tourists. Now, traditional Chinese temples, after years of inactivity, are back in the spotlight, not only as tourist attractions but also as important representations of cultural heritage.
The region has approximately 40 Chinese temples, over half of which were built in the Qing dynasty a few centuries ago. The temples honor different gods, each with their own mythical narrative, which have been drawn from the three great Chinese religious traditions – Buddhism, Taoism and folklore. Widely known deities such as the Goddess of Mercy and Buddha, are worshipped at the temples, as well as gods of the natural elements such as water and land.
Together, these temples form a diverse tapestry of customs and beliefs which have been practiced for centuries by inhabitants of this former fishing village.
A-Ma temple, whose history is as old as Macau itself as a colonial outpost, has always been popular with tourists and devotees alike. The other temples, despite their impressive history, architecture and artistic relics, have received limited attention in recent decades from visitors, overshadowed by the bright casinos and more contemporary attractions.
A group of dedicated local temple administrators has been working hard to revive the festivals, rituals and other temple-related practices which had disappeared for decades. These administrators, all of whom are businessmen working for free, have restored dilapidated temples as well as organized parades and fairs to remind the public of the rich culture embodied by these old shrines.
The group has generated notable successes, especially with the Na Tcha temples. Na Tcha, a child god popular in southern China, is a symbol of filial piety and loyalty, with a special compassion for children. In ancient times, in the instance of an epidemic, people prayed to request the help of this young, mythical “prince”.
In 2005, the Na Tcha Temple, together with 21 other local monuments located in a designated heritage zone in Macau’s city center, was granted a UNESCO World Heritage Award. The 127-year-old small Taoist temple is located just a stone’s throw from the majestic Ruins of St Paul’s, a strong statement of Macau’s East-West religious harmony.
Ip Tat, the 67-year-old administrator of the temple, stated, “I am overwhelmed by this honor. It made me realize that the significance of a temple is not measured by its size or age, but its inherent cultural value. The award brought additional responsibilities to us to preserve our cultural treasure well.” Ip runs a transport and engineering business, but devotes much time to promoting his faith.
The Na Tcha Customs, which include all the worship activities and artifacts relating to the deity, were classified as an intangible cultural asset, first in Macau in 2012, then as a national asset in 2014. “The Na Tcha faith has been practiced in Macau for over 300 years. There are several hundred Na Tcha temples across mainland China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia, making the god a great unifier of Chinese peoples from different areas,” Ip explained.
Other temples have also experienced a strong resurgence, thanks to the annual Temple Culture Festival which was first launched in 2009. The two-day event comprising of parades, festivals, exhibitions and large-
scale outdoor banquets attracted tens of thousands of temple visitors.
Fong Kin Fu, the 56-year-old director of the festival, said: “We want to educate the public about the history of different temples. Each has a unique story of its own and reflects China’s long cultural history. We are not asking people to be superstitious, but to be aware of the rich heritage we’ve inherited.” Fong, who runs a food business, is also the administrator of the Na Cha Ancient Temple, located on Travessa de Sancho Pança, which is hundreds of years older than the more famous award-winning temple.
Members of the older generation like Fong and Ip were brought up in the strong tradition of visiting Chinese temples. Fong remembers going to temples with his parents. Feasts and other celebrations were a source of great fun for the young boy, in an age with few forms of entertainment.
Ip, too, spoke of the old days with great fondness. “I went both to churches and temples, but it was at the latter that I found my faith. I read cartoon books of Na Tcha and was heavily influenced by his character. I learnt from him to be grateful for what I had, even though I came from a modest family.”
The annual two-day Na Tcha festival held in the fifth lunar month (around June) was especially exciting for young Ip and Fong. “Strong men carried the heavy Na Tcha statue while the dancing lion ‘plucked the green’ (jumped up to snatch a red packet attached to a piece of green vegetable). I took part in the parade, the sprinkling of sacred water and other rituals. It was a two-day event held outdoors, bringing good times to everyone and promoting social harmony,” said Ip.
All these festivities came to a halt during the radical leftist days of China’s Cultural Revolution in 1966-1976. Traditional temples, criticized as superstitious and feudalist, were destroyed or closed down in mainland China. The ones in Macau were not damaged, but still ceased operation for numerous years. In the early 1990s, temples gradually and quietly opened their doors in order to distribute food and red packets during festival times.
In 1993, Ip was asked to take over the Na Tcha Temple from the older generations. “One evening at the temple, thirty to forty elders sat together and asked if I wished to take over the administration. They wanted me to preserve and promote the Na Tcha faith. I felt like it was a big responsibility as everything was in shambles back then,” he said.
