News

For promoting the history of Macao’s pawnshop business, the Heritage Exhibition of a Traditional Pawnshop Business, under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, will be freely open to the public from 1st January 2016, for encouraging the public to understand more about Macao’s history and culture. Residents and tourists are welcome to visit. The venue of the exhibition was formerly Tak Seng On Pawnshop (The Virtue and Success Pawnshop), which was established and co-funded by Macao magnates, Kou Ho Neng and Wong Hung Shan, in 1917. The premise, Tak Seng On, was closed in 1993 and was vacant for many years since the decline of the traditional pawnshop business. In order to preserve the cultural heritage of Macao, the Cultural Affairs Bureau undertook the restoration of Tak Seng On in 2000, whereby its old exterior architectural design of the pawnshop, internal decorations as well as devices and procedures for pawnbroker’s business records were reinstated in accordance with the basic layout of the early period of the Republic of China. The Heritage Exhibition of a Traditional Pawnshop Business was unveiled and open to the public on 21st March 2003. It has become the first industrial museum jointly operated by the government and a private entity. It is now managed by the Cultural Affairs Bureau. The heritage exhibition comprises two blocks. The front block is a three-storey pawnshop and bank, while the rear block is a seven-storey storehouse. The ground floor of the pawnshop and partial floors of the storehouse are already open to the public. There is a large screen placed at the entrance of the pawnshop, while behind of it are a high counter and a secure cage. Pawn goods are placed in the storehouse, which is built like a fortress. The foundation of the wall is made of granite, with a steel plate placed in the middle, the gray brick wall is extremely thick. Besides, there are iron-barred windows on the four sides of each floor in the storehouse. In order to safeguard the pawn goods, the architecture features typical characteristics of a pawnshop such as solid structure of the architecture, both of its interior and exterior design with fireproof, waterproof, security and anti-bandit functions. Visitors can review the past operation and procedures of the pawnbroker business through the exhibits in the venue. Tak Seng On Pawnshop received an Honourable Mention in the UNESCO 2004 Asia-Pacific Awards for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage, and it was also selected as an Urban Best Practices Area by the Shanghai World Expo 2010. This becomes one of the buildings to be preserved after the World Expo. The Heritage Exhibition of a Traditional Pawnshop Business is located at No. 396 Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro. It opens from 10:30am to 7pm and closes on the first Monday of each month. For enquiries, please call 2835 7911 during office hours, or visit www.macaumuseum.gov.mo or www.icm.gov.mo.
…

Prof Hong Gang Jin, dean of the University of Macau’s (UM) Faculty of Arts and Humanities (FAH), received two prestigious awards from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)’s affiliated organisation, Chinese Language Teachers Association (CLTA) in the United States, namely the CLTA Walton Lifetime Achievement Award and the CLTA Peking University Press Publication Award, in recognition of her lifetime dedication to language education and cross-cultural understanding. This is the second time Prof Jin has received the Walton Lifetime Achievement Award. The first Walton Lifetime Achievement Award was awarded by the National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages (NCOLCTL), of which she was the president for six years. The CLTA award is given to individuals in recognition of their contributions to the field of Chinese language pedagogy. During her 25-year career as a professor, Prof Jin has participated in many innovative projects in the field of second language acquisition and Chinese as a foreign language (CFL).These include conducting empirical research in cognition and second language acquisition , designing innovative language programmes and curricula, administering large-scale federal and private grants, leading professional organisations of CLTA and NCOLCTL, and chairing national committees for advanced placement examinations. Prof Jin has designed more than eight language programmes and curricula and has conducted more than 50 research and teacher development workshops at national and regional levels. Prof Jin has also received the CLTA Peking University Press Publication Award for her recent work ‘Empirical Studies on Selective Attention and Noticing Hypothesis in CFL Classroom.’ Her work focuses on the psychological factor of attention in learning a second language and teacher effectiveness, which she believes to be the most important issues in language learning. Her research suggests that effectively directing learners’ attention is about promoting active participation and discovery learning that can benefit students for life. ‘Being a first-generation immigrant to the US, I brought with me a set of family values to work in that country,’ says Prof Jin. ‘These values were passed down to me from my great grandfather who was a successful businessman. He taught my grandfather and my father to be willing to do three things in one’s life. That is: to give; to learn; and to share. Throughout my professional life, I have used these family values to inspire my teaching, professional activities, and field service. I believe these qualities are also important to a successful leader in the foreign language education field.’ Prof Jin’s research interests include second language acquisition, cognitive processing of languages, transfer of learning, input analysis, interaction analysis, curriculum design, and teacher development. During her 25-year tenure at Hamilton College, she published numerous books and research articles. Prof Jin has over ten years of experience in collaborative research with numerous universities in the United States, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and mainland China, and she has secured several major federal and private grants from the US, mainland China, and Taiwan. She has also served as the president or a member of the board of directors at numerous teachers’ associations in the US. She is currently the chair of the AP Chinese Development Committee. She was named the 1998 CASE National Outstanding Baccalaureate College Professor of the Year. She also received Hamilton’s 1963 Award of Teaching Excellence in 1996. In 2013 she received the NCOLCTL Walton Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of her outstanding achievements in teaching and research. Founded in 1962, the CLTA is a professional organisation devoted exclusively to the study of the Chinese language, culture and pedagogy in the Unites States.
…

Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) cooperates with Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) to add QR codes on classical direction signs along the “Step Out, Experience Macau's Communities” walking tour routes, in line with the Office’s promotion of smart tourism and the optimization of the tourism environment in Macau. MGTO seeks to improve the supporting facilities along the routes and enable visitors to obtain more tourism information conveniently, enriching their tour experience. Starting today (28 December), after downloading MGTO’s mobile app “Step Out, Macau” in advance, visitors can scan the code on direction signs during a stroll along the themed routes and obtain tourism information about adjacent locations while offline. MGTO unveiled four walking tour routes themed as "Step Out, Experience Macau's Communities" back on 27 September 2013 and launched a total of eight refined routes this February. The project aims not only to encourage visitors to explore different neighborhoods in town and divert visitors off the beaten path but also foster community tourism development. After the routes were launched, the Office has rolled out different activities and measures to make the tour routes more attractive, while continuously optimizing the routes through inter-departmental projects on upgrading tourism signage and environment. Residents and visitors can download the mobile app “Step Out, Macau” from App Store or Google Play. For more information, please visit MGTO’s website: http://www.macautourism.gov.mo or call Tourism Hotline: (853) 2833 3000. This press release is available at: http://industry.macautourism.gov.mo/en/index.php
…

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that visitor arrivals totalled 2,589,451 in November 2015, down by 7.6% year-on-year and 1.8% month-to-month. Same-day visitors totalled 1,344,381 (51.9% of total), down by 14.0% year-on-year; overnight visitors rose marginally by 0.4% to 1,245,070. The average length of stay of visitors increased by 0.2 day year-on-year to 1.1 days; the average stay of same-day visitors (0.2 day) remained unchanged while that of overnight visitors (2.1 days) rose by 0.2 day. Visitors from Mainland China totalled 1,726,859, down by 12.6% year-on-year; with those travelling under the Individual Visit Scheme dropping by 17.6% to 774,661. Visitors from Mainland China came primarily from Guangdong Province (772,547), Hunan Province (70,797) and Fujian Province (67,911). Visitors from Hong Kong (512,537), the Republic of Korea (46,071), Japan (27,217) and Taiwan (84,697) increased by 0.9%, 10.8%, 8.8%and 21.6% respectively year-on-year. Long-haul visitors from the United States (18,619), Australia (8,519) and Canada (7,683) registered year-on-year increase, while visitors from the United Kingdom (6,210) marked decrease. Analyzed by mode of transport, visitor arrivals by land decreased by 9.0% year-on-year to 1,473,291; visitors arriving via the Border Gate (1,308,785) dropped by 10.1%, while those via the Checkpoint of Cotai (162,420) rose marginally by 0.8%. Visitor arrivals by sea decreased by 6.7% year-on-year to 939,736, with those arriving via the Outer Habour (572,957) and the Provisional Ferry Terminal in Taipa (343,801) dropping by 4.5% and 5.6% respectively. Moreover, visitor arrivals by air increased slightly by 0.7% year-on-year to 176,424; those entering via the airport rose by 1.3% to 175,225, accounting for 99.3% of the total. In the first eleven months of 2015, visitor arrivals totalled 28,080,530, down by 3.1% year-on-year; same-day visitors (15,103,046) and overnight visitors (12,977,484) decreased by 3.1% and 3.2% respectively. Visitors from Mainland China (18,753,911), the Republic of Korea (499,297) and Japan (255,203) decreased by 4.4%, 1.6% and 7.2% respectively, while those from Hong Kong (5,943,224), the Philippines (246,534), and Taiwan (902,930) rose by 1.1%, 4.4% and 3.1%. Moreover, long-haul visitors from the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom recorded year-on-year decrease.
…

