Poetry of Yin Guangren in Praise of the Scenescape of Green Island and Lin Fong Temple

The Green Island of Macao was once a captivating attraction for poets in the old days. During the 9th to 11th years of reign of Emperor Qianlong of Qing dynasty (1744－1746), Yin Guangren, a poet and Commissioner of Military and Civil Affairs for Maritime Defense of Macao, co-authored the “Brief Monograph on Macao” with Zhang Rulin. Yin included Green Island into the “Ten (Best) Sceneries of Macao” depicted in his poems. He wrote, “the beauty in the scenescape of Green Island has surpassed that of Hunan province”, in an eight-lined poem titled “Green Island clouded by Misty Rain”.

During the late Ming era to early Qing dynasty, the well-known poet-monk Shi Jishan who was an adherent of the Ming era had lauded the beauty of Green Island in his poem. Wu Yushan (1632－1718), a famous painter-poet of early Qing dynasty, had described the scenic views he saw during an evening boat ride back to Lin Fong Temple from Green Island as “the boat glides over waves of flaming red at night”. By then, there were passenger boats plying between Lin Fong Temple and Green Island.

Lin Zexu has been the most notable figure associated with Lin Fong Temple. The pair of poetic couplets housed in the Lin Zexu Memorial Museum was two of the phrases of the eight-lined poem composed by Lin after his inspection tour of Macao, which says “despite being degraded and banished, (I) will sacrifice my life for whatever is beneficial to my country. I will never shirk off what I should do for the sake of personal safety”.