“Where the World Heritage Shines – Photography Exhibition of the Historic Centre of Macao”, jointly organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government and the Macau Scientific and Cultural Centre of the Ministry of Education and Science of Portugal was successfully inaugurated on 8 March 2017 at the Macao Scientific and Cultural Centre in Lisbon.

The ceremony was officiated by the President of the Macao Scientific and Cultural Centre of Portugal, Luís Filipe Barreto; the representative of the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Macao and Director of the Macao Archives, Lau Fong; and the photographer, Chan Hio Io. Over 80 guests were present at the ceremony, including the First Secretary of the Culture Section of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Portugal, Yang Chunyan; the Deputy Director of the Economic and Commercial Delegation of Macao in Lisbon, Maria Gabriela dos Remédios César; the President of the Jorge Álvares Foundation, José Eduardo Martinho Garcia Leandro; the Director of the Central Library of the Navy of Portugal, José Nanques de Matos; the Director of the Overseas Historical Archive of Portugal, Ana Canas; the Advisor of the Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, Andrea Direito; researchers and archivists.

Chan Hin Io is a senior photographer nationwide and a recognized photographer in Macao. In recent years, he has been devoted to capturing Macao’s customs as well as the city’s landscapes, collecting several photography awards. Among his published works are The Neighbourhood of Macao – Documentary Photographs by Chan Hin Io, Memories of the Old Crafts and Trades in Macao, Life in Macao 2012 – Photographs by Chan Hin Io, and the album Where the World Heritage Shines – Photographs of the Historic Centre of Macao.

“Where the World Heritage Shines – Photography Exhibition of the Historic Centre of Macao” was held last year in Macao and Zhongshan, in China. It is now presented in Lisbon, to showcase more than 90 photographs of the world heritage listed Historic Centre of Macao taken by local photographer Chan Hin Io, revealing the beauty and vitality of Macao’s cultural heritage and showing the charm of this small city through various angles.

The exhibition will be open at the Macao Scientific and Cultural Centre in Lisbon from 8 March to 31 May 2017 and at the Vila Flor Palace in Guimarães from 23 June to 15 August 2017. The exhibition is a manifestation of the friendly cooperation between cultural institutions in Portugal and Macao and an example of the ever-growing Sino-Portuguese cultural exchange.