The Cultural Affairs Bureau has conducted a routine inspection of the typhoon signal light at the Mount Fortress Garden. It was found that the signal light is not functioning properly and cannot be used to hoist the tropical cyclone signals and the strong monsoon signal for the time being. Therefore, maintenance works will be carried out between 14 and 16 August. For enquiries, please call the Macau Museum at 2835 7911 during office hours.

Organised by the Macao SAR Government and the Organisation of World Heritage Cities (OWHC), the “Ceremony of the Affiliation of Macao Special Administrative Region in the OWHC”was held via video-conferencing in Macao on 7 August. During the ceremony, the OWHC presented the certificate of membership to the Macao SAR, which was represented by the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, Ao Ieong U. Following Suzhou and Dujiangyan City, Macao has now become the third city in China to join the OWHC. Macao’s membership in the OWHC will facilitate access to international information on World Heritage preservation and participation in relevant events learning from one another’s experience with respect to the preservation of world heritage properties, thereby further raising Macao’s international profile as a World Heritage city.

The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym) will carry out system maintenance services on the telephone hotline of the platform “Information from the Public about Macao’s Cultural Heritage” from 2:30pm to 6pm on Tuesday, 21 July 2020. The hotline service will be temporarily suspended during this period of time. Meanwhile, residents can still notify IC about the condition of heritage buildings through the telephone no. 28366866, as well as through the website of the “Cultural Heritage of Macao” (www.culturalheritage.mo/cn/report/), by email to chvoice@icm.gov.mo, through the “IC Art” page on Facebook or IC’s WeChat account “IC_Art_Macao”. For further enquiries, please contact IC through telephone no. 28366866 during office hours.

Counting with the total support of the Central Government, the “Historic Centre of Macao” was inscribed on the World Heritage List with unanimous support during the 29th Session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee on 15 July 2005, thus becoming the 31st World Heritage site in China. The inscription is a profound and momentous achievement for the Macao SAR after its handover to China. On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the inscription of the Historic Centre of Macao on the World Heritage List this year, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from its Portuguese acronym) seeks to spread the spirit of “Protecting and Appreciating Our World Heritage Together” through a variety of celebratory activities, thereby introducing to the public the connection between world heritage and their daily lives.

In celebration of the 15th anniversary of the inscription of the “Historic Centre of Macao” on the World Heritage List, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from its Portuguese acronym) hosts a festival “Celebrating the 15th Anniversary of the Inscription of the Historic Centre of Macao on the World Heritage List” on 11 and 12 July at the “World Heritage Youth Education Base”, located in the Mandarin’s House and the Lilau Square. The opening ceremony was held at 11am today in the Mandarin’s House and was officiated by the Representative of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture and Chief of Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Ho Ioc San; the Director of the Department of Publicity and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao S.A.R., Wan Sucheng; the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Mok Ian Ian; the Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes; the President of the Executive Committee and Chief Executive Officer of Air Macau Company Limited, Chen Hong; the Deputy General Manager of Bank of China Macao Branch, Chan Hio Peng; and the Vice Presidents of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Leong Wai Man and Cheong Lai San. Several members of the Cultural Heritage Committee and representatives of local cultural heritage associations were also invited. During the opening ceremony, a recognition ceremony of the 2019 Macao Cultural Heritage training programme “Little Little Docent” was held to commend the members who had completed the programme. All the guests, members and parents witnessed the fruitful achievements of the programme and the ceremony was held in a lively atmosphere.

The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym) will host a festival “Celebrating the 15th Anniversary of the Inscription of the Historic Centre of Macao on the World Heritage List”, on 11 and 12 July, from 10:30am to 6pm, at the “World Heritage Youth Education Base”, located in the Mandarin’s House and Lilau Square. The opening ceremony will be held on 11 July at 11am, at the Mandarin’s House. The Festival features a great variety of activities such as singing and dance performances, special game booths, thematic exhibitions, workshops, and the sale of cultural and creative products. Admission is free and all are welcome to join.

In order to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the inscription of the “Historic Centre of Macao” on the World Heritage List, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from its Portuguese acronym) will hold a series of exploration activities at the World Heritage sites. The registration for the most sought-after activities “World Heritage Open Day” and the “Heritage City Tours - Guided Tours and Illustration Workshop” quickly became full since the activities were launched. Considering the public’s overwhelming response, additional sessions will be offered for the activities “Heritage City Tours - Guided Tours and Illustration Workshop” and all are welcome to participate.

In order to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the inscription of the “Historic Centre of Macao” on the World Heritage List, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from its Portuguese acronym) will hold a series of activities in July. The event features a total of 28 activities in six series, including a thematic festival, the “World Heritage Open Day”, the “Heritage City Tours - Guided Tours and Illustration Workshop”, “Fun Sharing Cultural Heritage” lectures, a story-writing competition and a WeChat game. With this special series of activities, IC seeks to celebrate the anniversary with the public and encourage residents to experience the beauty of Macao’s World Heritage in their daily lives and to appreciate the city’s precious cultural treasures, thereby conveying the concept of “Appreciating Our World Heritage Together”.

In response to the “China Cultural and Natural Heritage Day” on 13 June 2020, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym) will hold a series of activities from 13 to 21 June, including the “Demonstration Workshop on making Cheongsam and Chinese Wedding Dress (kwan kwa)” and “Beijing Opera Mask Creative Workshop”, which introduce the unique charm of intangible cultural heritage to the public. In addition, IC will share information about intangible cultural heritage and the concept of healthy lifestyle with the public online, giving the public a deeper understanding of the relationship between intangible cultural heritage and their daily lives and raising the public’s awareness of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. IC will deploy the appropriate measures according to the anti-epidemic guidelines of the Health Bureau.

The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym) will successively reopen several heritage sites, cultural and creative spaces and museums from 16 March (Monday), and will implement various crowd control measures to limit the number of visitors, in order to prevent the risk of novel coronavirus infection.