Macao Post will issue a new greeting card for Lunar Year of the Monkey titled “The Auspicious Monkey Welcomes the Spring”. This card will be available for sale at the Macao Post Headquarters, all post offices and postal kiosks on 6th January, 2016. This greeting card priced at MOP12.00 each can be sent to every corner of the world without stamp. It’s saving your time and money.
…

On 25th June, the Chief Executive sent a letter to the Commissioner Against Corruption to request for an investigation into the process of making the decisions not to proclaim forfeiture of the concessions of 16 plots of land. The CCAC has already completed the investigation and did not find that those decisions had violated the current law. However, the 25-year temporary concessions of three of the plots have already expired, but they have not yet been declared forfeit, which will lead to infringement upon public interest and pecuniary interests of the Macao SAR. Therefore, the CCAC suggests the Public Administration proclaiming forfeiture of the relevant concessions as soon as possible under the Land Law. The investigation report points out that the Land, Public works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) started to follow up the cases of “idle land” in 2010 and subsequently sifted out 113 cases based on the criterion of “use of land not completed by the expiry of the term of use”, of which 48 cases were considered attributable to the respective concessionaires based on a preliminary analysis. Following a further technical and legal analysis on the 48 cases, the Public Administration proclaimed forfeiture of concessions of 22 plots of land, while the responsibility over concessions of 16 plots of land whose uses were not completed within the stipulated periods could not be solely attributed to the concessionaires were not declared forfeit. As to the remaining 10 cases, the final decisions have not yet been made. The CCAC believes that according to the Land Law, when the use of the land which is not completed within the stipulated period is attributable to the concessionaire, the Public Administration may deal with it in the two following ways: 1) imposing fines on the concessionaire and extending the term of land use; 2) declaring forfeiture of the concession and recovering the land. Therefore, declaring forfeiture of the concession is not the only legal solution to deal with the not using of the land within a stipulated period. Furthermore, if the failure of using the land on schedule by the concessionaire is caused by the own reasons of the public service itself, which means that the delay in the use of the land is “not solely attributable” to the concessionaire, the Public Administration may not initiate the procedure of declaring forfeiture of the concession. The Land Law does not expressly define under what circumstances the declaration of forfeiture of a concession should be made and the fines should be imposed, nor does it establish any concrete criteria for deciding the conditions or degree of the “attributability”. Therefore, the Public Administration has the power to decide, according to the technical and legal analyses conducted by the relevant services, whether or not to declare forfeiture of the concessions of the plots whose uses are not completed within the stipulated periods. As to the grounds or concerns for not declaring forfeiture of every single case of the 16 land concessions, the CCAC, based on its study, believes that it is at the Public Administration’s discretion not to declare forfeiture of the concessions. Therefore, the CCAC does not have the legal competence, resources and techniques to judge whether or not the decisions are the most appropriate for the public interest. In fact, the Public Administration must be accountable for the relevant decisions. However, upon investigation, the CCAC found that when the Public Administration made the decision not to proclaim forfeiture of the concessions of the 16 plots of land, the periods of the temporary concessions of all of them have not expired yet. Even when the terms of 25-year concessions of three other plots of land have subsequently expired, the Public Administration has not taken any immediate action to handle the issues. Out of the three plots of land, two are located at Estrada Marginal da Ilha Verde and Q2 Lot of Pac-On Reclamation Area respectively, which are granted to Transportes Urbanos de Macau, S.A.R.L (Transmac) to build stations and car parks. The other one is situated opposite to the Cultural Centre in ZAPE, which is granted to Sociedade Macau – Obras de Aterro, Lda. and Companhia de Desenvolvimento Fomento Predial Sei Pou Limitada (Sei Pou Real Estate Development Limited) to build hotels and residential properties. According to the findings of a site inspection carried out by CCAC staff, the construction projects at the three plots of land mentioned above according to the relevant concession contracts have not yet started. The two plots of land granted to Transmac have been found being used to park buses. As to the plot granted to Sociedade Macau – Obras de Aterro, Lda. and Sei Pou Real Estate Development Limited, there are only some construction equipment and materials found at the site. The CCAC considers that the Public Administration’s failure to timely declare forfeiture of the expired temporary land concessions is an administrative omission which will open a loophole in the government’s management of land resources, causing infringement upon the public interest and pecuniary interests of the Macao SAR and delay of effective use of land. Moreover, unclear legal status of land will lead to a risk of breaching the right and interest of the third party with goodwill. The report points out the shortcomings of the current legal regime for solving the problem concerning “idle land”. First of all, there is no clear stipulation about the “attributability” in a case of land use which is not completed within the stipulated period and the punishment, causing doubts about the discretion to be exercised by the Public Administration. Secondly, there is also no stipulation which requires that the Public Administration shall disclose the decision of extension of the term of use and the grounds through appropriate means, reflecting insufficient transparence of land management. Thirdly, the amount of the fine for delay of use is too small, which fails to produce a deterrent effect. The report believes that in the process of dealing with the “idle land” by the Public Administration, especially when it comes to the decision of not declaring forfeiture of the 16 land concessions, the relevant information was not released promptly, completely and accurately, which fuelled public speculation and doubts regarding the legality and rationality of the made decisions. Apart from responding to the intensive inquiries from the legislators and the media, the Public Administration seldom took the initiative to release the related information in the recent five years. Not until this June did it announce the earlier decision of not declaring forfeiture of the concessions of 16 of the 48 plots of land. It is, therefore, not unusual that its lack of proactiveness in releasing information has provoked worries and concerns of the public. Moreover, the land management of the public works departments should have been more proactive, systematic, and scientific. At last, the CCAC recommended in the report that the Public Administration should declare forfeiture of land concessions that have exceeded the 25-year term as soon as possible. It also suggests that, to increase the transparency of decision making and strengthen the supervision of the public and the press, the legal regime on the handling of the “idle land” problem should be reviewed when possible and the relevant information should be released to the public in a timely, complete and accurate manner. The public works departments should also strive to increase their motivation and proactiveness in land management, in order to scientifically and effectively manage the valuable land resources of the Macao SAR.
…

