Founded around 1400, before the arrival of the Portuguese, Kun Iam Temple was rebuilt in some splendour in the 18C – the eye is immediately drawn to the roof, with its varnished statuettes. This temple, one of the most impressive in Macau, houses a statue of Kun Yam, the bodhisattva of mercy, who is depicted here crowned and dressed in brocaded silk. The statue is watched over by eighteen statues of Wise Men with European features said to have been inspired by Marco Polo. The legend of Kun Yam is depicted in the many paintings here.