Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Leong Wai Man said yesterday that her bureau will extend the opening hours of the 60-metre-long causeway leading to the Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre in Nape, as well as prolonging the walkway’s opening hours in the near future.
Leong made the remarks during a press conference after this year’s fourth regular closed-door meeting of the government-appointed Cultural Development Committee yesterday at the bureau’s headquarters in Praça do Tap Seac. Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, who heads the committee, Elsie Ao Ieong U addressed the closed-door meeting.
Leong said that the opening hours of the pedestrian causeway at the Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre will be adjusted to 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., as opposed to the current opening hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., except on Fridays, so that residents can take longer walks.
Committee member Ieng Weng Fat quoted fellow members as saying that despite the Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre having been around for many years, it’s not popular with residents, suggesting that good use should be made of technology, with more lighting and commercial elements, to increase the usage of the centre and improve its visibility on all fronts.
Leong underlined that due to the solemn nature of the centre, the bureau was not inclined to develop it as a commercial space and wished to retain its traditional uniqueness.
The 32-metre-tall statue dedicated to the Chinese Buddhist Goddess of Mercy (known as Guanyin in Putonghua), which stands on a lotus-shaped ecumenical (interreligious) centre, was inaugurated in March 1999. The government-funded statue and centre was designed by Portuguese architect and sculptor Cristina Rocha Leiria.
Leong also stressed that the bureau will prioritise the pandemic prevention and control work in order to carry out other works.
Meanwhile, the Cultural Development Fund announced its subsidy plan for next year to encourage and attract overseas film crews to Macau for filming, in order to support local film and television productions.
The fund also announced that it will continue its funding scheme for the revitalisation of historic buildings and subsidise private owners and users of heritage-listed buildings to carry out maintenance work on their own initiative, in order to raise community awareness of heritage conservation.
Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Leong Wai Man talks to the media yesterday after this year’s fourth plenary meeting of the Cultural Development Committee at the bureau’s headquarters in Praça do Tap Seac, as fellow committee member Ieng Weng Fat looks on. – Photo: Ginnie Liang
