To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Guia Lighthouse, the Marine and Water Bureau, the Macao Post and the Cultural Affairs Bureau will launch a series of activities in July.
The Guia Lighthouse is one of the oldest lighthouses on the coast of China. It was designed by Carlos Vicente da Rocha, a Portuguese born in Macao. It has been 150 years since the Lighthouse was built in 1864 and began operating for the first time on 24 September of the following year, witnessing silently the hundred-year change of Macao up on the hill. In 1992, the Lighthouse was selected as one of the “Eight Attractions of Macao” and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Historic Centre of Macao in 2005.
In addition to celebrating the “Marine and Water Bureau Day” on 18 July, the Marine and Water Bureau hosts a Series of Activities for the Marine and Water Bureau Day in July. Facilities and premises under its auspices including the Moorish Barracks, the Government Dockyard, the Guia Lighthouse, the Maritime Museum and the Fleet Base at Ilha Verde Dockyard will be open to the public for free. The Guia Lighthouse will be open to the public from 10:00am to 5:30pm this Saturday and Sunday (4 and 5 July), as well as on Saturdays and Sundays in July (11, 12, 18, 19, 25 and 26).
Residents can visit the interior of the lighthouse during this period – the space is usually not open to the public – and climb to the top of the lighthouse to enjoy Macao’s scenery. On this occasion, old sea marks and light signals used in Macao in the past will be showcased. Residents can take this opportunity to understand the history of the Guia Lighthouse and its function. They will also be offered an exquisite souvenir celebrating the 150th anniversary of the lighthouse. Additionally, the Marine and Water Bureau will showcase a 1:6 lighthouse model at the esplanade of the Museum so that residents can understand the operation of the rotational system the lighthouse employed from 1910 to 1975, and will launch a paper clay lighthouse workshop and ship models remote control on the water. Parents are welcome to participate in these activities with their children. For more information about this Series of Activities for Marine and Water Bureau Day”, please visit the Marine and Water Bureau website www.marine.gov.mo.
Macao Post will issue the stamp theme “150th Anniversary of Guia Lighthouse” on 8 July, 2015. This issue includes a set of two stamps and one souvenir sheet; the images capture the Guia Lighthouse from different angles, situated on top of the Guia Hill, the highest point on the Macao Peninsula, the Guia Fortress as well as the Chapel of Our Lady of Guia. The stamp designer of this issue is Wong Ho Sang, and the above issue will be available for sale at the Macao Post Headquarters, “Rua do Campo” Post Office, Maritime Ferry Terminal Post Office, Airport Post Office and at the Communications Museum. The selling price for one set of two stamps is 7.50 patacas, the first day cover with stamps (FDC) is 12.50 patacas, the first day cover with souvenir sheet (FDC/SS) is 17.00 patacas, the information brochure with stamps is 14.00 patacas and the information brochure with souvenir sheet is 18.50 patacas. For more information, please visit the Macao Post website www.macaupost.gov.mo/Philately.
Additionally, in order to simultaneously celebrate the 10th anniversary of Macao’s inscription as World Heritage, the Cultural Affairs Bureau has renovated the Guia Fortress Information Centre in the beginning of this year, which will be inaugurated on 30 June and will be open daily from 9am to 6pm, including public holidays. The three previously separated spaces are now linked by wooden ramps and steps, allowing residents and visitors to glimpse through the glass walls the Macao outer harbour and the boats coming and leaving. The Information Centre will feature a display of models of the Guia Fortress in a scale of 1:20 together with a brief historical description and respective maps and drawings, as well as a photograph exhibition depicting several historical periods of the Fortress, allowing visitors to better understand its evolution from 1890 up to today. A small exhibition room will also feature two signboards with a review of the discovery, the idea and the restoration of the Chapel of Our Lady of Guia’s paintings. In the future, there will also be a café and sales’ point for creative industries products, thereby offering an even more comprehensive service. For more information about the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the inscription of the Historic Centre of Macao on the World Heritage List, please visit www.icm.gov.mo/mhd10.
The press conference of the 150th anniversary of Guia Lighthouse was held in the Auditorium of the Cultural Affairs Bureau at Tap Seac Square on 29 June. Present at the press conference were the representative of the Marine and Water Bureau, Acting Chief of the Navigational Channels Division, Lao Weng U; the representative of the Macao Post, Head of Philately Division, Ng Mei Kei and the representative of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Civil Engineer of the Cultural Heritage Department, Alex, Chan Chong.