On occasion of the 27th Macao Arts Festival (MAF), the Macao S.A.R. Government invited consuls of various countries accredited to Hong Kong and Macao to participate in a tour organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) on 22 May. The delegation visited the Mandarin’s House and the Lilau Square, both classified as World Heritage sites, and the Le French May festival exhibition “Edgar Degas: Figures in Motion”. Later the delegation attended the concert “Mullova and the Macao Orchestra” by the Macao Orchestra. This cultural visit allowed the consuls to experience Macao’s rich culture and artistic atmosphere.

The consular corps, accompanied by a guided tour from IC, visited the Mandarin’s House and the Lilau Square located in the Historic Centre of Macao, where they were introduced to the architectural characteristics of the buildings, thereby experiencing the beauty of Macao’s World Heritage. The Mandarin’s House, built in 1869, was the residence of renowned Chinese modern philosopher Zheng Guanying, and is currently the largest residential Chinese complex in the city. The Mandarin’s House is currently open to the public and hosts numerous performing arts shows and different types of workshops, tea art workshops, activities and exhibitions, among others. The performance “Yue Opera Excepts”, part of this edition of the MAF, was held in the Mandarin’s House and is a fine example of reuse and revitalization of World Heritage. The neighbouring Lilau Square was one of the first residential neighbourhoods of the Portuguese in Macao. Today it still features many Western style buildings. The delegation then headed to the Le French May exhibition “Edgar Degas: Figures in Motion” held at MGM MACAU, thus having an opportunity to experience the city’s cultural and artistic atmosphere.

At the end of the day, the delegation, accompanied by the Acting President of IC, Leung Hio Ming, the Head of the Department of Cultural Events, Kent Ieong Chi Kin, and the Head of the Department of Cultural Heritage, Leong Wai Man, attended the concert “Mullova and the Macao Orchestra” by the Macao Orchestra at Macao Cultural Centre, which marked the first collaboration between Russian violinist Viktoria Mullova and the Macao Orchestra. The members of the delegation were impressed by Macao’s cultural panorama and the visit allowed them to deepen their understanding about the city’s artistic atmosphere.