In Celebration of the 21^st Anniversary of Macao’s Return to the Motherland and Christmas, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from its Portuguese acronym) will present a series of 17 cultural and artistic activities, including Peking Opera performances, concerts, workshops and exhibitions, among others, allowing the public to celebrate Macao’s Return to the Motherland and Christmas in an atmosphere full of arts and culture.

The Palace Museum annual exhibition is the most anticipated cultural event in Macao. Jointly organized by the Macao Museum of Art and the Palace Museum, the exhibition “Stately Demeanour: Costumes of Qing Emperors and Empresses from the Collection of the Palace Museum” will be inaugurated on 16 December. The exhibition features 87 sets of costumes of the Qing Dynasty of the Palace Museum collection, showcasing the costume system of the Qing court as well as the cultural connotations and aesthetic interests of costumes.

The Macao Chinese Orchestra will present a free concert “Listen to the Voice of the Chinese”, on 17 December, at 8pm, at Company of Jesus Square. In commemoration of the 75^th anniversary of the death of the renowned musician, Xian Xinghai, the concert will feature a number of his musical compositions. The Macao Chinese Orchestra will join hands with the prominent Choir of the China National Traditional Orchestra to present Production Cantata, a choral work of Chinese folk music written during the Anti-Japanese War, in its entirety, giving a taste of China's hundred-year history of struggle.

Organized by the Department of Publicity and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR and the Cultural Affairs Bureau, and co-organized by the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau, the “Celebration of the 21^st Anniversary of Macao’s Return to the Motherland – by the China National Peking Opera Company” will be staged on 18 and 19 December, at 7:30pm, at the Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium. The China National Peking Opera Company will present two Peking operatic pieces, Female Generals of the Yang Family and A Right Royal Match, led by Vice President Zhang Yafeng and presented by renowned opera performers Yu Kuizhi and Li Shengsu, offering the public an enthralling and inspiring feast of Chinese quintessence.

In order to create a joyful atmosphere for the public to celebrate Macao’s Return to the Motherland and Christmas, IC will host a series of cultural activities for families. The Macao Orchestra will present the “Christmas Concert – Christmas Delight” on 18 and 19 December, at 7pm, at the Spectacle, MGM Cotai, featuring Taylor’s Christmas Overture, Tchaikovsky’s Excerpts from the Nutcracker Suites. Admission to the concert is free. The Macao Cultural Centre is launching the series of activities of “ARTwarming Winter”. The play Little Bath Wonders, designed for tiny ones aged 4 to 15 months, will be held from 22 to 27 December. Tickets are now on sale at the Macau Ticketing Network. On 25 December, a brand new family event entitled “Arty Christmas” will be held at the Macao Cultural Centre. This arts carnival features a variety of performances and activities including music, dance, drama, interactive storytelling sessions, backstage visits and handicraft workshops, celebrating the Christmas with the public. Admission to the carnival is free.   

In addition to a wide range of performances, the World Heritage Sites will also host workshops for the public. The “Photo Frame Workshop” will be held on 19, 20 and 22 December, from 3pm to 4pm, at Lou Kau Mansion; while the “Message Clip Holder Workshop” will be held from 24 to 26 December, from 3pm to 4pm, at the Mandarin House, in which participants learn to make photo frames and three-dimensional message clips with characteristics of Christmas and Macao’s Return to the Motherland. The workshops are conducted in Cantonese without simultaneous interpretation. Interested parties can register from 7 to 13 December through IC’s “Activity Registration System” at www.icm.gov.mo/eform/event. If the number of registrants exceeds the maximum number of participants, participants will be selected at random. Successful applicants will be notified by SMS.

A number of exhibitions will be held in various cultural facilities, including “Wandering across the Landscape: Collection of the Macao Museum of Art”, which features 160 works by different foreign artists to showcase the city’s historical landscapes between the 17^th and the 21^st centuries and give an overview of Macao-themed artistic creations in the modern and contemporary era, and “Rebirth in the Spring Breeze: Art Exhibition of He Duoling”, which features nearly 50 pieces (sets) of sketches and oil paintings by He Duoling in different periods of time, both exhibitions are held at the Macao Museum of Art; “Memory of the Past – Exhibition of the Macao Museum Postcards Collection” at the Macao Museum and the exhibition “The Prehistory of Books” at the Sir Robert Ho Tung Library, Seac Pai Van Library and Taipa Library. The exhibitions are open to the general public.

For more information about activities, please contact IC through tel. no. 8399 6699 during office hours, or visit IC’s website at www.icm.gov.mo, IC’s official WeChat account “IC_Art_Macao” and “IC Art” page on Facebook. IC will strictly follow the related anti-epidemic guidelines of the health authorities and implement appropriate measures for cultural activities. All participants must wear face masks, undergo body temperature checks, present a valid “Macao Health Code” and cooperate with the crowd control measures.

List of activities in celebration of the 21^st Anniversary of Macao's Return to the Motherland