Dragon beard candy and malt sugar are unique local sweets but you can hardly find them today, except in the Lotus Stream Temple Fair. During the fair, the street seems to go back years to the days of our parents or grandparents. It would be an amazing journey especially for the youth. They would see many traditional handicrafts they have never seen and will probably not see in other places. The temple fair is a successful promotion activity for Macao's temple culture which aims to attract both the elderly and the youth.

How about others?

AssociaÁıes de Mutuo Auxilio dos Moradoresdo Bairro "San Kio" has been promoting Macao's temple culture for years. This local association has organized temple journeys and promotion conferences in order to revitalize the temple tradition.

'I know temple culture is valuable, but participating in rituals and conferences are not interesting. They are activities that should appear in newspapers, but no in my life,' said Kiwi Tam, a 21-year-old college student. They lack creativity in arousing young people's interest.

Chi Jun Lei, the vice director of the association, admitted they had difficulties with teenagers. Growing up in Macao, Lei is a very traditional Macanese. He insisted that temple culture should be kept without any change.

'It's hard to be creative and simultaneously be traditional,' said Tommy Leung, the director of a Macao cultural organization. 'However, creativity is not just to create something new, but also something worth in communication. Even you are telling something old, you have to use a funny expression. The channel, the format, the style of speech is also a kind of creativity.'

Lei hesitated for a few seconds when the topic changed to the creativity in promotion methods. The elder members mainly participate in the tradition revitalization while the youths are responsible for giving new ideas, Lei commented. It is unfortunate that young volunteers are in the minority in the association.

Dragon beard candy and malt sugar are admitted to be one of the traditional sweets that are being lost because of trouble involved in cooking and low salaries. The association is recording the making process of these sweets as part of Macao's history. 'We can do nothing except this,' Lei added.

Should the temple culture promotion continue with traditional strategies? Lei has no doubt in continuing his positive attitude. Does his strategy work in today's Macao? We won't know until years later.