Opening of the “10th Anniversary of the Historic Centre of Macao as World Heritage – Exhibition on the Achievements in Safeguarding the Cultural Heritage in Macao”

13/07/2015

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Historic Centre of Macao as World Heritage, the Cultural Affairs Bureau hosted the opening ceremony of the “10th Anniversary of the Historic Centre of Macao as World Heritage – Exhibition on the Achievements in Safeguarding the Cultural Heritage in Macao” on 12 July 2015 (Sunday) at 10:00am, in front of the Ruins of St. Paul’s. The ceremony was attended by the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao S.A.R. Government, Alexis, Tam Chon Weng; the Vice-Director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of the People’s Republic of China, Tong Mingkang; the Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR, Zhang Xiaoguang; Deputy Director-General of the Department of Public Diplomacy and Information of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao SAR, Li Xiaoquan; and the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government, Ung Vai Meng. The exhibition will be held at the Ruins of St. Paul’s from today to 15 August 2015, demonstrating the achievements of Macao’s heritage conservation over the years in order to invoke the public’s enthusiasm for cultural heritage conservation. Everyone is welcome to witness this pleasant moment.

The exhibition is categorised into five themes; namely ‘Stages of Evolution of the Legislation’, ‘Recovering the Authenticity of the Architectural Heritage’, ‘Uncovering a Bygone Age through Archaeological Research’, ‘Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage through Education’ and ‘Integrating Heritage in the life of the Community through Revitalisation and Promotion Activities’.

‘Stages of Evolution of the Legislation’ recalls the history of the legislation of heritage conservation law, including the inscription of the Historic Centre of Macao on the World Heritage List in 2005; Cultural Heritage Protection Law effective since 2014, and the Cultural Heritage Committee established pursuant to the law. ‘Recovering the Authenticity of the Architectural Heritage’ encompasses the conservation of architectural heritage, illustrating how the scope of conservation has extended from the legally listed architectural heritage to non-listed architectural heritage and the old town area, and from the renovation of the appearance of the architecture to the recovery and construction of interior cultural atmosphere; following the incessant improvement and optimisation of restoration techniques and the archaeological work conducted, the types of heritage as well as the subjects, depth and breadth of protection have been broadened and developed continuously, resulting in considerable achievements. ‘Uncovering a Bygone Age through Archaeological Research’ depicts archaeological discovery in Coloane, Taipa and Macao Peninsula since the inscription of the Historic Centre of Macao as World Heritage, and the establishment of a local archaeological team to incubate local talent. ‘Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage through Education’ concentrates on the ten items of Macao’s intangible cultural heritage listed since 2006 plus accomplishments in terms of education and promotion. ‘Integrating Heritage in the life of the Community through Revitalisation and Promotion Activities’ embraces the revitalisation, utilisation, promotion and education of heritage buildings, representing Macao Government’s proactive protection, revitalisation and utilisation of Macao’s architectural heritage, offering more functions to architectural heritage, and evoking the vitality of the heritage. In conjunction with promotion and education, architectural heritage and urban development can keep abreast with time to face the public, serving society and fusing with life.

The organiser has specially built a bamboo-scaffolding venue for the exhibition with over 1,000 bamboo canes of different lengths. Bamboo scaffolding is a local traditional craftwork, and thus the venue can be considered a large-scale art installation showcasing the modernity of bamboo scaffolding. This architectural work offers a strong spatial perception – skewed bamboos have been employed to build the interior ceiling to forge the image of western architecture and represent the pointed roof of the original church.

For more information about the Commemorative Activities of the 10th Anniversary of the Inscription of ‘The Historic Centre of Macao’ on the World Heritage List, please visit the thematic website www.icm.gov.mo/mhd10 or contact Ms. Hong through tel. no.  (853) 8399 6347 or Ms. Wong through tel. no. (853) 8399 6324 during office hours.

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