According to legend, the goddess A-Ma saved the merchants of Fujian from drowning by guiding them to the shores. In memory of this event, the locals built a temple here in the 14C and called the bay "A Ma Gok", which the Portuguese transformed into Macau. The temple we see today, with its red walls and roofs decorated with varnished porcelain, dates from the 17C. It is the site of much emotional fervour, especially in April during the joyous festival of the birth of A-Ma.