The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, said today the Central Government had pledged its full support to Macao in its efforts to attain further economic development and in the efforts of the Government continuously to improve the livelihoods of Macao’s people. Summarising to reporters at a press event in Beijing the details of his duty visit to the nation’s capital, Mr Chui said the state leaders had affirmed the Government’s efforts in implementing several policies over the past year. Mr Chui is in Beijing for a four-day duty visit. He was received by President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang today. In the meetings, Mr Chui reported to the state leaders the situation in Macao and its development during the past 12 months, and also the outlines of the Government’s policies for 2016. The Government would submit a detailed report to the Central Government about the Government’s plan to help small- and medium-sized enterprises, and its plan to support young people to establish a business of their own, Mr Chui said. The Chief Executive said the newly demarcated boundaries of Macao had created favourable conditions for the city to progress via closer cooperation with neighbouring areas – especially with Guangdong. Those particular efforts are being pursued under the Framework Agreement on Cooperation between Guangdong and Macao, he added. The freshly demarcated boundaries would also further the Government’s efforts to sustain Macao’s long-term development and adequate economic diversification. Mr Chui said the Government would use its best efforts to manage the 85-square-kilometre maritime zone endorsed on Sunday (20 December) by the State Council. The Government’s tasks in taking up this new administrative role included ensuring a smooth transfer of management from the Guangdong authorities to Macao and optimising relevant legislation. The Government would start soon the planning process relating to its maritime economy, Mr Chui added. On Sunday, the State Council released an updated map of the administrative divisions of Macao. It included: an 85-square-kilometre area of water to the east and south of the Macao SAR; an area of land where the Border Gate with Zhuhai is located; and a section of Canal dos Patos. Mr Chui said, in response to questions by journalists, that the Government would nominate to the Central Government before the end of next month a candidate for the position of Director General of the Macao Customs Service. He was also asked about the Government’s land concession for Pearl Horizon – an unfinished residential project. The Chief Executive reiterated that the Government’s decision to revert the concession had been made in accordance with the provisions of the Land Law. Adherence to the rule of law is the principle of governance in Macao, Mr Chui stressed. Mr Chui also noted that while Macao residents are entitled to express their views in many different ways and through many channels, such expression ought to be conducted in a legal and rational manner. Regarding the new Urban Renewal Committee, Mr Chui said the consultative body would be headed by the Secretary for Transport and Public Works. He added that there would be more details available soon Before meeting the state leaders, Mr Chui met with the Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Wang Guangya, also in Beijing. Delegates accompanying the Chief Executive during the meetings included: the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive's Office, Ms O Lam; the Director of the Government Information Bureau, Mr Chan Chi Ping; the Director of the Representative Office of the Macao Special Administrative Region in Beijing, Ms Hong Wai; and the Director of the Protocol, Public Relations and External Affairs Office, Mr Fung Sio Weng.
…

