Message

On the occasion of the opening of “Encounter in Macao – Arts and Cultural Festival between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries”, on behalf of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, I would like to express my sincere congratulations to this grand cultural event as well as warmly welcome all artists, academics and guests who have travelled from afar for this occasion!

The Arts and Cultural Festival is an excellent “harbinger” of the cooperation in several fields between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries and offers a resonant “overture”. It is said that cultural integration is the key to open-mindedness, and open-mindedness is the key to stable relations between nations. Bilateral or multilateral cultural exchange is a key element to mutual understanding as well as an important medium to express emotions and an essential bridge to bring peoples closer together; its soft yet firm, subtle yet tremendous role will be evident in our days of close cooperation.

The establishment of the “Commercial and Trade Cooperation (Services) Platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries”, an important plan and positioning of the country with regards to the Macao Special Administrative Region, is a strategic goal to be carried out and developed by the Macao SAR, and a goal which, for its implementation and fulfilment, must be nourished and promoted by a humanistic spirit. The holding of this Arts and Cultural Festival and the later establishment of the “Cultural Exchange Centre between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries” are based on this cultural concept, adopting strategies and measures which have as reference “humanism first”.

The “Encounter in Macao – Arts and Cultural Festival between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries” features a gala performance, a cultural forum, a film festival, an annual arts exhibition and the exhibition “Chapas Sínicas – Stories of Macao in Torre do Tombo”, that are jointly launched by relevant countries and regions. Through extraordinary content and formats, the Festival showcases the characteristics, distinctiveness and charm of these cultures, as well as their historical development of coexistence without loss of identity.

I believe this cultural exchange will inevitably, for the sake of establishing the “Commercial and Trade Cooperation (Services) Platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries” and the bilateral and multilateral relations between these countries as well as their cooperation in the fields of logistics, commerce, tourism and investment, among others, inject cultural genes, merge the spirit of peoples and strengthen the trust in a joint development and mutual benefits, thereby establishing deep and solid foundations for a new type of international relations.

Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao S.A.R. Government
Alexis Tam Chon Weng

Preface

Macao is an historical meeting point.

In the 1550s, the Portuguese landed in Macao after crossing half the world. Here, one of the passengers wrote an epic poem dedicated to the first world empire – we refer to Luís de Camoes and his work The Lusiads. Over three decades later, in 1591, another poet and playwright, Tang Xianzu, came to Macao and wrote innovative stories in his work The Peony Pavilion, which became one of the greatest classics of Chinese theatre, and the first “play” associated with Macao.

Tang Xianzu also recorded Macao's stories in poems. In one of his poems he describes a foreign girl that he admired: “In the early morning, the roses were wet with dew. An enchanting 15-year-old girl, whose dress fluttered in the gentle breeze, was like a beautiful moon over the end of the West sea, emanating a fragrant scent.” “The end of the West sea” refers certainly to the location of Portugal, equivalent to Camões' famous description in The Lusiads: “Where the land ends and the sea begins”.

Historically, this is an unfinished meeting. It was destiny that brought these two remarkable poets of the 16th century to Macao, where they completed their respective notable works of Chinese and Portuguese literature. Following the re-emergence of China after centuries of decline and ensuing Macao's impressive economic development, during the initial phase of the “Belt and Road” initiative, the establishment of the “Sino-Lusophone Cultural Exchange Centre” occurred naturally. Within the scope of this Centre, the “Encounter in Macao - Arts and Cultural Festival between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries” allows us to bring representative arts and cultures of the Portuguese-speaking countries established during the period of the Discoveries as well as from China, in order to establish related cooperation and exchange mechanisms, to connect historical backgrounds, to bring people together, to share the fruits of prosperity and to exchange the beauty of culture. In terms of cultural and artistic development, this unprecedented occasion is highly anticipated; from a perspective of building a community of shared future for mankind, it has an epoch-making significance.

