Nuwa Temple, Macau澳门女娲庙（灵岩观）
- Type
- Temples and Abbeys (Gongguan)
- Location
- Macau, China · Macau · Freguesia de Santo António, Macau Peninsula · No. 116 Rua do Tarrafeiro, near Rua de São Paulo
- First built
- c. 1888 (date uncertain) · Various sources give 1888, but neither the Macau Encyclopedia nor Macau Memory records a definite date; the temple is not included on Macau's list of classified immovable properties
Overview
The Nuwa Temple in Macau stands at the junction of Rua do Tarrafeiro and Rua de São Paulo, and is the only temple in Macau dedicated mainly to the goddess Nuwa, with Longmu, the Dragon Mother of Yuecheng, worshipped alongside her. Most sources give its founding date as 1888, but authoritative works such as the Macau Encyclopedia and Macau Memory do not record a definite date, and the matter should be regarded as unresolved. The temple's exterior is indistinguishable from ordinary houses and it stands hidden within the bustling city. In the winter of 1914, a fire in a nearby silk shop spread to the temple, burning down the main hall and leaving only a side hall standing; after the disaster the authorities did not permit reconstruction and turned the ruined site into a street, so that today only 'half a temple' survives. After repairs, a separate entrance was opened beside it and Lüzu (Lü Dongbin) was added to the worship, under the name 'Lingyan Temple,' which also carries elements of Quanzhen belief. In former times women from the pleasure quarters often came to worship here, and its incense-offering was quite vigorous; today it is known for prayers for marriage and children. This temple is not included on Macau's list of 'classified immovable properties,' and it stands as an example of a small Chinese folk temple surviving amid urban redevelopment.
Highlights
- The only temple in Macau dedicated mainly to Nuwa
- Only half the temple survives after the 1914 fire
- Lüzu was added to its worship under the name 'Lingyan Temple'