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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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The University of Macau (UM) today (3 December) held the Ceremony for the Conferment of Honorary Degrees and Higher Degrees 2016. This year, 852 graduates of PhD degree programmes, master’s degree programmes, and postgraduate certificate/diploma programmes, received their graduation certificates. Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Dr Tam Chon Weng officiated at the ceremony on behalf of Dr Chui Sai On, chief executive of the Macao SAR and chancellor of UM. Tam said that UM’s education model helps enhance its own quality and the quality of higher education in Macao, adding that he appreciates what UM has done to facilitate cultural interaction between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. ‘Speaking of the anniversary, perhaps there’s no better way to celebrate it than for the university to have created a sound learning environment for students on this modern and well-facilitated campus,’ said Tam in his speech. ‘The practice of a whole-person education would not be possible without the very good research resources that this university has and the holistic learning that the combined workings of the college system and the faculties produce. So the way the university is working so successfully towards all this not only represents a big step forward for itself, but also serves as the fulcrum of change for the higher education of Macao.’ ‘This year has seen the intensifying of the university’s efforts to make advancement on various fronts: academic matters, research, and administration. It’s therefore not difficult to realise why the university has become the one as we know it today: Its kudos grew with every of its efforts made; its clout formed with all of its academic commitments combined,’ he added. ‘It is heartening to learn that that a Chinese Portuguese bilingual teaching and training centre will be operating next spring to train both local primary and secondary school teachers, as well as those in tertiary institutions in mainland under a long to medium-term training plan. The centre will also offer Chinese studies to students from the Portuguese-speaking countries. It can be seen how the university is capitalising on its own strengths to help the Macao SAR fit into the context of national development by running this kind of training and education to facilitate Sino-Portuguese countries cultural interaction. We really appreciate what the university has done in these regards to enable Macao to live up to the expectations of Premier Li.’ Rector Wei Zhao also gave a speech at the ceremony, in which he talked about the five age-old virtues listed in the university motto, namely humanity, integrity, propriety, wisdom, and sincerity. ‘Of these five moral attributes, let me talk about the second one, integrity. A single character, but it holds a kernel of profound truth,’ said Rector Zhao. ‘Integrity means what it means: justice and fairness. When you have your heart in the right place, and act where your sense of justice takes you, you are already more than half way through the actualisation of integrity.’ He discussed how the Chinese culture emphasises the ‘grand’ version of integrity. He also offered words of encouragement to the students, ‘Work hard to pursue your ideals and the rainbow will just be up there displaying its hues for you.’ Chao Kit I, representative of the graduates, thanked UM for its education and for the opportunity to study at the City, University of London, as an exchange student. ‘Part of my exchange experience even included producing subtitles and translation for some amazing movies,’ she said. Chao also thanked the professors for instilling in the students a love of learning. This year, a total of 852 students from PhD degree programmes, master’s degree programmes, and postgraduate certificate/diploma programmes, received graduation certificates. Among them, 66 received PhD degrees, 731 received master’s degrees, and 55 received postgraduate diplomas/certificates. 15 outstanding master’s students and graduates received scholarships.
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The Patane Library, under the auspices of the Department of Public Library Management of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, will be inaugurated on Friday, 9 December, at 11am. All are welcome to join this great occasion. The Patane Library is comprised of a group of seven old buildings with a history of over 80 years. Built in the 1930s, the buildings of the Patane Library are typical arcade buildings along the coast of the Inner Harbour. Arcade buildings feature an architectural form combining the architectural features of both Europe and Southeast Asia, and only a few arcade buildings are left in Macao at present. The Cultural Affairs Bureau has renovated the buildings and transformed them into the Patane Library. It aims not only to provide more reading space to local residents, but also to preserve and safeguard the buildings with special value and significance in the urban development, thus allowing the next generations to know more about precious historic buildings in Macao. Aside from enhancing the environment of the Inner Harbour, the renovation project has transformed the buildings into a place for the transmission of culture and knowledge. The three-storey Patane Library covers an area of around 11,000 square feet, and provides approximate 150 seats for readers. In addition to the reading service of newspapers and magazines, the library also provides other basic services such as access to the general collection and children’s collection. The library, dedicated to film and music, features a multimedia zone for holding regular film screenings, concerts and other activities. The library holds about 20,000 volumes, 7,000 audiovisual materials, 80 types of newspapers and 600 types of magazines, in order to satisfy the reading demands of readers in the Patane and nearby districts, hoping to create an environment with a reading atmosphere for residents. The Patane Library, located at No. 69-81, Rua da Ribeira do Patane, Macao, opens from 11am to 8:30pm on the day of the opening ceremony. The Library opens from 9:30am to 8:30pm from Tuesdays to Sundays, and from 2pm to 8:30pm on Mondays, except on public holidays. For enquiries, please contact Mr. Lam, staff member of IC, through tel. no. 2825 9220 or 2825 9221 during office hours or visit the Macao Public Library website at www.library.gov.mo.
