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Lin Fong Temple

The Lin Fong Temple is one of Macao’s three major ancient temples, and is recognised as one of the memorials. It was constructed during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. It is proven that the inscribed board on the pavilion inside the temple, which writes“中外流恩” (exchanging grace between China and foreigners), has had a 400-year history until now since its establishment. The scale that we see today dates back to 1876.

During that time, the Lin Fong Temple was the discussion chamber of Chinese merchants, and also the resident office of Chinese officials. It was the resident office of the Chinese officials who came to Macao and worked, until the Jiaqing and Daoguang periods of the Qing Dynasty. On 3 September 1839, Lin Zexu, Imperial Commissioner of the Qing Dynasty, came to Macao to investigate and ban the use of opium. Lin set off from Qianshan, entered the Border Gate, met with the Portuguese officials in the main hall of the Lin Fong Temple, and declared the interdiction of opium, which indicated that China at the time could execute the sovereignty over Macao.

Address: The Intersection of Avenida do Almirante Lacerda and Estrada do Arco, Macau
Going to next stop: 11 minutes’ walk

Lin Fong Temple and Lin Zexu

Lin Fong Temple is also known as “Chi Hu Palace”, “Goddess Temple” and “New A-Ma Temple” and “New Temple”. According to the records in “Pictures of County Government Offices” in “Events in History of Macao”, the name “New A-Ma Temple” was recorded, while the name “New Temple” was written in “Macao’s Front View” in “Events in History of Macao”.

Lin Zexu (1785-1850), whose courtesy name was Yuanfu, born in Houguan, Fujian Province, was a politician, thinker and poet in the late Qing Dynasty, regarded as the national hero of the Chinese Nation and who was the representative among the people who promoted the ban on smoking. In 1838, he, as the Governor-General of Huguang, was appointed by the Qing’s government as the Imperial Commissioner, and was sent to Guangdong Province to investigate and ban the use of opium. In 1839, after Lin arrived in Guangzhou, he forced the British merchants to hand over 20,000 boxes of opium and destroyed all of it. He also ordered the merchants on business ships from different countries to sign the contract which stated that if the merchants were found to transport opium, the goods and the ships would be confiscated and the relevant merchants would be punished by the Qing’s laws immediately. In the same year, Commissioner Lin, accompanied by Deng Tingzhen, the Governor-General of Guangdong Province and Guangxi Province, came to Macao to investigate, stationed at the Lin Fong Temple, and met the Portuguese officials in Macao at the pavilion in front of the Tin Hau Temple in the Lin Fong Temple. Lin “promoted grace and majesty of Qing, and declared the order of ban explicitly”, requesting the Portuguese administration of Macao to cooperate in banning smoking, and also not to shelter any British merchants. He also requested the Portuguese administration of Macao to order the residing British to leave Macao. Therefore, Lin’s stationing in the Lin Fong Temple had important historical significance.

The statue of a standing Lin Zexu, situated in the Lin Fong Temple, was built in 1989 by the Lin Fong Temple Charity Association. The statue was created by famous sculptors, Tong Daxi and Lin Bin, and the screen made of a carved stone tablet was added in 2008, following the completion of the status. The couplet which means: “As long as it is good for the nation, I am prepared to sacrifice my life for the nation. Why should we avoid doing something good for our nation just because it is harmful to our individual interest, while willing to do something bad for our nation just because we can benefit from it individually?” is carved on the screen. Beside the statue of standing Lin, there is the Lin Zexu Memorial Museum of Macao, constructed and administered by the Lin Fong Temple Charity Association. The Museum was completed in November 1997.

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