News

Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) participates in the 29th Hong Kong International Travel Expo (ITE) during 11-14 June at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre to promote leisure and business tourism of Macau. MGTO Head of Destination Marketing Department, Betty Fok, led the MGTO delegation and trade partners to join the Expo as well as the opening ceremony. To work in line with building Macau into “World Centre of Tourism and Leisure”, MGTO has put efforts on promoting diversified tourism products, as well as to continuously promote community tourism and enhance quality assurance. Through ITE, MGTO provides the latest tourism information of Macau’s diversified products as well as to showcase the unique cultures and mega events in Macau. In addition, 31 Macau trade representatives from hotels, travel agents, ferry companies and event organizers join MGTO in this leading tourism event. Aligning with the theme of “Touching Moments, Experience Macau”, the design of the booth makes use of various lighting effects together with the silhouettes of Macau’s famous architectures. The top of the booth uses five “Touching Moments” advertisements, stretching out from the center of the exhibition booth like the petals of a blooming lotus. The reception backdrop is the Macau’s landmark, the Ruins of St. Paul’s with different lighting effects in order to signify the iconic unique of Macau. Furthermore, MGTO organizes travel seminars for the trade and public visitors on consumer days (13-14 Jun). The two seminars named ‘Explore the New Facet of Macau I & II’ will introduce the new “Step Out, Experience Macau’s Communities” walking routes to the public, which aims to present the rich cultural and tourist elements of the less explored areas of Macau. During the consumer days, MGTO will cooperate with three travel agents to provide special travel packages include discounts and offers for the ferry tickets and hotel accommodation to visitors. Audience who purchase Macau packages from any travel agents at ITE can also redeem a special gift at the MGTO booth. Press release will be available on MGTO website： http://industry.macautourism.gov.mo/cn/pressroom/index.php?page_id=172
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The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Leong Vai Tac, said today the Government had not received any application for a casino in Coloane. Asked by reporters before a committee meeting of the Legislative Assembly, Mr Leong stressed only casino concessionaires could make such a request; the Government would take into consideration the project’s scope of development, location and if it would help transform Macao as a world centre for leisure and tourism. The Government will heed the people’s views on building casinos in Coloane, which is the only casino-free island in Macao, and will not approve anything that is against the law. Mr Leong said he did not see any legal restriction on where casinos would be built in Macao, but the principle of the number of gaming table – an annual increase remains of no more than three per cent until 2023 – would not be changed.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, will meet with officials in Beijing between 16-18 June to exchange views on Macao’s jurisdiction over its “customary waters” and boundary-crossing arrangements. Mr Chui is scheduled to meet with the Minister of the General Administration of China Customs, Mr Yu Guangzhou, and the Director of the State Oceanic Administration, Mr Wang Hong. Officials accompanying Mr Chui on the visit would include the Director-General of the Macao Customs Service, Ms Lai Man Wa; the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms O Lam; the Director of the Government Information Bureau, Mr Chan Chi Ping; and the Director of the Protocol, Public Relations and External Affairs Office, Mr Fung Sio Weng. During Mr Chui’s absence, the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Chan Hoi Fan, will be acting Chief Executive.
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Communications Museum will be holding a “Communication Camp – Lying Eyes” on 29 July and 30 July 2015. The objective is to arouse children’s creativity and imagination through visual art. Local residents aged from10 to 11 are welcomed to join. Activities on the first day include introduction, interactive games, learning different communication methods with their senses and appreciate art and entertaining visual effects made by illusion and workshop. On the second day, each participant can invite a parent or companion aged 16 or above to the tour free of charge at the “Pier 16 Macau 3D World”. Registration begins from now till 15 July. First-come-first-served. International Year of Light, 2015 The “Pinhole Camera” workshop that is jointly organized by the Communications Museum and Maritime Museum for celebration of the International Year of Light and 150th Anniversary of Guia Lighthouse is now open for application. Students of senior secondary or above and photography enthusiasts are welcomed to participate. Participants will join the morning or afternoon workshop on June 13 to learn the principles of optics related to camera and make a pinhole camera by themselves. On June 27, they will visit and take photos at the Guia Lighthouse. Afterwards, they will be shown how to develop the photos taken, and the selected photos will be exhibited in the Maritime Museum and Communications Museum. In addition, a “Summer Fragrance” workshop that is part of the “LED festival” workshops will be held in the afternoon of July 25 and August 1. Students of Primary 5 or above are welcomed to join. They will learn the basic principles of LED and make a special festive lamp stand. 