Temples in Macao dedicated to the Earth God

The Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government will organize an Academic Research Lecture in the Cultural Affairs Bureau Auditorium (Edifício do Instituto Cultural, Tap Seac Square, Macao) at 6:30pm on Friday May 22. Tong Qiao Hui, an associate professor at the School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, will give a lecture on “Temples in Macao dedicated to the Earth God”. The history of Macao’s development and architecture consists not only of politically significant architecture. Non-mainstream and non-western local constructions also merit attention. Worshiping the Earth God is an integral part of Macao’s local culture and the local Earth God temples reflect residents’ beliefs and special interests. These Earth God temples have witnessed the city’s historical changes, and their influence on the formation and development of the city should not be neglected. There are numerous temples in Macao dedicated to the Earth God built in different architectural styles. Following a summary of the origin and development of Earth God temples in Macao there will be an exploration of the cultural aspects relating to this religious practice, and the distribution, location and settlement structure of Macao’s Chinese community. An analysis of Macao’s Earth God temples’ architecture, construction methods, components and decorative details, with case studies, will provide further detailed elaboration. Also, comparisons will be made between Earth God temples in Macao and in other regions, and with local temples of other Chinese religions. Born in 1976, Tong Qiao Hui is currently an associate professor and MA student supervisor at the School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, China. She is a member of the Wuhan Conservation Committee of Historic Cities and is engaged in the teaching and scientific research on architectural history and theory. Her research areas cover the protection and restoration of city cultural arteries and the comparison of East and West architectural cultures. Tong obtained a PhD in Architectural History and Theory from Southeast University, Nanjing, with her doctoral research focused on urban architectural heritage. In 2007 she was awarded a research grant to study temples in Macao dedicated to the Earth God. The lecture will be given in Mandarin with Cantonese, Portuguese and English simultaneous interpretation. Entrance is free. For further details, please contact Ms. Chu of the Macao Historical Archives of the Cultural Affairs Bureau at 8598 6537.