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New philatelic products order

To facilitate the public and philatelists for ordering new philatelic products, please note the followings: 1)Issue Name: 120th Anniversary of the Birth of General Ye Ting Issue Date: 10/09/2016 Ordering Period: 01/07/2016–31/07/2016 Product Types Unit Price (MOP) Stamps Set (50 stamps in 1 sheet) 7.50 Souvenir Sheet 12.00 FDC with stamps set 12.50 FDC with Souvenir Sheet 17.00 Information Brochure with stamps set 14.00 Information Brochure with Souvenir Sheet18.50


Foreign exchange reserves and nominal effective exchange rate index for the pataca – May 2016

The Monetary Authority of Macao announced today that the preliminary estimate of Macao SAR’s foreign exchange reserves amounted to MOP150.5 billion (USD18.80 billion) at the end of May 2016. The reserves decreased by 0.8% from the revised value of MOP151.7 billion (USD18.98 billion) for the previous month. Macao SAR’s foreign exchange reserves at end-May 2016 represented 12 times the currency in circulation or 105.9% of Pataca M2 at end-April 2016. The trade-weighted effective exchange rate index for the pataca rose 0.47 points month-to-month and 1.59 points year-on-year to 105.36 in May 2016, implying that overall speaking, the pataca appreciated against the currencies of Macao’s major trading partners.


“Exhibition of the 70th Anniversary of Han Tianheng” Opens at the Macao Museum of Art on Friday

“Exhibition of the 70th Anniversary of Han Tianheng”, jointly organised by the Macao Museum of Art under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau and the Han Tianheng Art Museum in Shanghai, will be inaugurated on Friday, 17 June, at 6:30pm, at the Gallery of Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy on the 4th floor of the Macao Museum of Art. This exhibition features a total of 188 pieces/sets of Han Tianheng’s calligraphy, paintings, seal engravings and literati playthings for the audience to appreciate Han’s unique artistic creation style and achievements. Han Tianheng was born in Shanghai in 1940. His family came from Suzhou, in Jiangsu Province,. Han Tianheng is a prestigious master and scholar in contemporary painting and seal engraving, and has achieved remarkable success in the artistic field for his creativity and impact. Hailed for his innovative spirit and inspiring creation that inherits and transcends tradition, his accomplishments in seal engraving are especially prominent, his works being collected by museums and galleries in China and aboard, including the British Museum. Mentored by art masters such as Fang Jiekan, Fang Quji, Ma Gongyu, Lu Weizhao, Xie Zhiliu and Lu Yanshao, Han Tianheng holds a number of social positions. He is the current honorary Dean of the Academy of Chinese Seal Engraving Art, Vice president of the Xiling Society of Seal Arts and a consultant of the Shanghai Chinese Painting Academy, among others. He has frequently been associated with Macao’s art, culture and press circles since the 1980’s and has established a close friendship with many senior figures of the local art and cultural sector such as Chui Tak Kei, Lam Kan, U Kuan Wai and Lei Pang Chu, contributing significantly to artistic exchange between Shanghai and Macao. The exhibition features works from different periods, including copies and seal engravings of the inscriptions on pagodas in the early period as well as the large calligraphy work Selections of Large-Character Calligraphy and the zhuwen seal Dan Qing Wen Dao, Red legend, square-shaped seal, created recently. Literati playthings like inkstones, red stoneware utensils, water pots and arm rests made by the artist will also be showcased to illustrate his aesthetic interest from different perspectives. “Exhibition of the 70th Anniversary of Han Tianheng” will be held until 7 August at the Macao Museum of Art located at Avenida Xian Xing Hai, NAPE, Macao. Admission fee is MOP5.00, and admission is free on Sunday and public holidays (closed on Monday). For enquiries, please call through tel. no. 8791 9814 during office hours or visit www.MAM.gov.mo.


