The melodious strings, the sound of gongs, the harmony of suona, and the music of Macau Taoist rituals that were once only heard in Taoist temples, have now moved beyond palaces and temples, blending into the world of fireworks. At various modern stages and Taoist music appreciation events, the ethereal, mysterious, and melodious ancient Taoist ritual music has won widespread praise from people. Taoism is a native religion in China. Taoist ritual music is the music used in Taoist rituals and an important component of traditional ethnic music. Due to its clear and rigorous inheritance, detailed recording, compatibility with the two major schools of Zhengyi and Quanzhen, and strong local flavor, the Taoist ritual music in Macau was listed as an intangible cultural heritage project in 2009 and a representative project of national intangible cultural heritage in May 2011. The Taoist culture in Macau has a long history and profound accumulation. As a fishing port, Macau's early fishermen believed in Mazu, which to some extent belonged to the Taoist belief system. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, many scattered Taoist priests migrated from Guangdong to Macau, and Guangdong Taoist rituals and music were transmitted to Macau from there. At that time, the fishing industry in Macau was thriving, and fishermen would invite Taoist priests to board the ship as a way to thank the gods for their blessings every time they set sail during the Chinese New Year, rested on New Year's Eve, returned with a full load, or celebrated weddings. Regarding this, Wu Bingjun, the President of the Macau Taoist Association and the fourth generation inheritor of Macau Taoist ritual music, has the following record: "When I was young, I followed my grandfather and father to watch 'dojos' on a boat. At that time, in the area from Xiahuan Street to Shalitou Sea on the Macau Peninsula, every February, April, May, August, October in the lunar calendar, around the Winter Solstice and on the Chinese New Year's Eve, it was the day when fishermen held weddings and paid respects to their gods. The music of' dojoss' was loud, and the sound of gongs and drums rose and fell on the sea, making it very lively. In addition to auspicious dojoss, the dojoss held by fishermen for free also required scattered Taoist priests to go on board and do rituals." The author has some precious videos in hand, which are from the 19th century Portuguese. The wedding ceremony of the Dan people captured on a fishing boat in Macau is also a live Taoist ritual. I saw the groom and bride standing in the middle wearing wedding clothes, while the Taoist priests played suona and struck ritual instruments, chanting and praying for the newlyweds. The ethereal and melodious music creates a festive and solemn atmosphere for the ceremony. The Taoist rituals in Macau are mainly based on the Zhengyi school, and the music used in Taoist temples follows the fresh and lively style of Zhengyi school music with a strong local flavor. During the reign of Emperor Guangxu in the late Qing Dynasty, due to the close personal relationship between Zhou Shengzhen, the leader of the Macau Orthodox School, and Liang Shuya, the leader of the Guangdong Luofu Mountain Chongxu Temple Quanzhen School, the music of the Macau Orthodox School was able to absorb the solemn, elegant, and palace style Quanzhen School music. The two major schools of Taoist music infiltrated and blended in Macau, forming a unique artistic style of Macau Taoist ritual music that combines both schools. However, since the 1960s, with the transformation of Macau's economy, the fishing industry has shrunk and the number of fishermen has decreased. As a result, Macau's Taoist rituals and music have faced a survival crisis and are gradually declining. Nowadays, the Taoist ritual music in Macau is mainly represented by the Wu Qingyun Taoist Temple. This Taoist temple was founded by Wu Guomian in the late Qing Dynasty. Through the inheritance of the second generation Wu Jinwen, the third generation Wu Tianshen, the fourth generation Wu Bingzhen, and the fifth generation Wu Wuzhang, the ritual music has been passed down through oral and heart to heart transmission, becoming a representative of the fully preserved and systematic ritual music of the authentic Taoist school in Macau. In order to promote Chinese Taoist culture, in 2001, Wu Bingqian contacted Taoist groups and individuals in Macau to initiate the establishment of the Macau Taoist Association. In order to inherit and promote Taoist ritual music, under the leadership of Wu Bingqian, the Macau Taoist Orchestra was later established. The orchestra mainly plays music used by scattered Taoist priests of the Macau Orthodox School, represented by the Wu family, when performing Taoist rituals, and interprets Taoist music in its original form. Over the years, Wu Bingqian has been committed to the inheritance of Taoist music in Macau. He has not only excelled in text performances, international exchanges, Taoist music training, and the establishment of the Macau Youth Taoist Orchestra, but also placed great emphasis on contemporary performances of traditional Taoist rituals during major festivals, such as the annual New Year's blessing ceremony and Taoist cultural festival blessing ceremony, in spacious Taoist association style venues or suitable scenes on the streets. Several prayer ceremonies were held in succession, and the believers who attended each ceremony gathered together. The various forms of Wu's Taoist music, such as clear singing, clear playing, singing recitation, and singing playing, shine brightly in the ceremony. In order to continue the torch of intangible cultural heritage inheritance, the Macau Taoist Orchestra has been promoting Taoist ritual music on campus for many years and has achieved fruitful results. Every year, students from various schools actively participate in the campus Taoist music song competition and Taoist new song creation competition. By singing Taoist music songs, creating new songs, and experiencing vivid scenes, students' interest and understanding of Taoist ritual music have been further stimulated. The increasing participation of young musicians has added vitality and energy to the Taoist ritual music in Macau. In addition, the Macau Taoist Orchestra has also brought Taoist ritual music to the stage, incorporating more instruments such as yangqin, guzheng, sheng, pipa, etc., to enhance the visual experience of stage performances through sound, light, electronics, and imaging, allowing more citizens to understand and accept Taoist culture. For a long time, Taoist rituals and music in Macau have been passed down in the form of family or apprenticeship, leaving little written or musical records. Fortunately, in 2009, with the support of the Macau Foundation and the Cultural Bureau, the Macau Taoist Association compiled, compiled, and published the book "Macau Taoist Ritual Music", preserving precious materials for the music treasure trove of our country. The recording of more than 500 pieces of the first Taoist scientific instrument music handed down by the Wu family has finally been completed. These pieces are the essence of Macao Taoist music with rich styles, melodious tunes, complete structures and distinctive styles. Many first-hand materials of Macau Taoist music scores, orally narrated by the third and fourth generations of Wu family inheritors and compiled by experts, have also become distinctive documents in the "Collection of Chinese Folk Songs - Macau Volume" edited by the author. Nowadays, the inheritance and promotion of Taoist ritual music in Macau are increasingly valued, and its historical and cultural value continues to attract attention from all sectors of society. Due to being located in a multicultural environment like Macau, Macau's Taoist music is diverse and unique, becoming another wonderful manifestation of Macau's musical diversity. It is also an important specimen for understanding and studying Macau's local music, as well as Lingnan folk music and traditional Chinese music. (New Society)