About 3,600 official documents known as “Chapas Sínicas” written during the Qing Dynasty giving orders to Macau’s then municipal administration (“Leal Senado”) that have recently been added to UNESCO’s “Memory of the World” will enrich the city’s history and provide a source of inspiration for the creative world, Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Leung Hio Meng has told The Macau Post Daily.
Leung and Archives of Macau Director Lau Fong met The Macau Post Daily earlier this week when they explained that the repairing of the documents is nearing its final stages and that they will be ready for public viewing next year.
In Portuguese, the records are known as “Chapas Sínicas” (“Chinese sheets”). In Chinese, they are known as “Chinese documents”. For the UNESCO listing, the collection of documents is formally known as “Official Records of Macau during the Qing Dynasty (1693-1886)”.
Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Leung Hio Meng (left) and Archives of Macau Director Lau Fong show The Macau Post Daily at the local archives on Monday a scanned copy of one of the documents where sections of the sheet have been eaten by worms, requiring repairs by a team of experts. Photo: Iong Tat Choi
This scanned copy of a document from the Qianlong Period added to UNESCO “Memory of the World” registry was provided by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) yesterday.