Photograph Postcard Exhibition at the Archives of Macao presented various sceneries of Macao and Lusophone African and Asian Regions

The exhibition “Memories of Moments - Macao and Lusophone African and Asian Regions in Photograph Postcards”, organised by the Archives of Macao under the auspices of Cultural Affairs Bureau, was inaugurated on 8 June, presenting more than 260 photograph postcards that feature the sceneries and images of Macao and the Lusophone African and Asian Regions. The exhibition is open until 4 December 2016. The opening ceremony was officiated by the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, 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., Zhao Chuandong; the Consul-General of Portugal in Macao and Hong Kong, Vítor Sereno; the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Ung Vai Meng and the Director of Macao Post, Lau Wai Meng. A photograph postcard is a dual source of information, where an image on the front, which demonstrates the photographer's vision of the society, is complemented with a personal message on the back. Messages on postcards are written accounts of experiences and happenings in different parts of the world and thus enhance the value of postcards as documents. The 20th century marked the beginning of international circulation of postcards and popularization of photography in world history. The exhibition features a selection of over 260 photograph postcards from the image collection of the Archives of Macao to present a big picture of the history and art, urban-architecture, ethnography, economic development, natural environment and other aspects of life in Macao and Angola, Cape Verde, the former Portuguese India, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Principe and East Timor since the first decades of the 20th century. Lectures related to the exhibition are also scheduled during the exhibition period, the first lecture entitled “Photograph Postcard - Corroboration of the History: Macao and Lusophone African and Asian Regions after the Popularization of Photography”, will be delivered by senior researcher Luís Sá Cunha to provide a look at the people, culture and history of Macao and Lusophone African and Asian regions through photograph postcards of different periods. The lecture will be conducted in Portuguese with Cantonese simultaneous interpretation at the Auditorium of the Cultural Affairs Bureau on Tap Siac Square at 6:30pm on 15 June. Admission is free. The exhibition at the Archives of Macao is open with free entry from 10am to 6pm daily, except from Mondays and public holidays. For enquiries, please visit official website: www.archives.gov.mo or call 28592919 during office hours.


Consumer Council conducts price survey on selling prices of fresh pork and vegetables from Zhuhai, HK, and Macao

For the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June, Consumer Council collects prices of fresh pork and vegetables from wet markets and supermarkets for consumers’ reference. Collected data are used for comparing with the selling prices of the same products from Zhuhai and Hong Kong. The relevant data has been uploaded to the Council’s website for consumers’ reference. The specific price surveys on fresh pork and vegetables are now available on the Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo), iPhone & Android ‘Supermarket Price Information Platform’ app, and the Council’s WeChat Account page. The relevant surveys include selling prices of local fresh pork and vegetables, and comparison on the respective selling prices rom Zhuhai, HK, and Macao. For enquiry, please call 8988 9315.


Nobel laureate Professor Sir James Mirrlees supervises UM PhD dissertation

Zhuo Shuaihe, a PhD student from the Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau (UM), recently completed his dissertation under the supervision of Professor Sir James Mirrlees, a co-recipient of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences and a recipient of an honorary doctorate from UM. ‘I feel very lucky to be a PhD student at UM. It is very exciting to study here,’ says Zhuo. The dissertation, titled ‘Labor Reallocation, Migration and Productivity Growth in China’, explores the Chinese labor market theoretically and empirically and proposes labour market models that can be served as practical tools for policy implications. ‘Prof Mirrlees has put lots of effort into my dissertation since the very beginning. He cleared doubts about the theme of my PhD project and shed light on how to do an in-depth analysis,’ said Zhuo after his oral defense. ‘Prof Mirrlees’ profound knowledge in mathematics has inspired me a lot and I enjoyed the whole research process. He was always resourceful and helpful whenever I had problems in deriving complicated models. He has read my text many times and even polished it word by word. His comments were very critical and constructive. What impressed me the most is his creative thinking skills in the field of economics. I am very thankful for all he has done for my dissertation.’ ‘I feel very lucky to be a PhD student at UM. It is very exciting to study here, and my experiences can be summed up as follows: First, the PhD studentship and research grant at UM are generous enough to support me through the whole programme. Second, UM’s faculty members offer excellent coursework. I have benefited a lot from the teaching of my teachers, including my co-supervisor Dr Kwan Fung. Third, the facilities on the campus are excellent and the campus life is quite enjoyable. Lastly, the students at UM are very nice. I have made lots of friends and we always learn together,’ Zhuo added.


