Cultural Heritage
Preservation in Macao
Macao is a city of great historical and cultural value,
and the scope of cultural heritage conservation covers
architecture, urban development and landscaping. Taken
from a historical and cultural perspective, protecting
cultural heritage ensures the continuity of history, so that
local ways of life can be safeguarded, and the foundation
for carrying out sustainable development policies be
established. The other significant aspect of cultural heritage
conservation is its ability to revitalize the historical
background of a city that may date back hundred of years,
in the process enhancing its charm. This charm serves as
a vast and promising tourism resource: not only does it
form the city’s or community’s cultural image, it also
reaps major economic benefits. One of the reasons behind
the rise of cultural heritage tourism in many parts of the
world in recent years is its ability to boost local, regional,
and even national economic development. Conservation
policies form the backbone of cultural heritage tourism
since any damage to a territory’s cultural heritage can
shatter its urban identity, with a subsequent negative
impact on the city’s economy. This is especially apparent
in a city such as Macao where tourism has become the
city’s economic lifeblood. Although cultural heritage assets
are not the sole ingredient in the making of a city’s
identity, if cultural heritage assets were to disappear, the
people’s sense of history, the ways of life and traditions
would face the possibility of fading away.
Since built heritage is the identifying element by
which cities can be physically distinguished from each
other, it is essential to take appropriate conservation
measures to safeguard heritage assets. The feature that
distinguishes Macao from the rest of Southeast Asia and the world is its
enduring role as the focus of cultural
interchange, notwithstanding four hundred years of unique
historical transformation. Here in this city, western
(European) and eastern (Chinese) cultures converge—a
quality that is unique in the Asia-Pacific region. Macao’s
role as a cultural crossroads is manifest in an abundance
of heritage assets. Therefore, it is only with the proper
protection of built heritage that Macao’s distinctiveness
can be ensured, and its culture perpetuated into the future.
Heritage conservation is also in line with contemporary
views on urban design: a city’s history is the major
foundation on which its urban character should be built,
and this is equally true for Macao.
The first comprehensive legislation of cultural
heritage preservation in Macao was Decree Law No.
34/76/M promulgated on August 7, 1976. On
September 4, 1982, the Cultural Institute was founded,
reflecting the Macao Administration’s growing awareness
of the importance of heritage conservation policies. At
the time of establishment, the Cultural Institute consisted
of three departments, one of which was the Cultural
Heritage Department (originally called the Cultural
Property Bureau), responsible for carrying out conservation
works on Macao’s built heritage. The founding of the
Cultural Institute provided the mechanism for the
implementation of Macao’s heritage conservation policies.
On June 3, 1984, the Macao Government
promulgated a new law on heritage preservation, Decree
Law No. 56/84/M, which revoked Decree Law No.
34/76/M. The new law provided a more accurate and
comprehensive definition and categorization of Macao’s
cultural heritage properties and giving more detailed
stipulations concerning the types of conservation measures
for each category of cultural heritage property.
On December 31, 1992, Decree Law No. 83/
92/M was promulgated, and this is the most recent
heritage preservation law. Two appendices were included:
a list and a map of the designated properties. The Cultural
Heritage Department of the Cultural Institute currently
undertakes conservation works in accordance with these
two laws.There is a total of 128 monuments, buildings,
ensembles, and sites on the conservation list.
The existing categories of cultural heritage
properties are as follow:
1. Monuments: Buildings of historical significance, such
as churches, temples, fortresses. There are 52 properties
in this category.
2. Buildings of Architectural Interest: Buildings whose
original architectural qualities are representative of a
significant period in the development of the territory,
such as the old Ling Lam School building, the General
Post Office building and the Military Club. There are
44 properties in this category.
3. Classified Ensembles: Urban centres that are
representative of Macao’s history and culture, such as
the buildings along Avenida Almeida Ribeiro, Leal
Senado Square and the surrounding buildings. There
are 11 properties in this category.
4. Classified Sites: works created jointly by people and
nature that have special value because of their beauty
including green areas, such as Lou Lim Iok Gardens,
Guia Hill, and Penha Hill. There are 21 properties
in this category.
In addition, protection zones have been created
surrounding the protected properties. These zones are
areas where there are restrictions on development, in an
aim to protect the aesthetics in the vicinity of the classified
heritage properties.
After the founding of the Cultural Institute in
1982, restoration projects were implemented mainly
through the Cultural Heritage Department. There has
been significant progress in heritage conservation efforts,
particularly over the last decade. Major funding has been
allocated to the area along the historic corridor on the
Macao peninsula, (Saint Paul’s Ruins — Saint
Dominic’s Church—Senado Square—Saint Lawrence’s
Church—Lilau Square—A-Ma Temple), and immense
improvements have been made to the living and tourist
environment of Macao’s older districts. Furthermore, the
public has begun to realize that conservation policies have
brought significant benefits to the development of Macao’s
tourism industry. Since sovereignty over Macao reverted
to China, heritage conservation work has continued on
the basis of heightened efforts in education and promotion,
in an aim to educate the general public and raise the level
of awareness for heritage conservation, and to promote
heritage tourism.
From 1982 until the present, the Macao
Government has invested approximately MOP$150
million in heritage conservation. The Cultural Heritage
Department of the Cultural Institute has protected and
restored approximately 330 properties, including 20
temples and 8 churches. It has also established two
museums of sacred art, and protected and restored
approximately seven hundred sacred art relics.
The Cultural Heritage Department also
undertakes surveys, research, planning, and documentation of Macao’s heritage
assets. The year 2001
saw the completion of a Macao-wide archaeological survey.
A complete survey and documentation of Macao’s temples
is currently in progress. One of the department’s routine
responsibilities is to prepare submissions, from the
perspective of heritage conservation, on proposed building
and construction works occurring inside protection zones.
Most importantly, the Cultural Heritage Department
possesses the legal power of inspection and forwarding
submissions regarding building and construction works
occurring inside the protection zones.
From a cultural perspective, the protection of
heritage properties in Macao is part of the overall cultural
policy, of which the principles and aims are to protect the
physical foundation of Macao’s unique historic and cultural
environment. From an economic perspective, the benefits
that heritage conservation works have brought to Macao’s
overall economic development are incontestable. However,
if heritage conservation works are to make significant
contributions to the sustainable development of Macao’s
tourism industry, especially cultural heritage tourism,
and the strengthening of Macao’s competitiveness in the
region, heritage conservation efforts must still be
heightened.
Stephen Chan
Chief of the Cultural Heritage Department,
Cultural Institute, Macao SAR Government
