The Macao Museum, under the Cultural Affairs Bureau, and its affiliated galleries, including the Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre, Museum of Sacred Art and Crypt, Heritage Exhibition of a Traditional Pawnshop Business, Mount Fortress Corridor and Guia Chapel at the Guia Fortress, will remain open to the public on the Eve of the Chinese New Year (9th February) and on the first three days of the Chinese New Year (10th to 12th February). The Cultural Affairs Bureau welcomes residents and visitors in Macao to visit these cultural facilities during the holidays. Holders of valid Macao Resident Identity Cards and Macao Student Cards may visit the Macao Museum free of charge from the first through the fourth day of the Chinese New Year.
The Macao Museum ticket lobby, decorated with festive New Year's flowers and plants to enhance the Spring Festival atmosphere, houses a display case featuring cultural relics recently donated to the Museum by enthusiastic people from all walks of life.
In addition, the special exhibition Journey to the Ends of the World: Michele Ruggieri and Jesuits in China is on view at the Macao Museum during the holidays. Visitors will gain an understanding of this early period of Sino-European cultural exchange, established upon the arrival in Macao of Catholic missionaries. The various rare exhibits come to the Museum on loan from the National Archives of Rome, the Biblioteca Alessandrina di Roma, the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Roma, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Archivio di Stato di Napoli, the Society of Jesus in Portugal, the Diocese of Macao, the Society of Jesus of Macao, the Museum of the Holy House of Mercy, the Macao Central Library and the Historical Archives of Macao.
The introduction of European culture and religions here, combined with the reciprocal dissemination of Chinese culture throughout Europe, represents a significant part of the contribution Macao has made to East-West cultural exchange. This special exhibition, a project enrolled in the EU-China Year of Intercultural Dialogue by the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China, has already depicted the outlook and landscape of this important era to throngs of visitors, as well as the many students and members of associations who have attended on organised visits. The Cultural Affairs Bureau renews its invitation to everyone, to partake in this meaningful experience during the Chinese New Year holidays. The Macao Museum is open from 10am to 6pm (the ticket booth closes at 5:30pm), and the usual guided tour service remains available on both the Eve and the First Day of the Chinese New Year (9th and 10th February). For further information on the opening hours of each gallery and on guided tour services, please call 28357911 during office hours or visit www.macaumuseum.gov.mo or www.icm.gov.mo for more information.
