News

The Macao Cultural Centre is looking for young voices to join its Children’s Choir in the coming year. Applications are now open to children aged 8 to 16, interested in exploring their singing skills and musical culture. Auditions will take place at the end of December. For more than a decade, children have been introduced to the world of music through choral practices, music appreciation and performances. These ranged from a special onstage appearance with Bobby McFerrin to an international collaboration with the French Saint Marc’s Children’s Choir. Most recently, CCM’s young voices have presented a mini-concert combining theatrical expression and body movement at the ARTmusing Fun. Besides these performing moments, choir members have also been active in community oriented events and environmental projects. All these activities are planned to boost children’s musical and interpersonal skills through a diversity of concerts and events. CCM Children’s Choir provides musical practice, with classes in Cantonese (complemented with English) happening on a weekly basis, every Sunday from 11am to 1pm. Application forms should be submitted by December 22 (7 pm) at the Macao Cultural Centre or any Macao Ticketing Network counter. Candidates will be individually notified of audition times, scheduled for December 27 and 28, 2016. Monthly fees will cost MOP200 and must be settled each semester. For further information on recruitment please visit www.ccm.gov.mo .
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The “Atlas of Zhuhai•Macau”, which is a joint compilation by Cartography and Cadastre Bureau of the Government of the Macao SAR, Department of Land & Resources of Guangdong Province and Land & Resources Bureau of Zhuhai City has been released. It is the first Atlas after the announcement and implementation of Macao SAR boundary on 20th December, 2015. With compilation of geographical information of the two regions, “Atlas of Zhuhai•Macau” enhances information sharing and as a result bringing convenience to work and life. This Atlas definitely plays an important role in mutual cooperation and economic development between Zhuhai and Macao. “Atlas of Zhuhai•Macau”, which mapping extent includes the Macao Special Administrative Region and the Zhuhai City of Guangdong Province, consists of five parts: map search index, introductory maps, regional maps, detailed region maps and toponymic index. In order to enrich the content and enhance the sense of reality, it is mainly presented by orthophoto aerial maps, accompanied by detailed street maps for the central and main development zones of the city so that users can get more acquainted with the geographical conditions in Zhuhai and Macao. The price of “Atlas of Zhuhai•Macau” is MOP299.00/set and is now available at the Cartography and Cadastre Bureau, Public Information Centre, Service Centre of Macao SAR, Central Post Office, Plaza Cultural Macau, Livraria Wan Tat and Seng Kwong Bookstore, or you can place an order via online shopping service of Cartography and Cadastre Bureau. Online shopping service website of Cartography and Cadastre Bureau: https://eservice.dscc.gov.mo. For general enquiries, please call 2834 0040, or send an email to epay_enquiry@dscc.gov.mo.
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The “Atlas of Zhuhai•Macau”, which is a joint compilation by Cartography and Cadastre Bureau of the Government of the Macao SAR, Department of Land & Resources of Guangdong Province and Land & Resources Bureau of Zhuhai City has been released. It is the first Atlas after the announcement and implementation of Macao SAR boundary on 20th December, 2015. With compilation of geographical information of the two regions, “Atlas of Zhuhai•Macau” enhances information sharing and as a result bringing convenience to work and life. This Atlas definitely plays an important role in mutual cooperation and economic development between Zhuhai and Macao.
