An inauguration ceremony was held for A-Ma Cultural Village Wednesday at the Coloane Island of Macao Wednesday.

The village, covering 7,000 square meters, will surround the well-known A-Ma Statue at a local hill. It is expected to become a tourist Mecca featuring religion, folklore, culture and leisure-seeking.

For centuries, fishermen in southeast China's coastal areas hope that the Goddess of A-Ma would bless them on sea. Macao's A-Ma Temple, with a history of more than 500 years, has become the most attractive site for pilgrims and tourists from across the world.

Designers hope the cultural village can be built into the one best representing the A-Ma culture among a total of 2,500 A-Ma temples in the world.

The cultural village will help promote the exchanges between the pilgrims of A-Ma and contribute to the peaceful reunification of the motherland, said Ngan In Leng, president of Goddess A-Ma Foundation of Macao.

(People’s Daily 05/03/2001)