The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) has launched a public tender for the granting of a 48-month lease to operate a restaurant that aims to promote “Portuguese culture with Macau characteristics” at one of the five mansions of the Taipa Houses complex, according to an announcement published in the Official Gazette (BO) on Wednesday.
According to the bureau’s website, the five houses, currently have the following themes: the Macanese Living Museum, Exhibitions Gallery, Creative Casa, Nostalgic House, and House for Receptions.
Four of the buildings used for different purposes are open to members of the general public, while the House for Receptions is only open on special occasions.
According to the bureau’s website, the House for Receptions is primarily used for official banquets, receptions and other cultural activities.
The Macanese Living Museum is a facility showcasing a model home of Macanese people, while the Exhibitions Gallery and Nostalgic House are used as exhibition facilities, according to the website.
Customarily, the term “Macanese” denotes Macau’s community of mixed Portuguese and Asian extraction, which accounts for about 1.5 percent of the population.
Creative Casa is used as a bookshop featuring an exhibition area. The bookshop is privately run on the premises under a leasehold with the Cultural Affairs Bureau.
The walking area in front of the five mansions of the Taipa Houses complex is officially known as Avenida da Praia (“Beach Avenue”). In front of the walking area is a large wetland.
According to Wednesday’s announcement in the Official Gazette, the restaurant will be operated at the House for Receptions.
According to the announcement, potential bidders are required to submit their quotations by December 30. The bureau will unseal the submitted bids on January 4.
The public tender accepts local residents who submit their bids as individual entrepreneurs. If a bid is submitted by a company, more than 50 percent of the company’s capital shares must be held by local residents, according to the announcement.
According to the announcement, the restaurant will be required to feature elements of Macau’s intangible cultural heritage.
The restaurant will also be required to provide Macanese cuisine in conjunction with the area’s “atmosphere”, the announcement said.
In addition, the restaurant will also feature sales of cultural goods, exhibitions, and workshops, according to the announcement.
The government renovated the five buildings of the Taipa Houses in 2016. At that time, the then secretary for social affairs and culture, Alexis Tam Chon Weng, proposed to convert the House of Receptions into a Portuguese restaurant, but later that year he decided to shelve the then controversial plan.
Caption: 2011 file photo of Taipa Houses Museum. - Photo courtesy of Abasaa/Wikimedia Commons
