The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym) and the Macao Foundation co-operate again to set up the “Macao Pavilion” at the 34^th Hong Kong Book Fair, showcasing publications of IC and Macao Foundation, as well as other publications from Macao, introducing Macao’s outstanding works to readers from Hong Kong and other regions.

The Hong Kong Book Fair is one of the largest book fairs in Asia and has now entered its 34^th edition. This year’s Book Fair, themed “Film and Television Literature”, was held from 17 to 23 July at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, attracting participation of nearly 760 publishers from Mainland China and other countries, with the total number of visits reaching 990,000. The “Macao Pavilion” featured a large number of exquisite books and painting albums published by IC and the Macao Foundation that covered various fields such as culture, art, law, politics and economics, as well as a selection of books from other Macao publishers, showcasing and promoting Macao’s diversified publishing culture. On the day of the opening, the “Macao Pavilion” drew a large flow of visitors. The Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Margaret Fong, and the Under Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Raistlin Lau Chun, among others, also visited the “Macao Pavilion” and appreciated Macao’s publications. The event was held in a lively atmosphere.

Several new books released by IC were exhibited at the pavilion, including School Curriculum and Educational Reform in Macao: From the Perspective of Cultural Inheritance since the 19^th Century, Relations – Annual Arts Exhibition between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, Livro do Desassossego, Candida Höfer – Epic Gaze, and An Introduction to Macao Modernist Poetry. In addition, the author of the book entitled An Introduction to Macao Modernist Poetry, Au Chung To, gave a presentation on 18 July in the conference room on the fourth floor of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, outlining for readers the characteristics of Macao’s modernist poetry.

The Macao Foundation particularly displayed Leitura da História de Macau: Uma Viagem no Tempo à Nossa Pequena Cidade, Notas sobre Plantas Medicinais de Macau, Macau do Mar - Decifrar os Códigos Históricos (da Pré-História à Dinastia Ming), Estudo do Mapa Marítimo Panorâmico da China, To the Farthest Gulf for the Wealth of India – Representações de Macau no Peabody Essex Museum (Salem), and Deng Fen: An Anthology of Classical Writing, among others. Two authors of the book entitled Leitura da História de Macau: Uma Viagem no Tempo à Nossa Pequena Cidade, Chan Lek Hang and Lou Ka U, were invited to hold a seminar entitled “An Attempt to Popularise the History of Macao” on 20 July in the conference room on the fourth floor of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, where they shared their original intention and creative process of the composition, and explored the profound connection between Macao and Hong Kong.

The exhibitors participating in this year’s “Macao Pavilion” include: Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, Macao Foundation, Macao Publishers' Association, Macao Daily News Publishing House, Pen of Macau, Association of Stories in Macao, Cultural Guildhall, Macao Library & Information Management Association, Macao Heritage Ambassadors Association, Macao Cultural Heritage Reinventing Studies Association, University of East Asia Open College Students’ Association, Macao Carpentry Trade Union,Step Out, Comuna de Pedra Arts and Culture Association, Macau Comickers Association, New Generation Culture Association, The Heritage Society, Ox Warehouse, International Institute of Macau, Macao Arts & Literature Culture Disseminative Co. Ltd., Macao Science Center, The Macanese Publishing Ltd., LITS, Ltd., Mandarina Books, and Macao Literary Composition Science Association.