Canadian Chinese writer Amy Lau Chuen Yim presented the Chinese- and English-language versions of her book “Memories of old Macau: The Story of My Childhood” at the International Institute of Macau (IIM) in Nape on Saturday. Lau, a retired librarian and teacher living in Edmonton, Alberto, Canada, gave an evocative presentation in Cantonese about her “eight happy childhood years” in Macau that began in 1958, when her family arrived here from her native Guangzhou. The family moved to Hong Kong when she was 11 years old. The English-language version of her book was published in 2022 but due to the COVID-19 pandemic only on Saturday was Lau finally able to present her book’s original Chinese version and its translation into the English language to the public in Macau, even though both have been on sale for some time in Macau, Hong Kong and elsewhere. The book has been translated into English by Gigi Lam from Macau and Dr Wai Man Chan from Hong Kong. Readers have praised the quality of the translation including its Portuguese-Chinese place names that can be a major challenge for translators, as well as the beautiful paintings of erstwhile Macau by well-known local artist Chan Iu Pui. The book, whose Chinse version has been a bestseller in Hong Kong and Macau, offers a great read – visually enriched to boot – for anyone interested in what Macau was all about between the late 1950s and mid-1960s. Lau’s presentation was attended, among others, by professionals from Macau’s education and culture sector and students as well as IIM President of the Board of Directors Jorge Rangel, a former policy secretary for Administration, Education and Youth (1991-99) and Board Member Rufino Ramos, a former administrator of the University of Macau (UM). Lau’s husband Dr Brian Chiu “freelanced” as MC at Saturday’s hour-long presentation. After spending some time in Hong Kong, Lau and her husband will return long to Edmonton where she spends her retirement writing and brush painting.
– Caption and photo by Harald Brüning