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The “Parade through Macao, Latin City”, organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, will be held on Sunday, 4 December, in celebration of the 17th anniversary of Macao’s handover to China. In order to facilitate public involvement and enjoyment, the organizer is announcing several arrangements including traffic/street special measures and admission guidelines for the public. The Parade’s Opening Ceremony will be held at the Ruins of St. Paul’s on 4 December, at 4pm. From there, the Parade will proceed to Rua de S. Paulo, Largo de Santo António, Largo da Companhia, 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 S. Roque, Rua Nova de S. Lázaro, St. Lazarus Square, Rua do Volong, Rua do Tap Siac and Rua de Afonso de Albuquerque, culminating in the Closing Ceremony: Handover Celebration “Love, Peace and Cultural Integration” at Tap Siac Square, which will end at 7pm. In addition, in order to get more residents and tourists involved in the event, this year’s Parade offers an alternative route for some of the performing groups, departing from Senado Square at 4pm, simultaneously with the Opening Ceremony at the Ruins of St. Paul’s, winding its way past Largo do S. Domingos, Rua de S. Domingos, Rua da Palha, Rua de S. Paulo (Souvenirs Street), finally joining the remaining groups at the Ruins of St. Paul’s. The Parade general rehearsal will be held from 8pm to 10 pm on 3 December. On the days of the Parade and of the general rehearsal, traffic/street special measures will be implemented as follows: prior to 9am on 3 December, all tour buses must be removed from the parking zones of Rua de D. Belchior Carneiro; from 9am on 3 December to 8pm on 4 December, parking meters along the parade route will be closed; from 8pm to 10pm on 3 December, the Parade general rehearsal will be held, thus the traffic will be limited along the Parade route; lastly, from 1pm to 5:30pm on 4 December, temporary closures will be enforced on Rua de S. Paulo, Rua de Santo António, Largo de Santo António, Largo da Companhia, Rua de D. Belchior Carneiro and Rua dos Artilheiros, and vehicles parked in the above-mentioned locations will not be allowed to move during this period of time. Instructions for the public on the day of the Parade, 4 December: Starting from 2:30pm on the day of the Parade, the Ruins of St. Paul’s will close to the public. The audience areas for the Opening Ceremony will be located at Rua de S. Paulo, the stairway of the Ruins of St. Paul’s and Calçada de S. Paulo. Crowd control measures will be applied to all audience accesses from 2:45pm. Public can line up at the entrance at Rua de S. Paulo (near Loi Wo Temple), or the one located at the junction of Rua de D. Belchior Carneiro and Calçada de S. Paulo to watch the opening ceremony; admission is free. The Parade’s Closing Ceremony (Handover Celebration: “Love, Peace and Cultural Integration”) will be held at Tap Siac Square, where crowd control measures will be applied to the audience area from 4pm on that day. Public can access the square from the two entrances at Avenida de Sidónio Pais (near Hotel Estoril) or from those at Rua de Afonso de Albuquerque and Avenida do Conselheiro Ferreira de Almeida (in direction to Tap Siac Square). The public should line up at the entrance to watch the closing ceremony. Admission is also free. Due to limited space in the audience areas at the Tap Siac Square, people who line up at the entrance are allowed to enter the site until the audience areas are full. Aside from the Opening Ceremony and the Closing Ceremony, the public can also watch the performances along the Parade route by entering the audience area located at Rua de S. Paulo through Calçada do Amparo and Calçada do Embaixador, or by joining in other parts of the Parade route. For more information about the Parade, please visit the event’s website at www.icm.gov.mo/macaoparade.
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Consumer Council will relocate its Reception office at Horta e Costa to Av. Horta e Costa, N.º 26, Edf. Clementina A.L.Ho, 4.º Andar on 5th December 2016, and continue to serve consumers. For enquiry and complaints, please visit the reception offices at Horta e Costa and Rua Nova da Areia Preta, N.º 52, Centro de Serviços da RAEM, 1.º Andar, Zona M, or call 8988-9315. Online complaint service is also available at the Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo).