Once the torch was passed on to Ip, he registered the temple officially as an entity to meet the needs of contemporary society. Next, he repaired the temple’s decayed roof and walls.
The Executive Council spokesperson Leong Heng Teng (center) was one of the invitees of the celebrations of the Na Tcha Temple anniversary
In 2001, he and other religious leaders formed the Taoist Association of Macau, to provide a forum for all Taoist temples, as “the Taoism faith was disorganized and without any leadership,” said Ip.
Then came Macau’s UNESCO application to establish 22 monuments, the Na Tcha Temple included, as part of a World Heritage site. Ip recalled the many hours he spent informing a Japanese representative of UNESCO about his temple. One question posed to Ip was, “What would be your dream, to win the lottery or to spread the culture of Na Tcha?” It was an easy choice for Ip.
The UNESCO award encouraged Ip and other temple administrators to do more to preserve what is now recognized internationally as a cultural treasure.
In June 2011, Ip’s Taoist Association organized a cross-straits event to celebrate the Na Tcha faith, with over 600 participants from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. One ceremony, called “snatching a floral gun”, was performed – which had not been witnessed for fifty years, according to Ip.
To better promote their faith, Ip and his colleagues spent years establishing a permanent exhibition of Na Tcha near the temple. In July 2012, the one-
storey, 70 square-meter exhibition hall was opened, one month after the Na Tcha Customs were officially listed as a non-tangible asset of Macau. Inside are relics such as the furnace for burning joss sticks, the red bucket for storing “sacred water” and wood blocks used to print prayer scripts. Some believers donated little statues of Na Tcha to the hall, a few dating back from over one hundred years.
While the preservation of the Na Tcha temples was proving effective, the state of other temples in Macau were declining, because of a lack of funds and proper management. Ip and Fong decided to reach out to all of the temples, via an organization formed in 2009, the Macau Temple Civilization. “There was little communication between temples. We said we’d start with ourselves; we wanted a platform to promote common causes,” said Fong. The response was tepid initially, with only the two Na Tcha temples and one other temple joining. Still, they proceeded with the planned temple festival, even though they had to lose money in the first year.
In the second year, the Macau Government Tourist Office provided some subsidies, which were used to print fliers, to set up an official website and to create various other activities.
Slowly, other temples joined as well. “To interested participants, we stressed the benefits they would enjoy in joining us. Ours is a platform to lobby for more support from the government and to promote cooperation between temples. We do not interfere in the administration of individual temples,” said Fong.
This year, the organization had 14 temples and two religious associations present at the annual festival.
Fong said the festival, with parades, performances and other rituals, helps temples to generate revenue from visitors. It also helps to rejuvenate declining neighborhoods where many temples are located. “People from all sectors approve of our work and enjoy the performances,” said Fong.
Since 2013, the organization has also been offering tours of some of the temples, with the support of the tourism office. The first year attracted 30,000 visitors to the 19 temples participating in four specially designed tours.
In 2014, 23 temples took part and there were nine routes offered. A total of 50,000 visitors were recorded last year, many of whom received gifts for collecting enough “chops” stamped on the “temple passport” which had been freely distributed to them.
The tours were particularly popular with students and teachers who used the brochures and fliers as teaching resources in classes.
The Macau Temple Civilization also organizes study tours overseas, through which members can learn how temples are run in other Chinese societies. Ip was inspired by what he saw in Malaysia. “The temples there used 80 percent of the funds they had received to build schools, charities and to carry out other non-commercial activities,” he said.
When compared with temples elsewhere, according to Fong, some temples in Macau are in need of improvement. “The management of some temples is stuck in the past. For example, there is the need to introduce a modern storage system for the many inflammable items lying around in temples. Fire prevention is far from satisfactory.” In this area and others, Fong said his manner of organization can help temples to learn from each other. Louise Do Rosário, MDT/Macauhub
seminar and publications in celebration of unesco listing
In order to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Macau as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Cultural Affairs Bureau has organized a series of activities to be held on Sunday, July 12. These will include the opening ceremony of the “10th Anniversary of the Historic Centre of Macao as World Heritage – Exhibition on the achievements in safeguarding cultural heritage in Macau”, to be held at the Largo da Companhia de Jesus, at 10 a.m., as well as the “10th Anniversary of the Historic Centre of Macau as World Heritage – International Academic Seminar on the Conservation of the Cultural Heritage and a book launch ceremony”, to take place at 11 a.m. at the Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Centre – Grand Hall (4th floor).
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