About

Macao, a natural Sino-Lusophone Cultural Museum

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.

Background
Macao, a connecting bridge between Chinese and Portuguese cultures

Since the arrival of the Portuguese in China in the early sixteenth century, Macao gradually became the hub of direct communication between those two great civilisations of East and West. During the near three hundred years of the Ming and Qing dynasties, Macao became the most important window of understanding between China and the West. At that time, Macao was the Catholic missionary centre in the Far East, thereby forging a multicultural environment with a predominance of Chinese culture but showcasing unique characteristics of Portuguese culture. The harmonious coexistence between Eastern and Western cultures turned Macao into a unique city, leaving us a valuable legacy of historical and cultural archives and relics.

The “Historic Centre of Macao” is characterised by its wide coverage and its distinctiveness as a whole. It is well preserved, featuring buildings in different architectural styles and embodying the coexistence and mutual respect between peoples. The Historic Centre of Macao is the best testimony to the convergence of the Chinese and Portuguese cultures in Macao, and is also a significant indicator of the vitality and inclusiveness of Chinese culture. On 15 July 2005, the Historic Centre of Macao was inscribed on the UNESCO's World Heritage List, proving thereby its historical value and profound practical significance.

On 30 October 2017, the collection of “Chapas Sínicas” (Official Records of Macao During the Qing Dynasty (1693-1886)), jointly nominated by the Archives of Macao and the National Archive of Torre do Tombo of Portugal, was successfully inscribed on the Memory of the World Register. The collection of “Chapas Sínicas” clearly reflects the special status and role of Macao in the world at a time when Macao was a major port for China's trade and exchanges with the outside world: by establishing connections with the rest of world through marine traffic and other means of contact, it became a meeting point of foreign ships and, thus, a convergence point of Eastern and Western cultures. In addition to its high historical value, the “Chapas Sínicas” also provide, having Macao as platform, new opportunities for cultural exchange and cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.

In addition to Portugal, Macao also has extensive and close ties with other Portuguese-speaking countries. Currently, Macao is home to a number of expatriates from Portuguese-speaking countries such as Brazil and Angola, among others, making it possible to enjoy here capoeira or Mozambican dance performances. For the people of these Portuguese-speaking countries, Macao is both a welcoming city and a distant place full of opportunities. Here there are no language barriers nor daily life complications; Portuguese-style buildings can be found everywhere as well as Portuguese egg tarts and Portuguese-style delicacies, helping these people feel right at home. In addition, Macao has formed a business network and an extensive network of human resources between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries. Thanks to a number of talents skilled in languages and cultural, political, economic and legal areas, Macao fosters a better understanding of and an entry point into China, offering the chance to make use of the historical opportunities arising out of China's rapid development, and share in its economic achievements.

Macao has a close and extensive connection with the Portuguese-speaking countries, maintaining particular close ties in economic and trade, cultural and tourism, legal and social aspects, among others. Macao is characterised as a region where the Chinese and Portuguese languages coexist, and also benefits from a supply of human resources proficient in both languages. On the other hand, Macao is also a place where the cultural traditions and popular customs of China and the Portuguese-speaking countries have been preserved and passed on and their essence embraces. As a result, Macao is a natural Sino-Lusophone cultural museum.

By the mid-sixteenth century, Macao had already become the hub of the “Maritime Silk Road”, through which many commercial vessels frequently passed. It not only promoted trade between the East and the West, but also played an active role in their cultural exchanges. In line with the “Belt and Road” Initative that the Chinese Government has been promoting, Macao, as a crucial node of the “21st Century Maritime Silk Road”, will continue to play a major role as a cultural exchange window and a services platform for trade and cooperation, further promoting cultural exchange and co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries and boosting the development of diversified industries.

The “Macao International Parade”, the “Lusofonia Festival” and the “Cultural Week of China and the Portuguese-Speaking Countries”, among others, assemble in Macao art groups, popular artists and cultural professionals from Mainland China, Macao and Portuguese-speaking countries and regions, further enriching Macao's characteristic sino-lusophone cultural mix through a series of cultural and artistic performances, music and dance, gastronomy and traditional handicrafts. Over several years of effort, these events have provided sufficient practical experience for the official establishment of a mechanism of cultural and artistic cooperation and exchange between China and Portuguese-speaking countries which uses Macao as a platform.

