Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Leong Wai Man said yesterday that a new heritage protection centre linked with the world-famous Palace Museum in Beijing is slated to be completed by the end of this year, and an exhibition of cultural relics to be held in conjunction with the Palace Museum and the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Administration will be held in Macau in the second half of this year.
Leong made the remarks in a speech during the opening ceremony of the Macao International Museum Day Carnival 2024 held at the Mount Fortress Garden yesterday.
According to a China Daily report last year, the centre will have two major functions - protecting the cultural heritage of Macau, and displaying cultural offerings related to the Palace Museum, which is also known as the Forbidden City.
Leong said in her speech she hoped that the Macao International Museum Day Carnival series of activities will give better play to the social and educational functions of museums, deepen interaction among the museums in the Greater Bay Area (GBA), and enrich the content of Macau as a base for exchanges and cooperation where Chinese culture is the mainstream and diverse cultures coexist.
Jointly organised by a total of 22 museums in Macau, this year’s event showcased a variety of online and offline activities at yesterday’s opening ceremony, such as dance performances, game booths, workshops and online games, with some museums in Guangdong and Hong Kong having set up booths there, attracting big crowds yesterday.
The “Macao International Museum Day Carnival 2024 Online Game”, which began yesterday, runs through June 2, according to the bureau. Participants can enter the game page by scanning its QR code. Upon completing in-game tasks, participants can get game points, which can be redeemed for a prize, and a chance to enter a lucky draw. Prizes include gifts from museums and supermarket vouchers.
International Museum Day is celebrated every year on May 18. The Paris-based International Council of Museums (ICOM) has set this year’s theme as “Museums for Education and Research”.
All the museums in Macau will offer free admission at designated times. More information can be found on the “Museums in Macao” website at www.museums.gov.mo.
Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Leong Wai Man (front) attends yesterday’s Macao International Museum Day Carnival 2024 opening ceremony in the Mount Fortress Garden, with the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) official mascot Mak Mak (left), looking on.
– Photo: Ginnie Liang
