To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Macao Museum's establishment, under the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the Macao Museum will organize a temporary exhibition titled "Fantasy World – Chinoiserie". The opening ceremony will take place at 5:00 p.m. on 24th May (Friday), at the Mount Fortress gardens (in case of poor weather conditions, the ceremony will be held at the Macao Museum lobby). A ceremony presentation of Donation Certificates will also be held at the same time, in recognition of five people who have donated important relics to the Macao Museum, in order to convey the Museum's gratitude and compliments, and encourage more Macao citizens to show their strong support to the Museum by donating relics of great cultural and historical value. Such donations can help pass on precious items to the next generations, and better utilize their educational potencial. Joining in the anniversary celebration activities of the Macao Museum, the Macao Post Office issued stamps themed on "Museums and their collections III – the Macao Museum". This issue includes a set of four stamps, a stamp sheetlet and two first day cover envelopes, all of which feature the collections of the Macao Museum. These philatelic gems are available at the central post offices and the Rua do Campo, the Hong Kong Macao Ferry Terminal, the Macao International Airport and the Communications Museum's branches.
Functioning as the city museum, the Macao Museum has walked with Macao citizens for 15 years since its opening in 1998. It has received national leaders, important politicians from various countries, tourists and local citizens, in a total of more than three million visitors. The Macao Museum has become an important cultural exhibition institution, introducing to the outside world the history of Eastern and Western cultural fusion, as well as contributing to the local community's education. Moreover, the Macao Museum, since it is located in the Mount Fortress which is a part of the Historical Centre of Macao, has become a local prominent touristic spot, along with other sites inscribed on the World Heritage List. It has also undertaken the important responsibility of promoting and protecting local history and culture. During these 15 years, the Macao Museum's objective has remained to "establish an academic centred Museum" for the purpose of strengthening studies on local history and culture as well as elevating the quality of its exhibitions and education and promotion services. The Macao Museum has been undertaking tasks of cataloguing and systematically organising its collections, of raising professional standards in all aspects, renovating pieces in exhibition and facilities, improving the quality of its educational services and guided tours and organising themed exhibitions, lectures and publication related to the territory's history and culture. The annual increase in visitors and guided tours indicates the recognition and value given to the Museum by local citizens, tourists and people from all walks of life.
"Fantasy World – Chinoiserie" runs from May 25th to August 18th, daily from 10am to 6pm, at the Macao Museum (closed on Mondays). Guided tours for groups and schools are available upon request and should be scheduled in advance. Admission at the Museum is free on Sundays for Macao residents and students. Coupled with this exhibition, a lecture titled "Experts of 18th Century European Decorative Art" will take place on May 25th, Saturday, from 3pm to 5pm, in English. The main speaker will be Prof. Thibaut Wolvesperges, French historian and Associated Professor of the Paris Sorbonne. Seats can be reserved through the number (853) 8394 1218 (Ms. Leong). For more information on these and other Museum activities, please call 2835 7911, or visit the Museum's website at www.macaumuseum.gov.mo or the Cultural Affairs Bureau's website at www.icm.gov.mo.
