This month’s “Travel around Macao” Community Tourism Financial Support Programme series – “Na Tcha Phantom at the Santo António Market Tour,” organised by the Na Tcha Temple Association and sponsored by the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), which got off the ground on October 4 in front of Na Tcha Temple close to the Ruins of St. Paul’s, continued over the weekend.
It is slated to end on October 24-25 (Friday-Saturday).
According to a statement by the association, the event aims to promote the traditional Na Tcha beliefs and customs alongside Macau’s cultural and creative industries. By integrating traditional culture with modern light and shadow technology, it aims to showcase the profound historical heritage and vibrant community spirit of Santo António district.
According to his local adherents, Na Tcha, known in Putonghua as Nezha (哪吒), aka Nezha the Crown Prince (哪吒太子), is a protection deity in Taoism, Buddhism, and Chinese folk religion. Besides, Na Tcha, a prominent figure in Chinese mythology, is a divine hero whose origins are rooted in ancient Chinese folklore and religious traditions. According to the mythological narrative, Na Tcha was born during the Shang Dynasty (商朝, around 1600–1046 BCE), and his famed story is closely tied to the Investiture of the Gods (封神演义), a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) novel set in that era.
Meanwhile, the Pátio do Espinho Market, one of the event’s activities, which had also commenced on October 4, ended yesterday. The owner of a stall featuring Na Tcha-themed cultural and creative products surnamed Lee said she hoped that more tourists would learn about Na Tcha culture. She said that, in general, not many people are aware of Na Tcha’s influence on local culture, customs and traditions, and the related beliefs and customs, which made the market rather important.
Chi Lam Vai (茨林圍, aka Chi Lam Chuen – 茨林村) known in Portuguese as “Pátio do Espinho”, is a 400-year-old, formerly walled village that lies just a street away from the UNESCO World Heritage-protected Na Tcha Temple, one of Macau’s two temples dedicated to the divinity, which thanks to this year’s phenomenal success of the Chinese animated adventure fantasy action “Ne Zha 2”, has become well known across the world. According to a string of film industry reports earlier this year, “Ne Zha 2” is nowadays the world’s highest-grossing animated film, the highest-grossing non-English language film and the first animated film in history to cross the US$2 billion mark, as well as being the highest-selling animated film based on ticket sales. It also ranks as the highest-grossing film of 2025 and the fifth-highest-grossing film of all time.
In addition to the Pátio do Espinho Market, the month-long programme will also hold another market in the square in front of Na Tcha Temple near the Ruins of St. Paul’s on October 18 and 19 and 24 and 25, from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. respectively.
Concurrently, a Na Tcha Temple light and shadow show will be held from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily from October 1 to October 30. Anyone interested in the programme may access the MGTO website for more information. https://www.macaotourism.gov.mo/en/events/whatson/12342
According to a brief article about the month-long event highlighting the importance of Na Tcha culture in Macau, “every evening this October, a stunning light show is being staged on the outer walls of Na Tcha Temple next to the Ruins of St Paul’s. The aim is to reveal beliefs and customs surrounding the deity Na Tcha, which are part of Macau’s intangible cultural heritage. In addition, the Pátio do Espinho Culture Hall is presenting twice-daily sessions of a special light-and-shadow production devoted to Na Tcha.”
The Post has published about two dozen articles featuring Na Tcha over the past six months, as well as an editorial on March 3, headlined “Ne Zha – China’s soft power answer to Mickey Mouse” https://www.macaupostdaily.com/news/24225
Stalls selling Na Tcha-related cultural items are being set up in front of Na Tcha Temple near the Ruins of St. Paul’s early yesterday afternoon before torrential rain set in. Both the temple and the ruins are part of Macau’s UNESCO World Heritage. – Photo: Armindo Neves
