Archives and Manuscripts of Macau Kong Tac Lam Temple (1645–1980)


Country	Macau, China
Repository	Association of Piety and Longevity Kong Tac Lam, Macau, China
Section	Inscriptions on Asia-Pacific Regional Register
Gender Dimension	Records on gender equality issues; Achievements of women in history
GEM	GEM 2 – Gender Responsive
Description	The documentary heritage of the Macau Kong Tac Lam Temple demonstrates the significant role the Temple played disseminating Buddhist teaching and ideology, advocating for social change and reforms and improving the social status of women. The Collection was started in 1925 and dates from the late Ming Dynasty to the mid-twentieth century. It contains more than 6,000 items, including rare books, Buddhist texts (some written on palm leaves), photos, archives and manuscripts. These were created and accumulated by Masters and intelligentsia connected with the Temple Kong Tac Lam. The Masters of Temple Kong Tac Lam gave serious attention to the link between education and the social status of women. They were among the first in the region to provide education to women and their activities influenced Hong Kong, Mainland China and neighbouring regions. The Masters of Temple Kong Tac Lam also called for the abolition of the barbaric custom of binding women’s feet. They encouraged people to fight against social vices such as opium smoking and other social vices which were popular among men of the wealthier classes and contributed to moral degradation. The documentary heritage was inscribed onto the Memory of the World regional Asia-Pacific register in 2016.
Reference	https://mowcaparchives.org/items/show/56 Photo credit: © Association of Piety and Longevity Kong Tac Lam
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