Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Chan Wai Man said on Friday that the “Strolling through Almeida Ribeiro – Pilot Scheme for a Pedestrian Area” will take place from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. on December 24-25 and on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, when the stretch of Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro (known as “San Ma Lou” in Cantonese) between Rua do Guimarães and Rua Central will “put on new clothes”, bringing a new and special cultural travel experience to residents and tourists alike.
Leong made the remarks during a press conference about the “A Cultural Base” programme, on Friday at the Macau Cultural Centre in Nape.
The avenue’s pedestrianised area is about 450 metres long and divided into three sections, namely the “colourful clouds” themed “Magic Moment” which will run from Rua do Guimarães to Travessa do Matadouro, “Forest Footpath” running from Travessa do Matadouro to Rua dos Mercadores with the irregular placement of artificial vegetation, and “Urban Oasis” running from Rua dos Mercadores to Largo do Senado (Macau’s main square), where large parasols and chairs will be set up as tea houses for visitors to rest, according to the press conference.
Large installations will be hung or placed along the road, and a number of art tour points will be set up for art visitors to perform in the city’s main thoroughfare. Macau’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List items such as dragon beard sugar-making skills and dough sculpture skills will be displayed, and “creative food” will be presented by various local cultural and creative organisations, the press conference noted.
Noting that nearly 26 bus routes were expected to be affected by the event, Transport Bureau (DSAT) senior official Cheng Hoi Kin urged the public during the press conference to plan their journeys in advance, and follow police instructions.
An IC statement on Friday said that the pilot scheme, which is sponsored by SJM Holdings Limited and Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited, aims to allow the public to enjoy the scenery and architecture along San Ma Lou (“New Road” in Chinese) from a new perspective. By injecting local cultural attractions in the hope of revitalising Macau’s community economy, enriching visitors’ sightseeing experience, and promoting the image of Macau as a multi-aesthetic city with “Chinese culture as the mainstream and multi-cultural exchange and cooperation base”.
Meanwhile, according to the press conference, the “Time Travel • Sam Pa Tour” – The Immersive Digital Experience Exhibition of Ruins of St Paul (Experience Version) will be held free of charge at St Paul’s College from next Friday to January 31. The event will be held every half an hour during the opening hours of the attraction. Each session will be open to eight people. Residents can make appointments through the bureau’s registration system to participate in the first round of experience.
Ruins of St Paul’s is known is Cantonese as “Sam Pa”.
The statement noted that due to the need for renovation and to ensure public safety, the Ruins of St Paul will be closed to the public until next Thursday.
The Church of St Paul was built by the Jesuits in 1637-40. It was destroyed by a fire during a typhoon in January 1835. It is one of Macau’s best-known landmarks.
“Unforgettable melodies at the Ruins of St. Paul’s” will be performed at the Ruins of St Paul’s on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., in which the highlight of the “Christmas New Year Music Festival” will be held on the evenings of December 24, 25 and 31 and January 1.
In addition, according to the programme, the public will be able to visit the erstwhile Iec Long Firework Factory, located on Rua de Fernão Mendes Pinto, over the Christmas holiday when it opens this Friday. At the same time, the press conference noted, “The Echo of Smoke and Glass – The History of Macau’s Firecrackers Industry” will be held. Through physical collections, historical photos and multimedia tours, visitors will be able to learn about the history of Macau’s firecracker industry in an “interactive way”.
The press conference underlined that the bureau will continue to build “culture as a base” as the core concept, define the historical and cultural context, and develop more high-quality cultural projects.
Meanwhile, some residents and tourists told The Macau Post Daily their opinion on the activities during a vox pop carried out yesterday in San Ma Lou.
Controversial among residents
A female resident, Wong, who works as a clerk, said she believed that historical sites are not found only in Macau but all over the world, but that Macau needed to distinguish itself by having sufficient supporting resources to attract tourists other than holding such kinds of events, as she noted a relatively low level of English proficiency among the local workforce, which she said was a drawback to turning Macau into a real international tourism city.
Wong said she worried that the programme would be “ineffective”, as the number of tourists coming to Macau remained unknown, and with the mainland economy in a poor state due to the three years of fighting the pandemic, she believed mainland tourists’ purchasing power was “poor” right now. Wong said she doubted how much Macau would be able to benefit from this programme.
Wong also worried about the traffic jams the event would cause, which would have some impact on people living nearby. Wong pointed out that San Ma Lou is one of the main arteries of Macau, especially for those who travel from Taipa to Macau.
A local student surnamed Leong said she thought that traffic jams would be a necessary “sacrifice” to attract tourists, since the local economy needed tourists to drive it, adding that she was interested in such local events and planned to come and “join in the fun”, but also said that she did know what to expect.
Good idea: tourists
A female visitor from Shenzhen surnamed Wei told The Macau Post Daily she believed it would be better to leave San Ma Lou as it is, “it’s already beautiful now”, Wei said while taking photos of it.
Wei said she thought the architecture in San Ma Lou was its most attractive feature, adding that she would be happy to taste some delicious food during the event. She also said she was not into shopping. Wei also said she did not, however, plan to stay in Macau during the Christmas holiday so would miss the event.
Another female visitor surnamed Wu, who is also from Shenzhen, said that she would visit Macau anyhow without any specific reason and that the programme itself would not be a reason for her to come to Macau in particular, noting that she was unaware of the upcoming event.
However, Wu said that she found Macau’s architecture and the tourist experience in general rather satisfying, and that the San Ma Lou programme was quite attractive. “Regardless of these activities, Macau is attractive enough,” she stressed.
Concerns about the floor plan: vendors
Wong, a male resident who runs an outdoor Chinese herbal tea mobile stall in San Ma Lou, said he would like to know the detailed route map and plan of the 450-metre-long pedestrianised area and was concerned whether it would have a big impact on his business, as he was not sure if the pedestrianised area would block the entrance next to where his stall is usually located.
Also, Wong said he was worried that the stalls in the pedestrianised area would switch the customers’ attention and thus have a negative impact on his business, adding that the government should have informed them (the area’s businesspeople) of the details in advance to minimise the impact on the shops nearby and considered the event a “pre-emptive strike” as it would go ahead without consulting the neighbourhood about it first.
The undated handout photo provided by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) on Friday shows the government’s “Strolling through Almeida Ribeiro- Pilot Scheme for a Pedestrian Area” slated for Christmas and New Year in San Ma Lou.
This photo taken yesterday shows a Chinese herbal tea mobile stall in San Ma Lou.
– Photo: Ginnie Liang