The organization of “Encounter in Macao – Arts and Cultural Festival between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries”
On 11 October 2016, Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang announced 18 new measures concerning the Portuguese-speaking countries at the opening ceremony of the 5th Ministerial Conference of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-Operation between China and the Portuguese-Speaking Countries, highlighting Macao's role as a “Commercial and Trade Cooperation Service Platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries”, proposing the establishment of a “Cultural Exchange Centre between China and Portuguese-speaking countries” in Macao, reiterating and highlighting the important role of culture for the development of economic and trade cooperation between the participating countries of the Forum, and advocating studies aimed at the establishment of incentive mechanisms for cultural exchange and cooperation between the participating countries of the Forum.

In the face of growing economic and trade cooperation between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries, cultural exchanges have become a key factor of motivation for long-term sustainable development. In line with the national political strategy, the Macao SAR Government has been implementing the Prime Minister's directives, strengthening Macao's role as a bridge between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries and highlighting its charm as a multicultural city. The Policy Address for the Fiscal Year 2018 expressly mentions that the MSAR Government will promote the establishment of a “Cultural Exchange Centre between China and Portuguese-speaking countries” in Macao as well as establish, through high-level cultural meetings and forums, cultural events, artistic performances and handicraft exhibitions, a mechanism to regulate cultural exchanges, reinforce Macao's role as a cultural exchange centre between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries and further expand Macao's role as a platform for Sino-Lusophone cultural cooperation, so as to keep pace with the establishment of “one centre, one platform”.

In addition, after decades of rapid development of information technology and the associated high degree of globalization, today's world has entered a post-globalisation era that is characterised by the quest for individual autonomy and cultural diversity. In this multipolar structure, it is imperative to establish multi-layered and multifaceted cultural exchanges that aim to promote mutual understanding between ethnic groups and regions, as well as the peaceful development of human society. Culture is essential for the unity of peoples. In Macao, as a crucial node of the “21st Century Maritime Silk Road” and a place of convergence of Sino-Lusophone cultural wealth, a mechanism for cultural and artistic exchange and cooperation between the Portuguese-speaking countries will be formally established. It will provide favourable conditions for building a Sino-Portuguese community by strengthening cultural understanding, minimizing cultural differences, increasing communication and enhancing mutual trust. On this basis, Macao will be able to build a new platform for cultural and artistic exchanges that will meet the needs of the new era: the Arts and Cultural Festival between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, to be held under the theme of “Encounter in Macao”.

Introduction of the Programme
In order to ensure a more comprehensive and effective planning and implementation of the cultural and artistic cooperation and exchange mechanism between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, and in correlation with the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Macao's Handover to China and the “6th Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries” to be held next year, the first edition of the Arts and Cultural Festival between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries will be held from 6 to 15 July 2018. As the organiser, Macao will hold an annual meeting with cultural and artistic professionals from Mainland China and eight Portuguese-speaking countries. In this new era of diversity, it will use art to broaden horizons, allow professionals to showcase their talent, foster cooperation through friendship and, thereby, jointly open a new chapter in the history of the cultural and artistic exchanges between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries. The Festival will cover a wide range of programmes, including films, historical archives, performing arts, a cultural forum and an annual arts exhibition, among others, traversing tradition and modernity, connecting classics and pioneers, and creating a new era of cultural exchange between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries.

China and Portuguese-speaking Countries Film Festival
The Festival features contemporary films and works by major directors from China and Portuguese-speaking countries, as well as films by directors of Portuguese descent that were shot in Macao. Among a total of 23 screenings of 24 films, the latest and highly-anticipated film by prominent Chinese director Yukun Xin and the first feature film by renowned Portuguese filmmaker Manoel de Oliveira will open and close the Festival, respectively. There will also be post-screening sessions and talks on various films.

Exhibition “Chapas Sínicas – Stories of Macao in Torre do Tombo”
As announced by the UNESCO on 30 October 2017, the collection of “Chapas Sínicas” (Official Records of Macao During the Qing Dynasty (1693-1886)), jointly nominated by the Archives of Macao of the Cultural Affairs Bureau and the National Archive of Torre do Tombo of Portugal, was successfully inscribed in the Memory of the World Register. In celebration of the successful inscription of the “Chapas Sínicas” in the Memory of the World Register, the Archives of Macao will organize the exhibition “Chapas Sínicas – Stories of Macao in Torre do Tombo” and seminars, and the Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau will issue commemorative stamps, in order to share with the public documents that record historical events that took place in Macao not only related with China and Portugal but that also reflect important moments of world history. This exhibition will enable the public to have a deeper understanding of the special status and role of Macao in world history while the documents in the collection, together with texts and graphic materials from the Qing dynasty, vividly presenting the vibrant history of Macao during that time.

China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries Gala Performance
The Gansu Performing Arts Troupe and various artists and art groups from eight Portuguese-speaking countries will perform in Macao and show the public the cultural and artistic