Nezha Temple

Nezha temple is not big. It is located on the hillside behind the Da Sanba memorial archway in Macao. It stands at the foot of the green Fort Mountain and adheres to the wall of the old city. Nezha temple, as the name suggests, is a temple dedicated to Nezha. In the main hall of Nezha temple, there are various statues of Nezha. The middle one is lively and energetic, like the image of Nezha in the sea.

Nezha Temple

Templode natcha, Junto à s Ru í nasdeS.Paulo ）It refers to the Nezha temple on the right side of the Da Sanba memorial archway in Macao. It is one of the two existing Nezha temples in Macao. Dazanba Nezha temple is often regarded as a symbol of the harmony between Chinese and Western cultures in Macao. It became a part of Macao's historical city in 2005.

Historical evolution

Nezha temple was founded in 1888,

It was rebuilt in 1901,

The government also maintained the temple in 1995 and 2000 by cleaning and repairing the roof, whitewashing the walls and decorations, and replacing some decayed wood components.

Before the temple was built, the plague was prevalent in Macao, and countless people died. The local people thought that there was no temple in the area to suppress evil spirits. They negotiated with the Shishan people to invite Nezha, the God of Shishan, to come to Dasanba to build a temple for worship. However, they met with opposition and failed to negotiate with each other, so they built the temple on their own.

In 1995 and 2000, the last two were built.

Layout structure

Nezha temple and Da Sanba memorial archway complement each other. The architecture of Nezha temple in Da Sanba is 8.4 meters long and 4.51 meters wide. It is a two-way building with no patio in the middle. It is a rare traditional Chinese temple. Nezha temple is not big. It is located on the hillside behind the Da Sanba memorial archway in Macao. It stands at the foot of the green Fort Mountain and adheres to the wall of the old city. The green brick and grey walls show a quiet and peaceful atmosphere, and the gables without much decoration also show a kind of simplicity and elegance.

Folklore

Nezha temple, as the name suggests, is a temple dedicated to Nezha. Nezha is said to be the youngest son of Li Jing, the heavenly king of tota. He is respected as the Dharma protector of Taoism. In the main hall of Nezha temple, there are various statues of Nezha. The middle one is lively and energetic, like the image of Nezha in the sea.

There is a legend about the construction of this Nezha Temple: there was a great plague in Macao at that time, but there was no great impact near Shishan. Therefore, the residents near Dasanba thought that it was because of the protection of Nezha temple in Shishan. After many negotiations, Miaozhu lent the statue of Nezha to the local residents. Later, the epidemic was controlled, and the residents lived from then on He built a temple for Nezha.

In the second half of the 20th century, epidemics in Macao seriously threatened the lives of local residents. According to legend, some residents said that Nezha took a dream to show his spirit, and called for everyone to take the mountain stream water and herbal medicine. As expected, the disease was cured. In 1888, local residents built the Nezha temple to express their gratitude and pray for protection.

Architectural features

Nezha temple is adjacent to the archway of Dasanba, one is Oriental, the other is western; the other is introverted, the other is publicity. Nezha temple and Dasanba "live in harmony". Only in Macao can we see such harmony. Just like the wonton noodle shop next to the Portuguese Restaurant, the simple Chinese style mansion next to the colorful church, this is the unique charm of Macao's combination of Chinese and western.

Just like the authentic Portuguese Restaurant will be next to the wonton noodle shop; just like the Chinese style mansion will have dazzling stained glass that can only be seen in the church; just like the "heavenly officials" in the houses next to the Bishop's church. Each culture is showing its own characteristics, and each culture is influencing another culture.

The simplicity of Nezha temple is also wonderful. There is no patio in the middle of a two-way building, which is not common in traditional Chinese temples. The whole temple is very simple, mainly composed of the connecting hall and main hall. The depth of the main hall is 5 meters, and the walls on all sides are made of green bricks, with few decoration. In front of the entrance of the main hall is the hall, which is surrounded by black wooden bars without walls. In front of the door, there is a long stone inscription, which says: "who is the predecessor? He seeks himself from Taixu; my God dares to be a man of many things.". There is no resplendent shock, but it is simple and refreshing. Although the temple is small, it is full of incense. People who come here, whether tourists or believers, will hold a pillar of incense to express their most simple wishes, or pray for the peace and beauty of their families, the well-being of their parents, or the success of their children's career. Their wishes rise with the smoke. The purity and simplicity of Nezha temple is a wonder. Nezha temple is always quiet. There are no bells and drums, and no chanters. It is not so much a temple as a place where the soul can be precipitated. Here, your heart will calm down and give up all the worries in the world. Mr. Ye Da, President of the Nezha Temple Council, said that every year on May 18 of the lunar calendar, which is Nezha's Christmas day, there will be a grand Nezha travel activity. On this day, the statue of Nezha will be invited to a golden sedan chair to cruise along the main streets of Macao to pray for blessings. The whole process is always carried out in the traditional way of a hundred years ago. In Macao, it's as grand as the Catholic tour of Notre Dame. In addition to traveling, there are also activities such as praying Dharma Association and Shengong opera. The celebration of Nezha's Christmas lasts for a week

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Located on the right side behind the Da Sanba memorial archway, Nezha temple is like an architectural sketch compared with the surrounding buildings. It does not compete with the old city wall and Da Sanba memorial archway for the thickness and grandeur of the pier. Instead, it uses simple decoration materials to show its light and unique image with different virtual and real contrast techniques.

Cultural Activity

Although Nezha temple is small, it contains rich cultural connotation, which is even more wonderful. Nezha has been worshipped by Macao residents since the late 17th century. It is a folk belief with local color. "A temple of more than 100 years is not enough to become a world cultural heritage. The important thing is that it embodies the mutual respect and coexistence of two cultures and two religions, preserves the traditional temple fair culture, and shows the community culture and neighborhood culture of Macao society." President Ye believes that it is the cultural connotation that gives Nezha Temple lasting vitality, so the protection of world heritage is not only to preserve the ancient buildings, but also to leave the soul of traditional culture coexisting with them.

In addition to Nezha's travel, every year around the Spring Festival, Nezha temple is also very busy. The neighbors around will get together to "eat potted vegetables", hoping to be healthy in the coming year. At that time, laughter, cups and cups have become a landscape of Macao.

Every year on the birthday of Prince Nezha on May 18, Nezha temple in Dasanba also organizes parade, gun snatching, street banquet and other commemorative activities. Children play Nezha in the East China Sea, attracting many tourists.

Ye Da said that Nezha's belief custom has a great influence in Macao. Every year, three days before and after Nezha's birthday, thousands of good believers come to pay homage to the temple. The temple gate is full of water, and the parade team is more than one kilometer.

Worship the gods

"Prince Nezha of the thirty-three days" is worshipped in the temple, ye Da explained. This is a Buddhist saying. In the folk belief, Nezha was the Third Prince of Li Jing, commander in chief of chentangguan. Later, he became a Taoist God by worshiping Taiyi as his teacher. Later, Nezha became a Buddha and became "Prince Nezha in the thirties". Therefore, Nezha's belief in customs has the cultural tradition of Buddhism and Taoism.

Get honor

In 2005, as a part of Macao's historical city, the Nezha temple in Dasanba was listed in the United Nations "world cultural heritage list."

Address: the back of the grand Sanba memorial archway in Macao Peninsula

Longitude: 113.54230089485

Latitude: 22.195473964719

Ticket information: Free

Chinese PinYin : Na Zha Miao