MACAO’S SANJIE HUIGUAN. THE MYTH AND THE CULT OF GUAN DI澳門三街會館 關帝神話與崇拜
The article investigates why the Sanjie Huiguan (三街會館), “Guildhall of Three Streets”, in Macau, transformed from a corporate space of merchants into a sacralized place associated with the cult of Guan Di/Guan Yu. The central question—how a precinct linked to commercial transactions became a “temple”...
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| Published in: | Review of Culture |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Articles |
| Published: |
Instituto Cultural de Macau
October 2009
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40032/3573 |
| _version_ | 1877196270631649280 |
|---|---|
| author | Christina Miu Bing Cheng |
| author_autocomplete | Christina Miu Bing Cheng |
| author_browse | Christina Miu Bing Cheng |
| author_facet | Christina Miu Bing Cheng Christina Miu Bing Cheng |
| author_sort | Christina Miu Bing Cheng |
| container_title | Review of Culture |
| container_title_str | Review of Culture |
| container_volume | 32 |
| container_volume_str | 32 |
| description | The article investigates why the Sanjie Huiguan (三街會館), “Guildhall of Three Streets”, in Macau, transformed from a corporate space of merchants into a sacralized place associated with the cult of Guan Di/Guan Yu. The central question—how a precinct linked to commercial transactions became a “temple” and a deity-guarantor of prosperity—structures a historical-cultural analysis that articulates the institutional transformation of the building, the “ascent” of Guan Yu to divine status, and the longevity of the cult in the polytheistic Chinese tradition. Methodologically, the study combines interpretive reading of cultural and discursive sources with ethnographic-historical contextualization of the role of guilds in the Macanese commercial ecosystem, examining especially the representation of Guan Yu in the historical novel Sanguo Yanyi (三國演義). The author argues that the literary dramatization of Guan Yu favored his expansion beyond the official biography, simultaneously legitimizing the intervention of imperial authorities in the production of a ritually glorified hero. It is concluded that the Sanjie Huiguan exemplifies the intersection between myth, popular culture, and socio-economic organization: the sacralization of the guild space operated as a symbolic mediation between heroic ethics, religious cosmology, and the wealth aspirations of merchants, contributing to the enduring centrality of Guan Di as a “god of fortune” in the Chinese imaginary in Macau. |
| first_indexed | 2026-09-11T02:56:56Z |
| format | Articles |
| genre | Articles |
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| hierarchy_parent_id | zotero-coll-76L3BRGH |
| hierarchy_parent_title | Review of Culture |
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| issn | 1682-1106 |
| last_indexed | 2026-09-11T02:56:56Z |
| latest_content_date | 2026-09-11T02:56:56Z |
| publishDate | October 2009 |
| publishDateRange | 2009 |
| publishDateSort | 2009 |
| publishPlace | Macau |
| publisher | Instituto Cultural de Macau |
| publisherStr | Instituto Cultural de Macau |
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| spelling | MACAO’S SANJIE HUIGUAN. THE MYTH AND THE CULT OF GUAN DI澳門三街會館 關帝神話與崇拜 The article investigates why the Sanjie Huiguan (三街會館), “Guildhall of Three Streets”, in Macau, transformed from a corporate space of merchants into a sacralized place associated with the cult of Guan Di/Guan Yu. The central question—how a precinct linked to commercial transactions became a “temple” and a deity-guarantor of prosperity—structures a historical-cultural analysis that articulates the institutional transformation of the building, the “ascent” of Guan Yu to divine status, and the longevity of the cult in the polytheistic Chinese tradition. Methodologically, the study combines interpretive reading of cultural and discursive sources with ethnographic-historical contextualization of the role of guilds in the Macanese commercial ecosystem, examining especially the representation of Guan Yu in the historical novel Sanguo Yanyi (三國演義). The author argues that the literary dramatization of Guan Yu favored his expansion beyond the official biography, simultaneously legitimizing the intervention of imperial authorities in the production of a ritually glorified hero. It is concluded that the Sanjie Huiguan exemplifies the intersection between myth, popular culture, and socio-economic organization: the sacralization of the guild space operated as a symbolic mediation between heroic ethics, religious cosmology, and the wealth aspirations of merchants, contributing to the enduring centrality of Guan Di as a “god of fortune” in the Chinese imaginary in Macau. Instituto Cultural de Macau Macau Review of Culture Articles October 2009 Christina Miu Bing Cheng |
| spellingShingle | MACAO’S SANJIE HUIGUAN. THE MYTH AND THE CULT OF GUAN DI澳門三街會館 關帝神話與崇拜 Christina Miu Bing Cheng |
| title | MACAO’S SANJIE HUIGUAN. THE MYTH AND THE CULT OF GUAN DI澳門三街會館 關帝神話與崇拜 |
| title_autocomplete | MACAO’S SANJIE HUIGUAN. THE MYTH AND THE CULT OF GUAN DI澳門三街會館 關帝神話與崇拜 |
| title_full | MACAO’S SANJIE HUIGUAN. THE MYTH AND THE CULT OF GUAN DI澳門三街會館 關帝神話與崇拜 |
| title_fullStr | MACAO’S SANJIE HUIGUAN. THE MYTH AND THE CULT OF GUAN DI澳門三街會館 關帝神話與崇拜 |
| title_full_unstemmed | MACAO’S SANJIE HUIGUAN. THE MYTH AND THE CULT OF GUAN DI澳門三街會館 關帝神話與崇拜 |
| title_short | MACAO’S SANJIE HUIGUAN. THE MYTH AND THE CULT OF GUAN DI澳門三街會館 關帝神話與崇拜 |
| title_sort | macao’s sanjie huiguan. the myth and the cult of guan di澳門三街會館 關帝神話與崇拜 |
| url | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40032/3573 |
| zotero_collection_key | 76L3BRGH |