Intangible and tangible cultural heritage jointly represent the civilisation of human society and the diversity of culture in the world. Due to rapid social development, the cultural ecology of Macao is changing. Much cultural heritage and many traditional crafts and arts which are passed down by word of mouth or practice are endangered. Many valuable relics are damaged and information lost. Protecting local intangible cultural heritage is the duty of society as a whole and has been listed in the working schedule of the Macao SAR Government.

In order to safeguard the intangible cultural heritage of Macao and establish a perfect list of intangible cultural heritage, the Cultural Affairs Bureau announced “temporary rules ” of declarat ion for intangible cultural heritage in 2008. In order to obtain details and download application form, please visit the homepage of Macao Museum www.macaumuseum.gov.mo or phone Mr. Chan on 8394 NULL NULL NULL NULL NULL 150 1 Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre to be closed for maintenance 2011-10-25 00:00:00.000 In order to keep the Centre in good condition, there will be a large scale repair and maintenance work to be carried out from 25th October 2011. The Centre will be closed during the 180-day period for maintenance. The renovated Centre will be reopened to the public at the beginning of May 2012 upon completion of maintenance work.

Besides the bronze Kun Iam Statue at the top, the Centre features 2 levels within the arched base: the upper level is a show room with its dome painted with characters and Saint Words of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism etc., and their statements. Souvenirs and publications of the Cultural Affairs Bureau and Macao Museum are available for sale here. The lower level houses a multi-function room and a small library exhibiting books about religions and philosophy. Although the Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre is small, it is elegant and peaceful. Visitors can indulge here from hustle and bustle life. So far, more than 1.26 million of overseas visitors and residents have visited the Centre.

For any enquiries during the maintenance period, please call 2835 7911 (Office hour), or visit websites of the Macao Museum and the Cultural Affairs Bureau.

news/2011/KuniamClose.jpg NULL 1 88 NULL 210 1 Macao Museum and Affiliated Galleries Open as Usual During Chinese New Year Holidays 2015-02-12 00:00:00.000 The Macao Museum and its affiliated galleries, under the Cultural Affairs Bureau - including the Museum of Sacred Art and Crypt, the Heritage Exhibition of a Traditional Pawnshop Business, the Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre, the Mount Fortress Corridor and the Guia Chapel located in Guia Fortress - will be open to the public on Chinese New Year’s Eve (18th February) as well as during the Chinese New Year (19th to 21st February) as per usual. Residents and tourists are welcome to visit. The Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre will be open on the second day of the Chinese New Year (20th February) as usual, despite Fridays being originally designated as a closing day.

To celebrate the Chinese New Year, Macao residents can visit the Macao Museum and the Heritage Exhibition of a Traditional Pawnshop Business from the first to the third days of Chinese New Year free of charge, by presenting the Macao Resident Identity card or the student card. During Chinese New Year, the Macao Museum will hold a temporary exhibition entitled ‘Sketching the Past – Historical Drawings from the Macao Museum Collection’, in which major paintings and collections donated or acquired by Macao Museum, including rare works by prominent painters like George Chinnery, Thomas Boswall Watson and Marciano António Baptista, will be showcased. The exhibition will be held from 18 February to 3 May. Historical drawings are part of the major collections of the Macao Museum; through this exhibition, both residents and tourists can observe the transformation and development of customs in Macao and South China and understand the traces that Western artists left here. Western painters not only introduced Western art techniques but helped make this area a Sino-Western point of convergence.

In addition, to enhance the festive atmosphere of the Chinese New Year, the Macao Chinese Orchestra will perform at the Macao Museum Entrance Hall at 11:00am on 27 February (Friday). Admission is free. Limited seats are available on a first-come, first served basis.

Macao Museum will open from 10:00am to 6:00pm, except on Mondays (ticket purchase until 5:30pm). For opening hours of affiliated galleries, please call 2835 7911 during office hours or log onto www.macaumuseum.gov.mo.

news/2015/newYearHoliday.jpg NULL 1 88 NULL 213 1 2015 International Museum Day
dedicated to a sustainable society 2015-04-29 00:00:00.000 In response to the International Museum Day, 18 Macao museums co-organize the “2015 International Museum Day Festival”, which opening ceremony will be held on Sunday, 17 May, 3 pm, in the square in front of A-Má Temple. One of the festival’s main activities, entitled “Mobile Museum – Talks in the A-Má Bamboo Theatre”, features thematic exhibitions, stage performances, workshops and lectures, covering a wide range of topics. It is also one of the activities celebrating 10 years of the recognition of Macao’s world heritage. All citizens are welcome to attend.

The thematic exhibition “Talks in the A-Má Bamboo Theatre” showcases festivities, beliefs and crafts of Macao’s fishermen such as the setting up of bamboo scaffolding and the making of decorative flowers plaques, the community’s bonds, opera for deities, among many others, combining elements such as opera aesthetics, the structure of the construction, acoustics, while also introducing local customs. It will allow the public to get to know and understand multiple aspects about the structures built for opera performance as well as perceive the essence of local culture and traditions. “Mobile Museum – Talks in the A-Má Bamboo Theatre” is opened for public from 17 May to 21 May, 10 am to 6 pm. Activities for students will also be held, allowing the younger generations to experience firsthand these long handed down cultural traditions, through exhibitions, performances and interactive workshops, thereby promoting their participation in culture preservation, and enforcing this year’s International Museum Day theme, “Museums for a Sustainable Society”. Schools can enrol through tel. no. 8394 1217, during office hours.

The opening ceremony of the “2015 International Museum Day Festival” will be held on Sunday, 17 May, from 3pm to 6pm, at the A-Má Bamboo Theatre, placed in front of the temple dedicated to the goddess. 29 cultural entities from the Province of Guangzhou and 19 museums under the Hong Kong Home Affairs Bureau, among others, have been invited to participate in these activities.

Additionally, the organization holds the 3rd Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Museums’ Professionals Forum as well as Seminars of the 2015 International Museum Day, on 14 and 15 May, inviting museum and academic leaders of the region to conduct talks and exchanges in four topics, namely collections, exhibitions, education and promotion, discussing museum related matters.

The “2015 International Museum Day Festival” is jointly organised by 18 museums, namely the Natural and Agrarian Museum, the Grand Prix Museum, the Tung Sin Tong Historical Archive Exhibition Hall, the Heritage Exhibition of a Traditional Pawnshop Business, the Fire Services Museum, the Maritime Museum, the Communications Museum of Macau, the Museum of the History of Taipa and Coloane, the Handover Gifts Museum of Macao, the Lin Zexu Memorial Museum of Macau, the Macao Science Centre, the Macao Tea Culture House, the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Memorial House in Macau, the Commemorative Gallery of the Macao Basic Law, the Macao Museum, the Macau Museum of Art, the Wine Museum and the Taipa Houses-Museum. Each museum also holds other commemorative activities and exhibitions and has free admission days. For more information, please visit www.museums.gov.mo or each museum’s website.

*2015 Macao Museum’s International Museum Day Activity Procedure