2015 Biomedical Engineering Trip for Teacher – Taiwan The trip organized by the Macau Society of Biomedical Engineering and IEEE-EMB Hong Kong - Macau Joint Chapter and sponsored by the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau will be held from July 21 to 25. Full-time Science teachers of local Primary and Secondary schools, priority to Physics, Biology and Chemical subjects and, researchers of professionals in the field of Biomedical Engineering are welcomed to register online at the Communications Museum website. Creative Savings Box Construction Contest of Postal Savings In order to encourage savings and making good use of money, and motivate young people to participate in cultural creative activities, Macao Postal Savings (CEP) is organizing a “Creative Savings Box” with the theme of “Penny and penny laid up will be many” jointly with Communications Museum. All full-time students of Macao are welcomed to participate individually either in the Primary School Category or Secondary School Category. Each participant is required to design and construct a 3 dimensional savings box with a coin insertion hole. There is no restriction on the material used, colour, outlook design and size of the submitted work. From now till 5:30 pm of July 31 (Friday), participants can submit their work together with a completed application form to the Reception of Communications Museum (Estrada de D. Maria II, No. 7, Macao). In addition to awarding trophies, gift vouchers and philately items to the first, second and third prize winners, there will also have three Appreciation Awards. Souvenirs will be offered to the guidance teachers of all participants. For details of the contest and application form, please visit the website of the Museum. For details, please visit http://macao.communications.museum.
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Macao Post announces that two new stamp themes will be included on the Issues Plan 2015: “10th Anniversary of the Historic Centre of Macao as World Heritage” to be issued on 15th July 2015, and “70th Anniversary of Victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japan” to be issued on 3rd September 2015. The stamp theme “Science and Technology – Magic Squares II” will be issued on 12th November 2015.
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To cope with the BNU Exhibition, Macao Post announces that a Temporary Post Counter will be set up at our Philatelic Shop located at Macao Post Headquarters at 14:00 to 17:30 on 24th June 2015 providing the commemorative postmark cancellation service for the “BNU Exhibition – A New Century Together With You”. A commemorative envelope with stamp will be distributed to public. Welcome to visit and collect Macao Stamps.
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Consumer Council conducted its third ‘Supermarket price survey’ in June on 10 June for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Surveyed locations included supermarkets near Iao Hon Market and the Border Gate area (Portas do Cerco ) in N. Sra. de Fátima Parish. The latest ‘Supermarket Price Survey’ is now available on Consumer Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo), ‘Supermarket Price Information Platform’ iPhone and Android apps, and on the Council’s WeChat account page. 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. Consumers may also access the resources through WAP channels on their mobile phones. With reference to the local six parishes and the number of supermarkets in each parish, the Council has divided around 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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In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Macao’s inscription on the World Heritage List as well of the 2015 China Cultural Heritage Day, “Genesis and Spirit- Showcase of Henan Province Intangible Cultural Heritage” will be held with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the PRC, the Henan Province People’s Government and the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, organized by the Bureau for External Cultural Relations and Office for Cultural Affairs with the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan regions of the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China, the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR and the Department of Culture of Henan Province and the collaboration of Galaxy MacauTM. This showcase aims to introduce the variety of Henan Province intangible cultural heritage to the population, through exhibitions, demonstrations, workshops and a lecture, among others. The opening ceremony of “Genesis and Spirit”- Showcase of Henan Province Intangible Cultural Heritage will be held on 13 June, Saturday, at 11am, at the Galaxy MacauTM East Square, where Henan Province traditional art and artistic techniques will be on display, totalling ten intangible cultural heritage representative items such as Wooden Plates with New Year Images from Zhuxian City, Lanterns (Paper Lanterns from Kaifeng City), Paper cutting, Clay Figurines (Clay dogs from the Huaiyang municipality), Bian Embroidery, Collages with Wheat Stems, Tang Sancai Figurines Making Techniques, Sword Smelting Techniques (Tangxi Swords Smelting Process), Yellow River Carved Ink Stones and Qin Silk Art, all with high artistic and cultural value and fully reflecting the incessant creative spirit of the Chinese civilization. On 13 June, at 5pm, and 14 June, at 11am, St. Paul’s Ruins will host performances such as Shaolin martial arts, Tai Chi and Henan opera. The series of activities of “Genesis and Spirit” also includes several crafts demonstrations and workshops, allowing residents to, during two weeks between 14 and 28 June, come into closer contact with the Henan Province intangible cultural heritage, to directly meet artisans and experience the crafts manufacturing process, thereby deepening their understanding about China’s intangible heritage items. Additionally, on 14 June, at 2:30pm, the Mandarin’s House hosts the lecture “General Overview on the Protection Works of Henan Province Intangible Cultural Heritage”, conducted by Liu Chunxiao, Vice-Chairman of the Specialist Committee on Henan Province Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection and Chief of the Division of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Department of Culture of Henan Province. The lecture will be conducted in Mandarin. For more information and reservations for the workshops and lecture, please call IC through tel. no. 2896 8820, during office hours. More information on the series of activities of “Genesis and Spirit” as well as on the commemorative activities of the 10th anniversary of Macao’s inscription on the World Heritage List are available on the webpage www.icm.gov.mo/mhd10 or through tel. no. 8399 6699, during office hours.