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Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) once again held the “Quality Tourism Services Accreditation Scheme” (QTSAS), targeting the catering sector and travel agencies this year. In parallel with that, the Office hosted a QTSAS Awards Gala Dinner tonight (5 December) to present the “Star Merchant Award” of the year to 42 qualified catering businesses and 28 qualified travel agencies, among which 4 catering businesses and 2 travel agencies were also given the “Service Star Award”. Chief of Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Ip Peng Kin; MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes; President of the Institute for Tourism Studies, Fanny Vong; President of the Executive Committee of the Consumer Council, Wong Hon Neng; Head of Department of Environment, Hygiene and Licensing of Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM), Fong Vai Seng; MGTO Deputy Directors, Cecilia Tse and Cheng Wai Tong; Chairman of Macau Hotel Association, Samuel Yeung Chun Yip; President of the United Association of Food and Beverage Merchants of Macao, Chan Chak Mo; President of the Board of Directors of Association of Macau Small and Medium Enterprise of Catering, Vincent Ieong Weng Seng, President of Macau Travel Agency Association, Alex Lao Nga Wong; President of the Travel Industry Council of Macau, Siu Chi Shing; Secretary-General of the Association of Macau Tourist Agents, Cheung Kin Chung; as well as Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency, Michael P. H. Lam were present at the Awards Gala Dinner together with other guests. Giving a speech on behalf of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam during the dinner, Chief of Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Ip Peng Kin, stated that the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture has always attached great importance to nurturing tourism industry professionals. He hopes that members of the local tourism community can voice their suggestions and make concerted efforts to promote and optimize tourism industry training. He looks forward to seeing members of the industries actively participate in training programs to enhance their accomplishments and professional knowledge in order to maintain a great service attitude and positive mentality while carrying out their responsibilities devotedly. By doing the above, they can together promote quality tourism service and enhance the destination image, joining hands to transform the city into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. On behalf of Secretary Tam, Ip Peng Kin also encouraged members of the local industries to keep upgrading their service with new ideas, and by leveraging innovative media and technology, to provide more fascinating travel experiences for visitors, which will in turn foster smart tourism development in Macao. He added that while MGTO is currently carrying out the preparation work for Macao’s application to become a UNESCO Creative Cities Network member in the field of Gastronomy, local catering businesses can do their best to provide services of high quality and help Macao become a City of Gastronomy. MGTO launched the QTSAS in 2014, with the objectives not only to establish service quality standards for members of the tourism industry but also to support and encourage them to upgrade their service quality. The Scheme also aims to recognize tourism businesses for their outstanding services and excellent service management. QTSAS gives out two accolades namely “Star Merchant Award” and “Service Star Award”. Since the Scheme was rolled out for the catering industry in the first two years with good results achieved, the Office extended the Scheme from the catering industry to include travel agencies as well this year. Based on license categorization, MGTO set up four categories including “Deluxe Restaurant”, “First Class Restaurant”, “Second Class Restaurant” and “Food and Beverage Establishments” in the Scheme. During the process, the participating catering businesses were given two types of assessments, namely “Mystery Shopping Assessment” and “Service Management System Audit” with regard to their frontline service and management level. This year, 42 qualified merchants received the “Star Merchant Award” in recognition of their outstanding tourism services. Four of them were also entitled to the “Service Star Award” because of the highest score they received in their respective category. Including this year’s award winners, around 200 catering merchants have been designated as the “Star Merchant” since the launch of QTSAS. For the field of travel agencies, the participating businesses had to go through three types of assessments including “Mystery Shopping Assessment”, “Service Management System Audit” and “Traveller Satisfaction Survey”. As a result, a total of 28 qualified travel agencies were presented the “Star Merchant Award”. Moreover, to commend travel agencies which provided their patrons with high-quality services in and beyond Macao, the Office conferred the “Service Star Award – Inbound Service” and “Service Star Award – Outbound Service” to the two “Star Merchant” travel agencies which met the prescribed standard and received the highest total score for “Inbound Service” and “Outbound Service” respectively. In line with the Scheme, MGTO held an array of workshops and courses this year for participating merchants of 2016 and the award-winning merchants of 2014 and 2015, supporting them to keep improving their services in terms of quality and efficiency. In addition, MGTO keeps promoting the Scheme via different channels and has produced leaflets listing the award-winning travel agencies as well as the printed “Star Merchant Award” – Restaurants and Eateries Guide of the year for distribution at various Tourist Information counters. The public can also check out the list of award-winning merchants on MGTO’s website: www.macaotourism.gov.mo. MGTO will carry on the Scheme and optimize the current system of assessment and incentive for the catering sector and travel agencies. In addition, the Office will continue to support and assist industry partners to organize training programs, in order to foster quality improvement in services provided by tourism and other related industries and support Macao’s goal to become a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure.
