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【Intangible Cultural Heritage of Macao】Wood carvings – statue carvings. As the first project in Macao to be independently inscribed on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the carving of the statue offers a glimpse of the deity

author:Macau Memory MacauMemory

【Intangible Cultural Heritage of Macao】Wood carvings – statue carvings.

As the first project in Macao to be inscribed on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the statue carvings offer a glimpse into the lifestyle and beliefs of the early inhabitants. Fishing has been a mainstay of Macau's industry for centuries, but this way of earning a living is not always safe and reliable.

Faced with uncertain seas and devastating typhoons, many people seek refuge in religion and folk beliefs. This gave rise to widespread Taoist and Buddhist worship of sea gods, such as Mazu (also known as the "Queen of Heaven"), the god who blessed fishermen to work at sea and return safely.

From the twenties of the twentieth century, local residents began to carve statues of gods from wood, hoping that the gods would bless the fishermen with a smooth trip to sea. Gradually, the practice spread, and dozens of woodcarving shops appeared along Macau's coast.

The most famous of these is the "Tai Chong Buddha Carved Woodware", a family-run carving shop that opened in the Inner Harbour in 1910. Even in its earliest days, the shop's wood carvings were anything but shoddy, most of them veritable works of art, with exquisite details and ingenious craftsmanship.

But in the fifties, the fishing industry gradually declined, and most of the idol shops closed one after another. As the only remaining century-old shop, Dachang not only guarded the art of wood carving gods and gods on the verge of disappearing, but also produced a large number of exquisite Buddha statue carvings for temples and religious organizations around the world.

Figure 1-6: Wood carvings of the intangible cultural heritage of Macao – statues of gods

Source: "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Macao", published by the Macao Institute of International Studies

【Intangible Cultural Heritage of Macao】Wood carvings – statue carvings. As the first project in Macao to be independently inscribed on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the carving of the statue offers a glimpse of the deity
【Intangible Cultural Heritage of Macao】Wood carvings – statue carvings. As the first project in Macao to be independently inscribed on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the carving of the statue offers a glimpse of the deity
【Intangible Cultural Heritage of Macao】Wood carvings – statue carvings. As the first project in Macao to be independently inscribed on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the carving of the statue offers a glimpse of the deity
【Intangible Cultural Heritage of Macao】Wood carvings – statue carvings. As the first project in Macao to be independently inscribed on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the carving of the statue offers a glimpse of the deity
【Intangible Cultural Heritage of Macao】Wood carvings – statue carvings. As the first project in Macao to be independently inscribed on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the carving of the statue offers a glimpse of the deity
【Intangible Cultural Heritage of Macao】Wood carvings – statue carvings. As the first project in Macao to be independently inscribed on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the carving of the statue offers a glimpse of the deity

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