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In order to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the inscription of “The Historic Centre of Macao” on World Heritage List, the Cultural Affairs Bureau promotes, together with several entities, a series of activities, which include new historic and cultural facilities in operation, exhibitions, a seminar and new publications, cultural performances, and highlighted activities, in a total of 35 events. These activities are aimed at building an effective platform of cooperation, allowing the local population and visitors to celebrate the inscription of “The Historic Centre of Macao” on the World Heritage List through different cultural activities, hoping to raise every social sector’s awareness to the protection and transmission of cultural heritage and promoting its universal values. Opening of new historic and cultural facilities; building’s revitalization and repurposing for daily life Starting from June, several new and renovated historic and cultural facilities will enter into operation. The existing information point at Guia Fortress (including the Guia Chapel and Lighthouse) will be converted into the “Guia Fortress Information Centre”, opening at the end of June and featuring a brief introduction on the history of the Guia Fortress, including respective building models, and also a retrospective of the restoration works of Our Lady of Guia paintings. The Lu Ban Carpentry Exhibition will open to the public in July displaying, in an interactive and interesting way, over 70 traditional carpentry tools and housing components, in addition to a multimedia presentation on the Macao Carpentry Trade Union. The Jao Tsung-I Academy, scheduled to open in August, holds a permanent exhibition of Professor Jao Tsung-I painting and calligraphy donations as well as a collection of works and a catalogue of his works, also featuring an auditorium and a gallery for other themed exhibitions, aiming at promoting Chinese culture and arts as well as academic exchange on Chinese studies related topics. The Cinematheque．Passion, which will be in trial operation from September, is a multi-purpose space that features an art cinema and a film documentation room, whose mission is to organise local film resources, to create a creative atmosphere of local filmmaking, to broaden the local sector’s horizons as well as to establish international exchange networks. As a unique witness to the profession of night-watchmen in Macao, the Patane Night Watch House will open to the public in the second half of this year, hosting an exhibition about the work of Macao’s former night watchmen, giving residents a glimpse of those bygone days. The opening of historic and cultural facilities as well as the revitalization and repurposing of historical buildings reflect the importance of protection works of Macao’s heritage. Varied exhibitions share heritage protection achievements This series of activities include several exhibitions. In order to commemorate the 2015 China Cultural Heritage Day, “Genesis and Spirit－Showcase of Henan Province Intangible Cultural Heritage” will reveal the charm of Henan Province’s intangible cultural heritage. "The 10th Anniversary of the Historic Centre of Macao as World Heritage － Exhibition on the achievements in safeguarding the cultural heritage in Macao" will exhibit the results of the protection works of Macao’s cultural heritage carried out in the past 10 years. For the first time, exhibitions that unite with major sports events will be held, such as the Macao International Dragon Boat Races and the Macau International Marathon, introducing the charm of the Historic Centre of Macao to the public. Another exhibition will be “Global Mapping of Macao”, revealing Macao’s role in the cultural exchange between the East and the West through excellent reproductions of ancient maps from all over the world. Academic seminar on protection; other activities count on the participation of the whole population On occasion of the10th anniversary of the Historic Centre of Macao as World Heritage and in order to promote studies on the Historic Centre of Macao and the protection of the city’s cultural heritage, local and foreign experts have been invited to participate in the “International Academic Seminar on the Conservation of the Cultural Heritage”. Several works related to Macao’s cultural heritage and its protection will also be published, such as “Historic Centre of Macao”, “Retrospective of the Protection Works on the 10th Anniversary of the Historic Centre of Macao as World Heritage”, “Book Series of Macao Cultural Heritage”, “Poems by Zheng Guangying”, a special edition of the Review of Culture on the 10th Anniversary of the Historic Centre of Macao as World Heritage and “Photo Album on the Historic Centre of Macao”, exploring in depth the cultural meaning of World Heritage and introducing Macao’s valuable cultural resources and the achievements attained in its preservation. In addition, the Macao Orchestra, the Macao Chinese Orchestra and the Macao Conservatory’s Schools of Music and Theatre present several performances at World Heritage sites, allowing citizens to experience the harmonious symbiosis between heritage and art. Scheduled activities further include the “Cultural Heritage’s Connection to the Future” Lectures, which will take place in schools and aim to arouse student’s interest in cultural heritage. In order to contribute to the festive atmosphere, activities open to the whole population will take place, namely the “10th anniversary of the Historic Centre of Macao as World Heritage－WeChat Prize for World Heritage Outlook”, a “Cultural Heritage In-depth Guided Tour” destined for Macao tourists and the Macao Post stamp edition “The Historic Centre of Macao”, thereby allowing local citizens and visitors to experience the joy of the 10th anniversary of the inscription of The Historic Centre of Macao on World Heritage List. The “Commemorative Activities of the 10th Anniversary of the Inscription of The Historic Centre of Macao on World Heritage List” are organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the P.R.C., the People’s Government of Henan Province, the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao S.A.R. Government, State Administration of Cultural Heritage of the P.R.C., the Bureau for External Cultural Relations and Office for Culture Affairs with the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Regions of the Ministry of Culture of the P.R.C, the Department of Culture of Henan Province, the Macau Government Tourist Office, the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau, the Macao Sport Development Board, the Macao Post, the Centre for Macau Studies of the University of Macau, the Macau University of Science and Technology, the Shanghai Library, the Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, the Bank of China – Macau Branch, the newspaper Macau Daily News, the Galaxy MacauTM, the Macao Carpentry Trade Union, the Tu Tei Mio Patane Mercy and Charity Association, Gray Line Tours Macau Limited and the Macao Heritage Ambassadors Association, among other entities. Present at the Press Conference, held at the Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Centre on 10 July at 12: 00pm, were President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government, Ung Vai Meng; Vice-Director of the Department of Culture of Henan Province, Kang Jie; Chief of Division of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Department of Culture of Henan Province, Liu Chunxiao; Director of the Macao Government Tourist Office of the Macao S.A.R. Government, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes; President of the Sport Development Board of the Macao S.A.R. Government, José Maria da Fonseca Tavares; President of the Macau Postal Services of the Macao S.A.R. Government, Lau Wai Meng; Vice President of the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government, Kuok Sio Lai; Acting Chief of the Department of Cultural Heritage of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government, Leong Wai Man; Academic Director of Center for Macau Studies of the University of Macau, Lin Guangzhi; Director of the Macau University of Science and Technology Library, Dai Longji; Assistant Director of the Bank of China, Macau Branch, Jiang Kuiwei; General Director of the Macau Daily News, Wan Nang Hon; Senior Manager of Corporate and Community Relations – Public Relations, Galaxy Entertainment Group, Catherine Iu; Managing Director of Gray Line Tours of Macau, Limited, Wu Keng Kuong; President of the Macau Seong Ká Môk Ngai Association, Choi Hong and President of the Macao Heritage Ambassadors Association, Liu Ka Hou. For more information on these activities, please visit the webpage www.icm.gov.mo/mhd10 or call IC through tel. no. 8399 6699, during office hours.
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The Health Bureau has raised the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) response level to high and advised the people to avoid unnecessary travel to South Korea. Spokespersons of the Bureau made the announcement at a press briefing on 8 June when they also announced a string of measures to guard against the virus. These include the 24-hour operation of the MERS cross-departmental group and extending the enquiry hotline 2870 0800 from 9 am to midnight. Reserves of testing reagents are increased from 300 to 2,000 and laboratory technicians have been put on round-the-clock shifts for samples testing. The Government has prepared two venues that could accommodate 180 people for isolation, plus adequate resources for tracing and quarantine. Visitors to Conde S. Januário Hospital and health centres are required to wear surgical masks, while visiting time in the public hospital have also been cut from five hours a day to three hours a day. Meanwhile the six suspected cases of people with respiratory symptoms were all tested negative from MERS. The Bureau will keep close contact with the World Health Organization, health authorities in Seoul and neighbouring areas for the latest information on development. Macao travellers in Korea were advised to avoid visiting health centres and travellers to the Middle East should avoid farms and contact with animals, in particular camels and birds. The Bureau urged the public to practise good personal and environmental hygiene and to seek medical treatment immediately if fever or cough symptoms developed.
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