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Consumer Council conducted its second ‘Supermarket price survey’ in December on 5 December for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Surveyed locations included supermarkets near Areia Preta, Mong Há and Avenida de Venceslau de Morais in N. Sra. de Fátima Parish. The latest ‘Supermarket Price Survey’ is now available on Consumer Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo), ‘Supermarket Price Information Platform’ iPhone and Android apps, and on the Council’s WeChat account page. The survey is also available free of charge at the offices of Consumer Council, IACM’s Iao Hon and S. Domingos Markets, bookstores and libraries. With reference to the local seven parishes and the number of supermarkets in each parish, the Council has divided around 100 supermarkets into 8 areas for price collection. The Council collects prices from these supermarkets for the provision of a more comprehensive database for consumers to check price discrepancies and make price comparisons according to their desired locations. For inquiry, please call 8988 9315.
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The “57th Venice Art Biennale” will be held from 13 May to 26 November 2017 in Venice, Italy. The Macao Museum of Art (MAM) under the Cultural Affairs Bureau will continue to promote, for the sixth time, the participation of Macao artists at this prestigious international art event. The organizer held an information session on 5 December, at 12pm, at the MAM Auditorium, in order to announce the chosen artists to the press in representation of Macao in this year’s edition as well as to reveal the exhibition plan of the Macao Pavilion. Just like in previous editions, MAM invited an iconic artist active in the local art circles, with outstanding achievements in both creation and in facilitating the development of art, to show his representative work at the Macao Pavilion in the Biennale. For this purpose, MAM invited the Director of the School of Arts of the Macao Polytechnic Institute, Hsu Hsiu-Chu and the veteran Macao artist Wong Ho Sang, in collaboration with the director and art consultant of MAM, Chan Hou Seng and António Conceição Júnior; and the curator of MAM, Ng Fong Chao, to establish a jury with five members in charge of selecting a representative artist from nearly 40 local candidates. Macao renowned artist Wong Cheng Pou was unanimously selected as Macao’s representative at the Biennale, where he will showcase his works along with outstanding international artists. Born in 1960 in Macao, Wong Cheng Pou was awarded the 2010 Sovereign Asian Art Prize and was recognised as one of the top 30 Asian artists. He was involved in the development of modern art education in Macao and has been dedicated to education in printmaking since the 1990. Wong Cheng Pou was invited as Honorary Research Assistant of the Slade School of Fine Art at the University College London, and is currently President of the Printmaking Research Centre of Macau and Chief Curator of the Macau Printmaking Triennial. In the past, he was the Chief of the Division of Arts Research and Museology of Leal Senado and the Head of the Printmaking Department of the Academy of Visual Arts (known as the School of Arts of the Macao Polytechnic Institute now) and Coordinator of the Ethnography Exhibition in Luis de Camões Museum. His works have been showcased in Macao, Mainland China, Japan and the United Kingdom, among others, and are part of collections of several institutions around the world. In this edition’s Macao Pavilion, Wong Cheng Pou will create an ambience where time and space are interwoven by using three-dimensional modelling, installations, paintings and mobile images, to express his personal experience about Macao’s rapid development in recent years, and provoke memories of going back to the countryside. Started in 1895, the Venice Art Biennale is one of the most important contemporary art events, each edition attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the globe in a pilgrimage-like event. Macao was first invited to participate in the Biennale in 2007, being allowed to show its creations on a prestigious international stage. This year marks the sixth exhibition organized by MAM for the 15th Macao artist. The Macao Pavilion attracted over 60,000 visitors in last edition .
