On the occasion of the “China Cultural and Natural Heritage Day” on 8 June, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym) will host a series of exciting activities. An array of thematic workshops dedicated to traditional Chinese culture will be held for people of different ages at various cultural facilities in Macao. The Guia Lighthouse, a World Heritage site, will be open to the public with free admission on 8 and 9 June, allowing the public to visit and appreciate the beautiful view from the top of the lighthouse. In addition, free experience sessions of the “Visiting the Ruins of St. Paul’s in Space and Time – Exhibition of Virtual Reality at the Ruins of St. Paul’s” will be available at a designated period in June, in a bid to enhance the public’s knowledge of Macao’s cultural heritage.
A number of workshops will be held at cultural facilities from 1 June, including the “Seal Carving Workshop” at the Xian Xinghai Memorial Museum, the “24 Solar Terms Painting Workshop” at The House of Macao Literature, the “Bamboo Lamp Experience Workshop” at the Former Iec Long Firecracker Factory, the “Cyanotype Workshop” at the Ruins of St. Paul’s College, the “Tea Art Workshop” at the Lou Kau Mansion, and the “Cultural Heritage Sketching” at the Mount Fortress Garden; as well as workshops for families or children, including the “Hac Sa Archaeological Guided Tour and Family Workshop” at the Museum of Taipa and Coloane History, the “Discover Our World Heritage – Sketching”, “Discover Our World Heritage – Toy Blocks” and “World Heritage Cloth Book Workshop for Families” at the Mandarin’s House, and the “Workshop of Dragon Boat Festival Sachet Making” at the Macao Museum.
The “Visiting the Ruins of St. Paul’s in Space and Time – Exhibition of Virtual Reality at the Ruins of St. Paul’s” will be open from 8 to 30 June. During the exhibition period, free experience sessions will be available from 10am to 10:30am on Saturdays and Sundays, and from 10am to 10:30am on 10 June. In addition, the “Guided Tour of the Mount Fortress” and the “Guided Family Tour of the Mount Fortress” will be held on 8 and 9 June at Mount Fortress. Registration for the abovementioned workshops, exhibition and guided tours of the Mount Fortress will be made available through the “Activity Application” of the Macao One Account (activity.mo.gov.mo/activity-h5/activity-list-web) from 10am on 22 May (Wednesday). Admission is free. If the number of registrants in the workshops exceeds the maximum number of participants, participants will be selected by drawing lots. Registration for the workshops at The House of Macao Literature, the Museum of Taipa and Coloane History and the workshops “Discover Our World Heritage” at the Mandarin’s House will be made available from today.
On 8 and 9 June, the Guia Lighthouse will be especially open to the public from 10am to 5:30pm, and the Macao Museum will also be open to residents and tourists with free admission during the museum’s opening hours, from 10am to 6pm. Guided tours are available at The House of Macao Literature from 3pm to 4pm on 8 and 9 June and are also available at various heritage sites on Saturdays and Sundays.
The “Cultural and Natural Heritage Day” originates from the former designation of “Cultural Heritage Day”. According to the directive from the State Council of China, the “Cultural Heritage Day” has been celebrated annually on the second Saturday of June since 2006. In 2017, the “Cultural Heritage Day” was renamed “Cultural and Natural Heritage Day” with the aim of strengthening public awareness of the importance of safeguarding cultural and natural heritage.
For more information about the activities celebrating the “China Cultural and Natural Heritage Day”, please visit the website at www.icm.gov.mo/chd or follow IC’s official WeChat account “IC_Art_Macao” and “IC Art” page on Facebook.