From 2015, the Heritage Exhibition of a Traditional Pawnshop Business, an affiliated gallery of the Macao Museum under the Cultural Affairs Bureau, offers free admission to Macao Identity Card holders aged 65 or above, and to schools and non-profit organizations who make prior reservations, while the admission fee for other citizens and tourists remains at MOP5. By implementing this new measure, the Cultural Affairs Bureau aims at promoting the Heritage Exhibition of a Traditional Pawnshop Business and the historical development of the pawnshop business in Macao close by more citizens.
Tak Seng On Pawnshop was established in 1917. Composed by the pawnshop counter and storehouse, this pawnshop is one of the most complete existing pawnshop establishments in Macao. Initially, it was owned by Mr. Kou Ho Neng, a wealthy Macao merchant. The Tak Seng On Pawnshop was restored by the Cultural Affairs Bureau and opened to the public on 21 March, 2003. It offers visitors a glimpse of the operation modes and processes of the pawnshop industry in the past through the display of pawn tools, tickets and records. Video guided tour services are available since January 2015 to introduce the rise and prosperous development of the pawnshop history in Macao to visitors. In addition, Macao Identity Card holders aged 65 or above and schools and non-profit organizations with prior reservations enjoy free admission also starting from January.
The Heritage Exhibition of a Traditional Pawnshop Business is open to the public from 10:30am to 7pm every day except on the first Monday of every month. It can receive a maximum of 20 people at a time. For more information, please contact the Cultural Affairs Bureau through tel. (853) 2835 7911 during office hours or visit the websites www.macaumuseum.gov.mo or www.icm.gov.mo .
