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A-Ma Temple
If the Ruin of St. Paul symbolic the
western religion of Macau, then
the A-Ma Temple should be the
representative of Chinese religion
in Macau. For the Chinese
community, they believe in
Chinese traditional folk religions.
Therefore, some Chinese temples
can be found in Macau. A-Ma
Temple is the most famous one
among them. The temple was
built in 1488. It is the oldest and
most famous Chinese Temple in
Macau. The temple worships the
Goddess Mazu and inspired by
multiple Chinese traditional
religions including Confucianism,
Buddhism, and Daoism. The A-Ma
play an indispensable role in
cultural aspect. Firstly the temple
is close to the Ruin of St. Paul in
terms of the location, it is
amazing that it can coexist with
Western-religions architecture
even Macau is under the control
of Portuguese. Secondly, the
temple reveals the traditional
religion and the jobs of the
general public in Macau. In the
past, most of the Chinese in
Macau worked at sea and thus,
they worships Goddess Mazu who
was believed as the protective
God. Tourists who are interested
in traditional religion and culture
of Chinese community in Macau
should visit the A-Ma Temple.