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To be in line with the governance principle of the Special Administrative Region Government, the Identification Services Bureau (hereinafter referred to as DSI) keeps on studying and developing electronic services and simplifying administrative procedures. Starting from 5 December 2016, DSI introduces online application status enquiry and payment service for the aim of improving the formalities of the postal application for the Certificate of Criminal Record and Macao Special Administrative Region travel documents. Applicants from abroad can log in the “Postal Application Service” system in the website of DSI (webportal.dsi.gov.mo/postal) to check the status of their postal application and pay the application fee and postage with credit card. The applicants have to log in the “Postal Application Service” system before mailing the application materials. They need to select the application category under the “New Application” column and then input their email address in order to obtain an application slip on which the application number is stated. The application slip is divided into two parts. Part 1 is to be kept by the applicant and Part 2 has to be mailed to DSI with the application materials. After receiving the application materials, DSI will start the examination procedures and update the application status in the system from time to time. By using the application status enquiry function in the system, the applicants can trace the application workflow right after inputting their application number and email address, including receipt of application, request for supplementary information (if any) or payment, issuance of documents and so on. It could save the time of making enquiry for the application status by phone or e-mail. After the applicants receive the payment notification from DSI and pay the application fee and postage with their credit card online, DSI will produce the document or certificate and mail it to the applicants on time. Furthermore, starting from 1 January 2017, only credit card is accepted for paying the application fee and postage of all postal applications, replacing the current practice of paying by bank draft. It could save the cost and inconvenience that applicants will encounter when buying bank drafts, as well as the processing fee for cashing the bank draft at banks. Besides, it will avoid the delay in the application progress in case of any problem arises in cashing the bank draft. These will bring greater convenience to the applicants from abroad. DSI will continue to study the possibility of providing more convenient electronic services for citizens. For details of the above-mentioned service, please go to the website of DSI (www.dsi.gov.mo).
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Organized by Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and co-organized by Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, Cultural Affairs Bureau and Sports Bureau, the “Macao Light Festival 2016 – Treasure of Light” was inaugurated at Nam Van Lake Nautical Centre tonight (4th December). The Festival presents video mapping projections, light installations, interactive games as well as a music and light show at eight scenic spots in Macao. Citizens and visitors are invited to embark upon a dazzling adventure in quest of the “Treasure of light”. The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam, Member of the Executive Council of Macao Special Administrative Region, Andrew Chan Chak Mo, Chief of Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Ip Peng Kin, MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, President of Management Committee of Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, José Tavares, President of Cultural Affairs Bureau, Ung Vai Meng and President of Sports Bureau, Pun Weng Kun, officiated the kick-off ceremony to light up the eight scenic spots of the Macao Light Festival. Following that, a video mapping show titled “Sailing” was staged upon a water screen. Director Senna Fernandes delivered a speech stating that the Macao Light Festival was inaugurated on the same day as the “Macao International Marathon” and the “Parade through Macao, Latin City”, showing the city’s glamour with its colorful calendar of events. MGTO continuously deepens its partnership with the cultural and sports authorities to develop a diversity of tourism products and mega events, in hope that a greater synergy can be unleashed through concerted efforts to promote sports tourism as well as cultural and event tourism development. She looks forward to seeing more visitors coming from around the world once again to enjoy the Macao Light Festival, and experience the festive vibes in town during the 17th Anniversary of the Establishment of Macao Special Administrative Region and Christmas holidays. The “Macao Light Festival 2016 – Treasure of Light” is staged from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily from 4th to 31st December. This