The programme of the first edition of the “Encounter in Macao - Arts and Cultural Festival between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries” includes the China and Portuguese-speaking Countries Film Festival, the exhibition “Chapas Sínicas – Stories of Macao in Torre do Tombo” and lectures, the China and Portuguese-speaking Countries Gala Performance, the Cultural Forum between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries and the Annual Arts Exhibition between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries. The collection of Chapas Sínicas that has been successfully inscribed on the UNESCO's Memory of the World Register last year, includes official correspondence between the Chinese from the Qing dynasty and the Portuguese authorities in the past 200 years, reflecting social circumstances of the time and bearing witness to Macao's important role as an exchange centre between Chinese and Western civilizations and as the hub to the promotion of international trade and cultural exchange. Taking this epic “memory of the world” that spans ancient and modern times and links China and the West as a prelude to the Cultural and Arts Festival, it shows a profound historical source. In turn, the “Annual Arts Exhibition between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries” showcases contemporary artworks from China and eight Portuguese-speaking countries. The exhibition halls are distributed in various districts in Macao, bringing public artworks to the community and taking the spirit of the Cultural Exchanges Centre to all corners of the city.

The establishment of a cultural and arts exchange mechanism between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries led to a cultural gathering spanning four centuries and linking four continents, having thereby an extraordinary meaning. The 19th century English poet Matthew Arnold considered culture to be the ideal of human thought, defining it as “bright and wonderful” – culture is therefore bright because it is wonderful, and it is wonderful since it is bright. We believe that, by continuing cultural and arts exchanges based on a thorough development of “people-to-people bonds”, we will have brighter development and prospects, and will build together a more magnificent era.

Finally, on behalf of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, I would like to express heartfelt thanks to the Minister of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China, Mr. Luo Shugang, as well as to the Minister of Culture of the Portuguese Republic, Mr. Luís Filipe Castro Mendes, for their presence here today for this “Encounter in Macao - Arts and Cultural Festival between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries”. I would also like to thank the participating artists and the organization staff for their untiring efforts to offer us such a rich cultural and arts festival.

Macao is mainly a meeting point in progress.

The President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government
Mok Ian Ian

About

Macao historically developed its role as a bridge between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries, opening up a cultural dialogue between the two languages. Breaking geographical and language barriers, the power of culture spread from Asia to Europe, allowing the forging of a successful Sino-Portuguese friendship under a vast cultural fusion. In the streets of Macao, one can feel the aura of love stories between the Chinese and the Portuguese, like the one portrayed in the book The Bewitching Braid, while, in the gardens one can both hear Cantonese opera and watch Portuguese folk dance performances. Surroundings such as there create a unique cultural landscape born from this bridge between two worlds – the city of Macao.

“Encounter in Macao - Arts and Cultural Festival between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries” will be held in Macao this summer, featuring five major events that review historical moments between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries over several centuries, presenting the first Sino-Portuguese cultural encounters. The Festival includes film screenings, the appreciation of Macao stories documented in the National Archive of Torre do Tombo of Portugal, a large-scale cultural event showcasing folk customs, an academic forum that brings together international cultural promoters and an annual art exhibition featuring artworks from China and the Portuguese-speaking countries, to be held all over Macao. By juxtaposing the ancient with the modern and high culture with popular culture, the Festival aims to start a new chapter in the cultural exchange between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries in Macao.

Taking culture as a link and art as a carrier, the first edition of “Encounter in Macao - Arts and Cultural Festival between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries” aims to show the aura, character and charm of both cultures, as well as present the historical evolution over time as “cultures that have coexisted without losing their identity”. We believe that all participants and audience members will be inspired and enlightened by the Festival, and contribute with their wisdom and abilities to deepen the Sino-Lusophone friendship, cultural exchange and cooperation between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries.

In July 2018, we meet in Macao.

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Concept behind the logo design
Featuring the intersection of the letters “C” (Chinese) and “P” (Portuguese), which represent the cultures of China and that of Portuguese-speaking countries, respectively, in their symbolic colours, the design suggests the inclusive harmony between the cultures despite their differences. It is their endless cultural integration that the intersected part in the middle, with its integrated shape of mobility, aims to convey above all.

Logo designed by: Si Nga Ian

 

 

 

 

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