Canopy of city’s oldest Chinese Banyan falls, damages 150-year-old temple

A branch of Macau’s oldest Chinese Banyan Tree, situated next to the 150-year-old Tin Hau Temple, fell and damaged its roof on Wednesday morning, the government has announced.

The Banyan Tree, aged 262 years and inscribed in the Ancient and Renowned Trees Archive, has been adjacent to the Tin Hau Temple on Rua dos Pescadores. The temple, meanwhile, was constructed in 1865 using proceeds collected by a religious householder. The temple underwent a restoration in 1987.

The tree has been identified with certain infections recently, according to the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM), which is the authority overseeing tree conservation matters.

The IAM brushed off responsibility for the matter, emphasizing that it had notified the “relevant entities and premises owner” to conduct care on the tree.

It cited the Cultural Heritage Protection Law as stating that old trees within private premises should be cared for by the property owner.

Meanwhile, considering the temple’s status as an exemplar of local cultural heritage, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) has also intervened. It stated that after acknowledging the report into the fallen tree branch, the bureau immediately deployed officers to handle the matter.

As of press time, the IC has pointed out that the structure of the temple was intact. Only the porcelain tiles on the roof were damaged. The event caused no injury, the IC added. AL