, native_name_lang = , image =Pochiatemple outside.JPG , image_size = , alt = , caption = , map_type = , map_size = , map_caption = , location = Macau , coordinates = , religious_affiliation =

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

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China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

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Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

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temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

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The Kun Iam Temple (, pt, Templo de Kun Iam Tong) is a temple in Nossa Senhora de Fátima,

. It is one of the three largest and richest Buddhist temples in Macau and its more official name is "Pou Chai Sim Un" (Pou Chai Temple, ). It is regarded as one of the oldest temples in Macau and was founded in the 13th century to venerate Kun Iam, the Chinese representation of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Mercy.

Structure

The current buildings of the temple were built in 1627, as witnessed by a patio slab where it is written in Chinese: "Built in the seventh month of the seventh year of the reign of Emperor Tian Qi". The temple is located in Coronel Mesquita Avenue, in the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima, close to Mong Ha and Temples of Kun Iam Tchai and Seng Wong. The temple has a large entrance gate and roofs decorated with porcelain figures. Inside the temple, there are 3 main pavilions. These pavilions are dedicated, respectively, to the Precious Buddhas, the Buddha of Longevity and Kun Iam. In the third pavilion, statue of Kun Iam is dressed in embroidered silk and decorated with a crown. To the rear, are terraced gardens, and one of them contains a commemorative arch. There are calligraphy scrolls and Chinese painting inside the temple of famous authors such as, Qu Dajun. During World War II, the Chinese painter Gao Jianfu lived and taught in the temple. It was precisely at a stone table located in the gardens of the temple which was signed the first Sino-American Treaty on July 3, 1844 by the

Viceroy of Liangguang The Viceroy of Liangguang or Viceroy of the Two Guangs, was one of eight regional Viceroys during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The two ''Guang'' referred to Guangdong and Guangxi provinces. The areas under the Viceroy's jurisdiction included pr ...

Keying and the US Minister Plenipotentiary Caleb Cushing. This treaty is known as the " Sino-American Treaty of Mong Ha". Near the table, there are 4 older trees with intertwined branches, best known for "tree lovers" and that symbolise marital fidelity. Elsewhere in the garden there are a small pavilion that contains a marble statue of a monk, several sources in the form of miniature Chinese landscapes, groves of bamboo and small shrines to deceased monks. The birthday of Kun Iam is celebrated on the 19th day of the second, sixth, ninth and eleventh lunar months. Kun Iam Temple 05

References

Buddhist temples in Macau Religious buildings and structures completed in 1627 1627 establishments in China 1627 establishments in the Portuguese Empire 17th-century establishments in Macau 17th-century Buddhist temples {{Nossa Senhora de Fátima, Macau

Structure

See also

References