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Macao unveils largest temple dedicated to Goddess Ama ( 2003-10-05 11:55) (Xinhua)
A grand ceremony marking the completion of the largest temple dedicated to the Goddess Ama in Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), who is worshipped as the guardian of fishermen in Asian region, was held in Macao Saturday. Over 2,000 Ama believers from the Chinese mainland, Taiwan and Southeast Asian countries paid the pilgrimage to the religious ceremony staged in front of the magnificent architecture, which carries an air of the ancient building in southern China. Macao has a deep origin in the belief of Goddess Ama, who is believed to have once lived in Macao. The English name of Macao also derives from the pronunciation of Macao's oldest temple of the Goddess Ama, which is called A-ma-gao in local dialect. Edmund Ho Hau Wah, chief executive of the Macao SAR, said at the ceremony that the building of the temple shows that Macao is a place boasting a blend of cultures of the East and the West, and a variety of religions. It will become a new tourist destination in Macao. The temple was built at a cost of some 200 million patacas (US$25 million), which was mainly invested by the Macao Ama Foundation. Built on the Coloane Island of Macao, the temple is adjacent to the world's highest Goddess Ama statue, which is measured 19.99 meters. The statue made of white marble was built to mark the return of Macao to the motherland in 1999. Among the honorable guests to Saturday's event were Ma Man Kei, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and Bai Zhijian, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Macao SAR.
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