year, the Festival has introduced innovative projection techniques, new interactive elements as well as a music and light show, in hope that more citizens and visitors will enjoy the Festival promising a more compelling effect as a mega event. The route covers a total of eight locations including numerous World Heritage attractions and various spots around Nam Van Lake such as the landmark for culture, creativity and leisure known as Anim’Arte Nam Van. MGTO hopes to guide visitors to these areas where they can discover different hidden gems and a local hub of cultural and creative art, and enjoy the leisurely ambience in town. A new mobile application named “Treasure of Light” is launched this year, featuring maps of the covered routes, program, theme game, the latest information and selfie-taking feature. The content of the App is available in Chinese and English. The public can download the App for free from App Store or Google Play. Revolving around a quest for the “Treasure of Light”, the Festival invites citizens and visitors to embark on an adventure as “explorers” to look for seven lost Energy Gems of Mazu, which symbolize the meaning of 'Hope', 'Perseverance', 'Health', 'Happiness', 'Harvest', 'Bravery' and 'Faithfulness'. By collecting the seven gems, they can awaken treasure from the sea and enjoy a virtual reality tour beyond their imagination. It is fun for participants, young and old, to enjoy the activities involved. Four video mapping shows are staged at different locations including Nam Van Lake Nautical Centre, Mandarin's House, Lilau Square and Barra Square. The shows take the audience on a time journey back to the old days of Macao in retrospection of its moving stories, whereas most of the seven light installations shine with new interactive elements incorporated to raise the level of involvement among their audience. The five interactive games all display an enhanced level of interactivity. At Nam Van Lake Nautical Centre, “The Tree of Wishes” enables participants to create their own fireworks through the LED Matrix installed for the video mapping show, whereas the “Romance Detector” at St. Lawrence's Church combines video mapping effects to bestow blessings of love. For the “Lantern of Wishes” in Mandarin’s House, participants can ride a glowing seesaw to set off projections of blessing lanterns together. For the “Fountain of Light” at Lilau Square, participants can step into a fountain of light and collect gems flowing down from the fountain. In addition, the public can play the interactive game “Lost Gem” on the mobile app “Treasure of Light” to collect the seven lost gems. They can then activate the collected gems on the game device “Eyes of Treasure” set up at Nam Van Lake Nautical Centre and Barra Square. After activating the seven gems, participants will be able to find the mysterious treasure and embark on a virtual reality tour. In addition, exquisite souvenirs can be redeemed at the two aforementioned locations. The newest music and light show named “Melody of Light” is staged at Anim’Arte Nam Van, where citizens and visitors can find various cultural and creative stores, a craft market and more. In the show, local artists and musicians orchestrate an array of spectacular performances into a symphony of painting art, music and light. The show demonstrates local artistic power and leads visitors into a local world of cultural and creative art. In the future, MGTO will continue to widen the diversity of tourism products and events to help transform Macao into a City of Events, and seek to enrich visitors’ leisure experiences in line with Macao’s goal to become a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. The Office will also regularly evaluate and access the impact of mega events, while listening to suggestions from visitors and different circles of the society. With the above efforts, the Office strives to optimize the events with new elements and diversity, hoping to earn ongoing recognition from citizens and visitors.
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The ‘Parade through Macao, Latin City’, celebrating the 17th anniversary of Macao’s handover to China, was held on Sunday, 4 December, with the motto “An Annual Celebration for the Entire City - VIVA” and themed “VIVA’s Adventures through Shan Hai”. VIVA travelled through a time gate and set off to the mysterious land of the Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shan Hai Jing), kicking off a fantastic adventure and taking part in the “Peace, Love and Cultural Integration” party, celebrating the handover together. This year, it attracted over 1,20,000 audience including those who presented at the Parade, those who watched the live broadcast from television and those who watched from outdoor screens at various locations. The opening ceremony was officiated by the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao S.A.R. Government, Alexis, Tam Chon Weng; the Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao S.A.R, Pu Hailong; the