Macao rides on Shanghai International Film Festival to promote IFFAM

Riding on the 19th Shanghai International Film Festival, the Organizing Committee of the International Film Festival & Awards‧Macao hosted a cocktail reception in Shanghai to promote the event to film industry professionals and media from different places across the globe, taking the opportunity to attract more international exhibitors and introduce world-class exchange opportunities to IFFAM. The 1st International Film Festival & Awards‧Macao (IFFAM) will be held from 8 to 13 December 2016. To publicize this significant film-industry gathering beyond Macao, the Organizing Committee hosted an IFFAM cocktail reception at The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong this afternoon (13 June) and invited nearly 200 participants on behalf of film companies and media agencies at home and abroad. During the reception, Festival Director Marco Müller stated that Macao holds a potential to become a new hub for exchanges in the film industry. Other guests include Head of Destination Marketing Department of MGTO, Betty Fok, Acting Head of Tourism Product and Events Department of MGTO, Jennifer Si Tou, Secretary General of the IFFAM Organizing Committee, Alice Augusto, Head of Festival Management Lorna Tee, Festival Ambassdor Choi Dong-hoon, International Advisors of IFFAM, Huang Jianxin and Oh Jung-wan, Honorary Advisor of IFFAM, Eric Tsang, Consultant of IFFAM, Shan Dongbing, as well as acclaimed film director Ning Hao among others. Recognized by International Federation of Film Producers Associations as an international film festival under category A, the Shanghai International Film Festival was founded in 1993 with the aim to foster Chinese film industry development and interchanges among members of Chinese and overseas film industry. The IFFAM Organizing Committee has started promoting the event earlier including participation at the Macao Pavilion of the 20th Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART) with members of the local film and television industry in March and hosting a media reception for the event, marking its presence at the 69th Cannes Film Festival in May with a booth set up in “Marché du Film” and inviting different international film festival coordinators and film distributors for meetings. Later this year, the IFFAM Organizing Committee is going to participate in the Busan International Film Festival not only to learn from others’ experience and gain more publicity but also to prosper the cultural industry and promote cultural tourism, for beneficial results that will fuel the sustainable development of Macao’s tourism industry in the long run.


UM student wins championship as team leader in group category at national interpreting contest

Yang Shanshan, a PhD student of linguistics from the Department of English, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Macau (UM), recently won the championship as leader of a team from Hong Kong and Macao in the group category of consecutive interpreting at the national final of the Fifth All China Interpreting Contest. She also received an Excellence Award and was voted the ‘Favourite Interpreter’. Another student from the department, namely Zhang Xiaoping, who is a master’s student of translation studies, won a second prize in the simultaneous interpreting invitational tournament of the competition. Their instructor Dr Victoria Lei received a Distinguished Teacher Award. Organised by the Translators Association of China, the All China Interpreting Contest is considered the most prestigious, influential, and industry-known interpreting competition in China. This year, a total of 1,814 contestants from 439 universities in China participated in the competition. The qualifying rounds started in December last year to select outstanding interpreters in eight regions of China. The national final was held at the Capital University of Economics and Business in Beijing. In the face of strong opponents from leading universities who have made it to the national final in Beijing through preliminaries, provincial contests, and regional contests, Zhang Xiaoping demonstrated an excellent command of both English and Chinese, outstanding skills in simultaneous interpreting, and a strong mind in the competition and won a second prize in the simultaneous interpreting invitational tournament. In the group category of consecutive interpreting, Yang Shanshan received the highest score in the ‘sodoku’ interpreting round. With solid interpreting and leadership skills and adaptability, she won the championship together with the two other contestants in her team, one from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the other from the Macao Polytechnic Institute. Anita Chao Kit I, a master’s student of translation studies from the Department of English, joined the UM team as an observer. The UM students’ trip to Beijing was sponsored by the Macao Foundation.