As the Christmas Carols at Silent Night 2015 event will be held tomorrow night (24 December) at Largo da Companhia de Jesus, Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) will only schedule two 3D mapping shows at the Ruins of St. Paul’s at 7 pm and 7:30 pm respectively. All other exhibitions and activities of the Macao Light Festival 2015 – Journey of Lights will be operated as usual. In addition, large crowds are expected in different tourist areas on Christmas Eve. Visitors and residents attending the Macao Light Festival 2015 – Journey of Lights are encouraged to follow instructions by police officers on site so as to ensure personal safety.
…

The Government will implement a new simplified reporting mechanism for residents that lose their travel documents while travelling in Hong Kong and who are not in possession of any other identity document for departing from Hong Kong. The new measure will be implemented by the Macao and Hong Kong authorities in the first quarter of 2016. Under the new arrangement, reporting the loss of a travel document that had been used to enter Hong Kong – and requesting permission for subsequent departure from Hong Kong – can be done at the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan, or the China Ferry Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui. This removes a previous process whereby each applicant was required to report to several different government departments in Hong Kong. In addition, under the new system, if the Macao resident reporting such document loss is already enrolled for the automated immigration clearance service in Hong Kong, the authorities in Hong Kong have the option of quickly completing identity verification procedures by cross checking the applicant’s details – with their permission – against those stored in the computer records of the automated clearance system. If the travel document was lost as the result of a criminal act, such as theft, Macao residents are required to report the case to police in Hong Kong before proceeding to the ferry terminal to apply for identity verification. The new mechanism also applies to Hong Kong residents visiting Macao that lose their travel documents. Under the protocol, the Hong Kong residents can proceed directly to the Macao ferry terminals – the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal or the Pac On Temporary Ferry Terminal at Taipa – for departure formalities. At present, there are about 220,000 Macao residents that have registered for the automated clearance service in Hong Kong, while 1.5 million Hong Kong residents have enrolled for the equivalent service in Macao.
…

The Macao Orchestra, under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, collaborated with Boris Berezovsky, the distinguished Russian piano virtuoso, in the concerts The Great Pianist: Boris Berezovsky and the Macao Orchestra in Guangzhou and Macao on 11 and 12 December, respectively, which were warmly acclaimed by the audience. The Macao Orchestra once again acted as cultural ambassador of Macao providing a tempting musical experience to music lovers with its professional performance standard and team spirit. The Macao Orchestra has been collaborating with the Guangzhou Opera House in a number of magnificent music performances since 2011. On this occasion, Boris Berezovsky, a distinguished representative of the Russian School of Piano, and widely acclaimed German conductor Andreas Delfs, were invited to collaborate in the concerts The Great Pianist: Boris Berezovsky and the Macao Orchestra integrated in the Macao Orchestra Extraordinary Virtuosi series , presenting a number of classical masterpieces to the public. After arriving in Macao on 11 December (Friday) the Macao Orchestra held a rehearsal with the soloists and conductor to prepare for the evening performance. In the concert, the Macao Orchestra performed Aram Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto in D-flat Major, dedicated to Levin Oborin, winner of the 1st International Chopin Piano Competition, considered as one of the most outstanding contemporary works. In the second part of the concert OM performed the Symphony No. 6 in D major by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák,. As one of the first large-scale symphonic works of the composer to draw international attention this symphony played a crucial role in establishing Dvořák as one of the foremost composers of the time. The concert tickets were sold out promptly once they went on sale. The concert yielded a full house and received warm applause by the audience in Guangzhou. The Macao Orchestra returned to Macao on the following day, 12 December, and conducted a rehearsal for that evening’s concert. The musicians being fully devoted to the performance in that evening, the concert was completed successfully and was highly appreciated and applauded by the audience. The Macao Orchestra acts as a cultural ambassador of Macao and has become the first orchestra to tour the entire nation in 2014, demonstrating the achievements and cultural image of the city. These two concerts reflected the musicians’ professionalism and strengthened their mutual understanding and the experience between musicians, demonstrating the team spirit of the Orchestra. The concert also demonstrated the professionalism of the Macao Orchestra to music lovers, as well as its remarkable accomplishments.
…