Director of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Macao SAR, Yang Shijun; the Ambassador of the Embassy of Uruguay in Beijing, Juan Fernando Lugris Rodriguez; the Consul General of Peru in Hong Kong and Macao, Sergio Manuel Avila Traverso; the Acting Consul General and representative of the Consul General of Spain in Hong Kong, Avelino Busto Cornejo; the Representative of the Consul General of the Republic of Ecuador in Guangzhou, Carlos Lopez; the Representative of the Consul General of Portugal in Macau and Hong Kong, Clara Pacheco de Oliveira; the Representative of the Consul General of Chile in Hong Kong and Macao, Yip Hong Ting, Jacqueline; the Consul of Mexico in Hong Kong and Macao, Beatriz Eugenia Nava Dominguez; and the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government, Ung Vai Meng. Set off on a fantastic adventure through a new route This year the Parade took the Classic of Mountains and Seas as its context. The Classic of Mountains and Seas records the geography of ancient times, deities and beasts and bizarre myths, and is known as China’s oldest “encyclopaedia”. VIVA crossed the time gate at Largo da Companhia de Jesus, taking off from the Ruins of St. Paul’s, together with performing groups from Latin-speaking countries and other foreign regions as well as local talents and VIVA travelled through extraordinary mountains and rivers, where he met bizarre beasts. The public participating in the Parade had the chance to witness the creative installations designed by local illustrator Un Chi Wai. “VIVA’s Adventures through Shan Hai” comprised over 60 local and foreign participating groups in a total of nearly 1,200 participants. Local groups responded actively to the call for participation in the Parade, with performances featuring Cantonese opera, theatre, music, martial arts, folk and traditional and oriental dance. The Parade also featured a number of outstanding foreign participating groups from Latin-speaking countries and other foreign regions, including French group Plasticiens Volants, Rome Majorettes from Italy, Ballet Afro Tuga from Portugal, Spanish troupe Robots, Revista de Montevideo from Uruguay, Comparsa de Badajoz from Spain, Wuqiao Big World from Mainland China, Tambourin Dance of the Liannan Yao Autonomous County of Guangdong Province from Mainland China, inscribed in the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage, Dragon-fish Dance of Sha Chong Cun of Panyu District of Guangzhou City from Mainland China, Make Friends With Puppets from Hong Kong and the Latin Overseas Chinese Group, allowing the public to fully participate in this festive occasion and creating a joyful atmosphere in streets and alleys. In addition, the large-scale puppets created by the members of the “Large-scale Puppetry Workshop” participated in the Parade, contributing to the festive atmosphere. Participants of the “face painting workshops”, led by Les Peintres Nomades, helped painting the faces of members of the public, placing colour in a boundless extension. The performing groups set off on a journey that went through Rua de S. Paulo, St. Anthony’s Square, Rua de D. Belchior Carneiro, Rua dos Artilheiros, Rua de Sanches de Miranda, Calçada da Igreja de S. Lázaro, Santa Casa da Misericórdia Albergue, Rua de São Roque, Rua Nova de São Lázaro, St. Lazarus Square, Rua do Volong, Rua do Tap Siac and Rua de Afonso de Albuquerque, arriving at its final destination at 5:30pm at Tap Siac Square to celebrate the handover in a festive and carnival atmosphere. Additionally, this year the Parade offered an alternative route: some performing groups departed from Senado Square and marched through Largo de S. Domingos, Rua de S. Domingos, Rua da Palha and Rua de S. Paulo, finally joining the remainder of the parade at the Ruins of St. Paul’s. In the “Handover Celebration”, all performing groups presented a performance. The closing ceremony was then followed, bringing all the audience into a fantastic world. Soldiers waving the magic weapons performed an energetic street dance and protected the little VIVA in the hatching eggs. Acrobatic gymnastics with high degree of difficulty was performed, symbolizing the vitality of this remarkable city. The stage was suddenly transformed into a volcano and a desert, the mountain god, the flame creatures played together. VIVA invited all gods together to dance with the flame balls, spending a wonderful journey with the deities and beasts from Shan Hai Jing. A dazzling light show was then presented and the audience was enthusiastically responded. Giant balloons appeared and built up a dream scene to the sky over Tap Siac Square. Live broadcast of excerpts of the Parade and related activities The Parade featured a series of related activities to share the joy of the handover. Some participating groups offered a premiere in the community before the event, which was well-received by the public. Nearly 6,000 people actively participated in the contest “VIVA’s Adventures through Shan Hai – Come to win