China Cultural Heritage Day Activities were well received by the public

In celebration with the 11th China Cultural Heritage Day this year, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) has organised a series of activities at Macao’s world heritage sites, museums and libraries to encourage residents and tourists to visit the Historic Centre of Macao. Admission to several heritage sites is free, thereby increasing the population’s knowledge of cultural heritage. The activities were enthusiastically received by participants, which resonated with the theme of this year’s China Cultural Heritage Day: “Let Cultural Heritage be a part of modern life”. In order to further raise the public’s awareness of cultural heritage conservation, the Guia Lighthouse and the Macao Museum were specially open to the public on 11 and 12 June, attracting a large number of residents and visitors to visit and learn more about Macao’s World Cultural Heritage. An array of activities were also hosted in several cultural sites, such as the “Rubbing Workshop” by the Macao Public Library and the “Lotus at Jao Tsung-I Academy - Colouring Activity” by the Jao Tsung-I Academy, which were well received by the public as the participants were able to experience the traditional craft and felt the value of traditional culture. A thematic talk entitled “From Pleasing Deities & Audience to Self-Entertainment: Urbanisation of Macao’s Cantonese Opera”, was held at the Macao Museum to discuss the continuous evolution of Macao’s Cantonese Operas in line with urban development. The talk attracted a number of Cantonese Opera enthusiasts to discuss the transmission of intangible cultural heritage. In addition, a variety of activities for the China Cultural Heritage Day have been launched successively. The Macao Archives has organised the exhibition “Memories of Moments - Macao and Lusophone African and Asian Regions in Photograph Postcards”, featuring a selection of over 260 photograph postcards from the collection of the Archives. The Macao Public Library has hosted the thematic exhibition “Exhibition of Pedro Nolasco da Silva’s Book Collection”, to be held until 18 June, at the IACM Building Library. The Macao Chinese Orchestra will also present the concert “Chinese Rhapsody - Works by Peng Xiuwen” on 18 June, at the Dom Pedro V Theatre. Tickets are available at the Macau Ticketing Network. Each year, the IC hosts a series of activities for the general public to mark China Cultural Heritage Day, in order to increase the population’s knowledge of cultural heritage and society’s awareness of cultural heritage conservation. Designated on the second Saturday of June, the annual China Cultural Heritage Day aims to create a better appreciation of safeguarding cultural heritage and increase the public’s awareness on the significance of its conservation.


MICE statistics for the 1st quarter 2016

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that a total of 191 MICE events were held in the first quarter of 2016, down by 20 year-on-year (consisting of 14 meetings & conferences and 6 exhibitions). Total number of participants and attendees decreased by 50.4% to 124,960. According to the information, 4 of the exhibitions held in the first quarter of 2015 were scheduled to be held in the second quarter of this year, resulting in a significant decline in the number of MICE participants and attendees in the first quarter of 2016. There were 187 meetings and conferences held in the first quarter, down by 7.0% year-on-year; number of participants dropped by 28.7% to 15,457. The average duration of the meetings and conferences was 2.0 days and total floor area used was 74,876 m2. Concurrently, 4 exhibitions were held, down by 6 year-on-year; number of attendees declined by 52.4% to 109,503. The average duration of the exhibitions was 2.8 days and total floor area used was 10,130 m2. The 4 exhibitions held in the first quarter were organized by non-government organizations, of which 2 exhibitions were held for the first time in Macao and 2 were repeated exhibitions. In accordance with information collected from the organizers of the 4 exhibitions, receipts of these exhibitions amounted to MOP 5.44 million, coming primarily from rental of exhibition booths (81.2%), and financial support from government or other organizations accounted for 17.2%. Expenditure of the exhibitions totalled MOP 6.17 million, which was mainly incurred on production, construction & decoration (28.4%), publicity & public relations (22.3%) and rental for venue (20.5%). The exhibitions attracted 267 exhibitors, coming primarily from Hong Kong (77.5%); professional visitors totalled 420, of which 52.4% were from Macao. Information from 121 interviewed exhibitors in the first quarter indicated that 98.4% of their receipts came from sales of products, while rental paid for exhibition booth accounted for 70.5% of their expenditure. Regarding comments about the MICE venue and services, 76.8% of the interviewed exhibitors were satisfied with the venue management, up by 1.0 percentage point quarter-to-quarter. As regards planning and organization of the exhibition, the proportion of interviewed exhibitors who were satisfied with the arrangements of the exhibition increased by 2.2 percentage points quarter-to-quarter to 64.5%; meanwhile, 35.8% of the exhibitors were satisfied with the promotion of the exhibition, down by 7.6 percentage points, while 28.3% considered that improvement was needed, up by 11.1 percentage points. Furthermore, the proportion of interviewed exhibitors who were satisfied with the work efficiency & attitude of the venue staff decreased by 9.7 percentage points quarter-to-quarter to 68.8%.


All information on this site is based on the official language of the Macao Special Administrative Region. The English version is the translation from the Chinese originals and is provided for reference only. If you find that some of the contents do not have an English version, please refer to the Traditional Chinese or Portuguese versions.