June 14 marks the 9th China Cultural Heritage Day. To commemorate this date, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym) organizes for the ninth consecutive year a series of activities in local heritage sites, museums and libraries, including themed exhibitions and lectures, guided tours and free admission to certain attractions, thereby increasing the public’s knowledge about Macao’s cultural heritage, revealing its meaning and charm as well as implementing this year’s China Cultural Heritage Day’s theme, “Let the Cultural Heritage Live”.
Lectures on architecture at the Mandarin’s House; exhibition on the history of past typhoons
The lecture series Communication with the Masters – The Inner Beauty of Traditional Chinese Architecture takes place on 14 June at the Mandarin’s House, comprising three different topics: Wu Guozhi, Professor at the Chaozhou Architecture Design Institute and senior engineer will speak about ‘The Beauty of Scale and Proportion of Chaozhou Traditional Residential Architecture’; Hsu Yu-Chien, Professor at the Architecture Department of Huafan University, addresses ‘The Beauty of Scale and Proportion of Taiwanese Traditional Residential Architecture’; both academics, together with Professor David Lung Ping-yee, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Hong Kong, will dwell on the subject ‘Communication with the Masters – The Inner Beauty of Traditional Chinese Architecture’. Admission is free and seat reservations are available through the number 2896 8820, during office hours. A tea ceremony and a guqin performance will also be held on the same day and venue, as well as the opening of the “Chinese Buildings and Construction Exhibition”, which will run until July 13.
In commemoration of the China Cultural Heritage Day and the International Archives Day, and to unveil the history and evolution of typhoons in Macao throughout the times, the Historical Archives of Macao organise the exhibition The Times of Typhoons – Exhibition of Macao Archival Materials. Through written documents, photographs and other typhoon related materials, this exhibition allows visitors to gain a better understanding of the development of Macao’s typhoon warning signals as well as the impact of past typhoons on the city. Lectures are also scheduled during the exhibition period.
The splendour of cultural heritage; streets and lanes talk about history
The Macao Cultural Heritage Protection Law came into force on 1 March, opening a brand new chapter in the cultural heritage protection works of Macao. In order to promote this diploma more extensively among citizens, IC organises an exhibition on the Cultural Heritage Protection Law from June 13 to July 13, and an exhibition on the Historic Centre of Macao, both to be held at the Ruins of St. Paul, as well as the exhibition ‘10 Items of Macao’s Intangible Cultural Heritage’ to be held at the Lou Kau Mansion. These exhibitions will give citizens the opportunity to deepen their knowledge about the new law and, simultaneously, about Macao’s valuable cultural and world heritage.
The guided tours ‘Through Streets and Lanes’ will lead tourists and residents on a walk through the Historic Centre of Macao, starting at the Ruins of St. Paul’s, through the Na Tcha Temple, Na Tcha Exhibtion Hall, Section of the Old City Walls, Travessa da Paixão and Pátio da Eterna Felicidade, sharing each building’s unique stories. Interested parties can register on the website www.mhaa.org.mo or download the application form from the same site and submit it, duly completed, at the information desk at the Ruins of St. Paul. Free admission. Places are limited and assigned on a first come, first served basis.
The Macao Museum receives, from May 30 to August 31, the exhibition Collotype • Recurrence – Spatial Convergence of John Thomson and Wong Ho Sang, which presents more than 200 wet plate photographs by British photographer John Thomson taken in the 1860s and 1870s in Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Macao, Xiamen, Shanghai, Beijing and other places. The second section presents photographs taken using the same process by Macao photographer Wong Ho Sang, who produced a collection of photography artworks integrating the new and old with early photography skills and contemporary creative concepts. Macao was the inspiration for this project, specially conceived for this exhibition. On 14 and 15 June, admission to the Macao Museum is free and guided tours will also be available.
Lecture on digital archives; free admission in several attractions
The lecture on Taiwan’s National Digital Archives Programme: Past, Present and Future takes place on 21 June, at 11am, at the Multi-Function Hall of the Sir Robert Ho Tung Library (2nd floor). Hsieh Kuo-hsing, Research Fellow and Director of the Institute of Taiwan History at the Academia Sinica Digital Centre, examines the strategies and development of the Digital Museum Project over the past 15 years since its launch in 1998, and discusses its significant achievements as well as future challenges. Interested parties can register between 7 and 20 June through number 2837 7117, during office hours, or in person at the Sir Robert Ho Tung Library.
Several world heritage sites and museums offer free admission on June 14 and 15, including the Guia Fortress, open from 10m to 5pm, the Macao Museum and the Heritage Exhibition of a Traditional Pawnshop Business. These last two also offer, free guided tours during the same period. Additionally, the Ruins of St. Paul’s, the Mandarin’s House and the Lou Kau Mansion host quiz games, giving participants the opportunity to win free souvenirs (available while stocks last). Admission is free for many activities integrated in the China Cultural Heritage Day. For more information, please call 8399 6699, during office hours, or visit www.icm.gov.mo/chd.