air tickets” in the social media. This year, the organizer held once again a Photography Contest, inviting residents to participate and capture the event’s highlights. The Parade is one of the major events in celebration of Macao’s handover to China and it has already become one of the city’s trademark festive events since its first edition in 2011. The organizer has made arrangements with TV channels from Hong Kong to broadcast excerpts of the event, thereby increasing the visibility of the Parade. TDM – Teledifusão de Macau S.A. broadcasted the entire event live and outdoor screens were installed at several locations - Senado Square, Rotunda de Carlos da Maia, Areia Preta Garden and Rua de D. Belchior Carneiro. The popular Hong Kong TVB programme ‘Scoop’ will feature a foretaste of the event on 15 December, as well as a Parade Special Programme dedicated to the event’s highlights on 17 December. This year’s Parade was organised on the same day of the “2016 Macao Galaxy Entertainment International Marathon”, and of the opening ceremony of the “Macao Light Festival 2016” held in the evening. The governmental departments of the cultural, sports and tourism areas cooperated in order to develop a synergistic effect. The Parade is organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau and co-organized by the Macao Government Tourism Office, the Sports Bureau, the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, the Public Security Police Force, the Transport Bureau, the Fire Services Bureau, the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau of Macao and the Macao Association for the Promotion of Exchange between Asia-Pacific and Latin America. The Cultural Affairs Bureau also receives the support from the Macao General Union of Neighbourhood Associations, the Macao Sam Pa Mun Residents Mutual Aid Association, the Macao Soi Ho Cheok Residents Mutual Aid Association, as well as from the VIVA Ambassadors supporters, namely the Bank of China Macau Branch Volunteers Association, the Macao Community Youth Volunteers Development Association, the General Volunteers Association of Macao, The Boys’ Brigade, Macau, The Scout Association of Macau and the Association of Volunteers Social Service Macao. This edition is also fully supported by Air Macau Co, Ltd. TDM - Teledifusão de Macau S.A. was the designated live television broadcaster.
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The University of Macau (UM) today (3 December) held the Ceremony for the Conferment of Honorary Degrees and Higher Degrees 2016 to confer an honorary doctorate in social sciences on the renowned educator Dr Tse Chi Wai, in recognition of his professional achievements and his outstanding contributions to higher education and society. Dr Tam Chon Weng, secretary for social affairs and culture and representative of Chief Executive and UM Chancellor Dr Chui Sai On, presented the honorary doctorate to Dr Tse Chi Wai, in the company of UM’s University Council Chair Dr Lam Kam Seng and UM Rector Wei Zhao. Rector Wei Zhao said that UM conferred the honorary doctorate on Dr Tse in recognition of his outstanding achievements and contributions, adding that he hopes the graduates will learn from Dr Tse’s example and make selfless contributions to society and mankind. UM’s Vice Rector (Academic Affairs) Lionel Ni read the citation for Dr Tse. Dr Tse completed his secondary education in Macao. He later received his bachelor of science degree in mathematics as well as master’s and PhD degrees in physics in the United States. ‘During his 30-year presidency at Hong Kong Baptist University, Dr Tse actively promoted holistic education and was successful in raising its academic standards to the international level,’ read the citation. ‘Under his leadership, Hong Kong Baptist College was upgraded as the Hong Kong Baptist University. In 2001, invited by the then chief executive of the Macao SAR, Dr Tse became the chair of the University Council of UM, which position he held until 2014, with the major agenda of revamping UM’s governance, revising its charter, expediting its modernisation and internationalisation, and leading the new campus project.’ The citation hailed Dr Tse as a ‘miracle worker’ who has made significant contributions to the two universities in two different cities. In addition to his contributions to higher education, Dr Tse has also served as the director of the Research Center for Sustainable Development Strategies of the Macao SAR, and is currently a member of the University Assembly of UM, chairman of the Executive Committee of the International Society of Chinese Medicine, and vice chair of the Trustees Committee of the University of Macau Development Foundation. His significant contributions to international higher education has earned him ten honorary doctorates and three titles of honorary professorship conferred by reputable universities in Europe, the United States, Australia, mainland China, and Hong Kong.
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