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Consumer Council conducted its latest ‘Supermarket price survey’ in December on 1 December for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Surveyed locations included 12 supermarkets in Taipa and Coloane area. The latest ‘Supermarket Price Survey’ is now available on Consumer Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo), and the ‘Supermarket Price Information Platform’ iPhone and Android apps. 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 over 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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1,152 ‘Adherents’ passed the annual assessment of Consumer Council and are awarded the 2017 ‘Certified Shop’ emblem; 12 of them are awarded ‘Class A Certified Shops’. The Council is considering the launch of ‘Online Certified Shops’ next year due to the rapid growth of online shopping of consumers. The annual ‘Certified Shops’ award ceremony is held by the Council, 12 ‘Class A Certified Shops’ were awarded, and over 1,000 ‘Adherents’ are entitled to the 2017 ‘Certified Shop’ emblem; the Council also awards certificates to consultants of ‘Consumer Arbitration Centre’. Twenty percent more shops are graded A to B Among those ‘Adherents’ that pass the annual assessment, 863 shops are graded A to B grades, which is 18 percent more than last year. The ‘key question’ system adopted last year, which include compulsory price labeling, and no disclaimer clause allowed, etc. reviews that it encourages shops to make improvement in all areas. Over 300 ‘Adherents’ failed in the first phase of the annual assessment, but half of them adopt measures to improve after suggestions and guidance were given by the Council. The Council will continue to improve its evaluation scheme and support ‘Certified Shops’ to guarantee that consumer rights are secured under the ‘Certified Shops’ mechanism. ‘Online Certified Shops’ mechanism to be launched next year Consumer Council states that online shopping is trending to become an important kind of consumption and it is concerned about the potential risks that consumers may face when shopping online. In order to boost consumers’ confidence in online shopping and to safeguard consumer rights in advance, an ‘Online Certified Shop’ mechanism that encourages existing online shops to join, as well as current ‘Certified Shops’ to expand their businesses online is being considered and expected to launch in 2017. The Council believes that the mechanism will enhance consumers’ confidence in both offline and online shops, and encourages more businesses for them. 56 consultants are awarded certificates 53 representatives from different organizations are also awarded certificates for their continuous support as consultants of the ‘Consumer Arbitration Centre’ during the award ceremony. Guests attending the annual ceremony include Arbitration Judge of Consumer Arbitration Centre, Kan Cheng Ha, member of the National People’s Congress and Executive President of China Chamber of Tourism, Wang Mingang, Vice President of China Chamber of Tourism, Hao Xukuan, Chief Executive of Hong Kong Consumer Council, Gilly Wong Fung-han, and members of the General Committee of Macao Consumer Council.
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The Macao Orchestra (OM, from the Portuguese acronym) of the Cultural Affairs Bureau will present the concert “Latin Capriccio” on Friday, 2 December, at 8pm, at St. Dominic’s Church. Conductor Roberto Gianola and OM’s Concertmaster Paolo Morena, as soloist, were specially invited to perform Luis Bacalov’s Violin Concerto, as well as two classic capriccios with Italian and Spanish flavours. The concert is open to the public and admission is free e. Robert Gianola, hailed as one of the youngest and most attractive conductors of his generation, was invited to cooperate with symphony orchestras from all over the world in the United States, Russia, Mexico, Austria, France, Turkey, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Brazil, Venezuela, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, among others. In January 2009, Roberto Gianola then 34 years old, conducted a concert at the renowned Isaac Stern Auditorium / Ronald O. Perelman Auditorium of Carnegie Hall in New York, for the first time, resulting in an unprecedented success. OM Concertmaster Paolo Morena, as a soloist, has won prizes in numerous international violin competitions, including G.B. Viotti, Vittorio Veneto, G. Postacchini, “ Citta di Roma”, “ Citta di Termoli” as well as the Rotary Club award “I Giovanni e I’ arte”, and was praised him as “...the most interesting violinist of his generation...” In this concert, Conductor Roberto Gianol, Paolo Morena and OM jointly perform Luis Bacalov’s Violin Concerto, Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol, leading the audience to the to experience various Mediterranean Sea atmospheres. Admission to the Macao Orchestra’s “Latin Cappicino” concert is free. Tickets will be distributed at St. Dominic’s Church one hour prior to the performance. Distribution is on a first-come, first-served basis and is limited to a maximum of two tickets per person. For details and programme queries, please visit OM’s website at www.icm.gov.mo/om.
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The Government held a meeting with the Zhuhai Municipal Government to discuss matters relating to a scheme for eligible Macao-registered vehicles to enter Hengqin Island in Zhuhai Prefecture. The scheme is due to start on 20 December.
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