The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) announced in a statement yesterday the launch of its “Online Exhibition of Old Cannons”, a digital platform that shows 3D models and research data of the cannons unearthed in Macau between 2020 and 2021, and the progress of the conservation work.
The website, which can be visited at https://www.macaumuseum.gov.mo/oldCannons/index.html?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1, aims to increase the public’s understanding of Macau’s excavated cultural relics and history and provide information for researchers, the statement said.
The statement noted that four old cannons* were discovered in the Inner Harbour area and at a construction site in Avenida de Cotai in Macau between 2020 and 2021, which are now held by the Macau Museum. The statement added that the museum commissioned the Macau University of Science and Technology’s (MUST) Faculty of Humanities and Arts’ Institute for Social and Cultural Research and the Heritage Conservation Laboratory to conduct research and conservation work.
The statement said that the conservation work is expected to take several years as the cannons were “buried underground for a long time and corroded extensively”, making displaying them not advisable. The online exhibition presents 3D models and photo captions introducing the cannons’ state of preservation and offers details of the cannons such as time of casting and conservation work.
The four unearthed cannons, the statement underlined, expand the collection list of Macau’s existing cannons and helps to “understand the arrangements of Macau’s modern artillery” when it was under Portuguese rule. They also provide evidence that the waters of Coloane and Taipa “were important routes for the trade between China and the West”, and were used as anchorage and a repair dock for foreign ships going to the mainland. With the Macau Museum continuing to work with MUST towards the cannons’ conservation, information will be updated on the exhibition website in due course.
Coloane and Taipa were seized by Portugal in the 19th century.
Meanwhile, the museum will host a “Guided Tour of Mount Fortress”, the statement added, which will be held at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on June 11 and at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on June 12, and will be led by the museum’s guides. The statement said that registration can be done through www.icm.gov.mo/eform/event.
Due to the limited number of places, a random draw will be conducted if applicants exceed the quota. Those selected will be notified via SMS or email, while further details can be found by contacting 2835 7911 during office hours.
In line with the Health Bureau’s (SSM) pandemic prevention measures, participants must wear a facemask, undergo a temperature check, present a valid “Venue QR Code” and “Macao Health Code”, and follow on-site COVID-19 pandemic prevention measures.
*The plural of cannon is cannon or cannons
This image provided by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) yesterday promotes the “Online Exhibition of Old Cannons”.
