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Lin Fung Temple

Lin Fung Temple

Lin Fung Temple, recognized as Lin Fung Buddhist Temple, is one of Three Ancient Temples of Macao, which is also one of the biggest constructions of the territory.

Constructed during Wanli Reign of the Ming Dynasty (from 1573 to 1619), the temple was said to be an abandoned ancestral temple formerly was reconstructed by Buddhist monk-errant.

Originally called Tin Fei Temple, the temple was renamed Cihugong in the first year of Yongzheng Reign (1723). Until the Daoguang Reign in the middle age of Qing Dynasty, the head of Country Xiangshan wrote on the tablet the name Lin Fung Temple by taking the temples of Mountain Huashan for reference. And the name Lin Fung Temple is use until now.

The location of the temple is the north of the suburb, which is mentioned in Annals of Macao: “Mountain Qianshan and Macao stand facing each other, a sea in between. Across the sea are a sand embankment, ten li in length and five or six zhang in width. At the end of the embankment there is a mountain filled with flowers, called Mountain of Lotus, and embankment also gets its corresponding name. In the second year of Wanli Reign a pass was set up at the middle of the embankment, which was charged by the officials. At the foot of Mountain, there is a Temple of Tian Fei.

Reconstructed many times during Yongzheng Reign, Qianglong Reign, Jiaqing Reign and Guangxu Reign, the temple gets its now scale. In the temple of early period, only A-Ma is worshipped, that is why it was named Temple of Tian Fei. Later, after dedicated both to Kun Lam and to A-Ma, it was renamed Cihugong. Reconstructed for the third time, the temple is also dedicated to Kuan Tai, God of Earth, Weito, Divinity of Medicine, God of Agriculture, Cangjie, Zuyong, Goddess of Golden Flower, Goddess of Dou Mou, God of Land, God of Gate, Taoist gods, immortals and folk gods.

On the main gate of Lin Fung Temple is the calligraphy of Modern Buddhist monk Yushuiseng: “The place is where there is lotus pond and mirror-like sea and where the mountain is connected with the sea full of lotus”. There in the temple is sanctuary (Square Pavilion), Tin Hau Hall and Kun Lam Hall. The curtain of the sanctuary is decorated with dragon designs and its stone railings are also adorned with the design of Eight Immortals and symbols of felicity and longevity. It is the most luxuriously decorated temple of Macao.

The of the sanctuary Benefaction flowing in China and foreign countries, is the most ancient existent cultural relic kept I temples of Macao, erected in the thirtieth year of Ren Yin of Wanli Reign (1602), offered by Zhishi Cui Yinhan. From the tablet, we can conclude that the temple was at least constructed for the first time in thirtieth year of Wanli Reign.

The tablets Vast and mighty bestowal and Peaceful sea and wonderful mountain were offered by followers of Macao respectively in the year of Ren Yi of Kangxi Reign (1662 or 1780) and the forty-fifth year of Qianlong Reign, 1780), which are also the only two ancient tablets descending from Kangxi Reign and from Qianlong Reign, in all the temples of Macao.

To the south side of the temple, there is Mou Tai Hall and Guest Hall. The Mou Tai Hall is dedicated to Kuan Tai, Kuan Ping and Zhou Cang. To the north side of the temple, there is a Hall of Beneficence and Longevity, dedicated to Divinity of Medicine and God of Agriculture, Hall of Goddess of Kam Fa, dedicated to Goddess of Lingnan Kam Fa and Goddess of Dou Mou (in charge of smallpox).

Besides Guest Hall, there is an ancestral temple where is placed the lotus throne dedicated to All the Predecessors Bodhisattvas of the East and the West, labeled with the lotus throne dedicated to Old Monk Qihetai of the First Generation of Dinghu Buddhism. Thus it is shown that the temple had got a close relation with the Buddhism of Lingnan at the very beginning of its construction and that the founder is Monk Qihetai.

Lin Fung Temple was reconstructed many times during the periods of Yongzheng Reign, Qianlong Reign and Jiaqing Reign with official financial support. With appropriated land, the temple was later enlarged in size and changed to be a public rest house, where officials of Qing Dynasty were accommodated during their inspection in Macao. It is also mentioned I the existent stone tablet of the temple inscribed in 23rd year of Jiaqing Reign (1818): “Lin Fung Temple of Macao is the place where people of Macao offer incenses and where accredited officials are received”, which reveals the identity of the temple.

The identity of Lin Fung Temple shows the special position of temple in the history of Macao.

On the thrird of September of the 19th year of Daoguang Reign (1839) the imperial envoy Lin Zexu inspected Macao together with Deng Tingzhen, governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and met with Portuguese before Lin Fung Temple. He said in his dairy: “Looking over Mong Ha, there is a temple called New Temple where Guan Tai is worshipped. I went first to offer incenses to the God. In the middle house called in the leader of Yi and declared imperial edicts to him, then awarded the official with colourful satins, folding fans, teas and ice sugar, and awarded the soldiers with cattle, sheep, wine and 400 silver coins. “In the memorial to the Emperor Daoguang he said: “I declared to the official to the official of Yi the imperial edicts and orders and instructed him to be loyal and abide by law: it is forbidden to store up goods and corner the market, forbidden to protect evil foreigners”. It is seen that Lin Fung Temple has once played a certain role in the war against opium.

In the summer of the twenty-fourth year of Daogung Reign, the negotiations of Treaty of Wangxia between China and America and the Treaty of Huangpu between China and France were held in Macao, presided by the imperial envoy of Qi Ying who met with Portuguese and rejected their requirements for various interests. At that time, he stayed in Lin Fung Temple.

There are about twenty tablets in Lin Fung Temple, dating from the first year of Yongzheng Reign (1723) to the period of Republic of China, recording a large number of important historical materials. In Macao, the Tablet of Dingjian and the preface of the Palace of Benevolence of Lotus Montain erected in the first year of Yongzheng Reign is the oldest existent tablet inscribed with records. The tablet Orders and Prohibitions of the Government of Guangdongand Guangxi and the preface of the Palace of benevolence hill in Ling Fung, erected in the sixth year of Daoguang Reign (1826) before the temple is an important tablet about local anti-corruption. It is said the tablet that Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi Province enacted a law to prevent the extortion of excessive taxes from fishermen. In August, 1849, that is, ten years after Lin Zexu inspected Macao, Chen Mi and other other righteous persons of the village Longtian succeeded in assassinating the head of the army, colonialist Amario before the temple, which with a page full of praises and tears.

(Source: Macau Temples by Chan, Lei and Chendra published by IACM SAR 2002).

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