While President Xi Jinping was visiting the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST), his wife Peng Liyuan visited the Macau Museum near the Ruins of St. Paul’s yesterday morning, and Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Deland Leong Wai Man said she hoped that through the visit of “this prominent guest” to the museum, it will demonstrate the creativity of Macau’s young generation in terms of cultural heritage, as well as the deep cultural confidence and development of cultural undertakings that have been accumulated in Macau since its return to the motherland 25 years ago.
Peng, accompanied by Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng’s wife, Cheng Soo Ching, stayed at the museum at Monte Fort for about an hour, during which she talked with students who had just visited it, and she even joined an activity of making almond cookies – a local delicacy and popular souvenir.
According to Leong, as reported by public broadcaster TDM, she briefed Peng, with the help of various exhibits, on the history of Macau’s development from a small fishing village to an important entrepôt on the Maritime Silk Road, as well as the evolution of Macau’s culture and history.
In a media interview after Peng’s visit, Leong told reporters that Peng, during her first visit to the museum, had shown her interest in the lives of Macau residents influenced by the local blend of Chinese and Western cultures, while also expressing her interest in the current “museum fever” – the trend of attending exhibitions, purchasing cultural and creative items, and immersing ourselves in the grandeur of Chinese civilization, that has been gaining traction and raised the number of visitors to museums, according to China Daily – in Macau by asking whether residents, especially children, do visit museums during holidays to learn about the city’s history and culture.
Speaking to the media, Leong quoted Peng’s recognition of turning the Macau Museum into a second classroom for students to learn about the city’s history, and her encouragement to students to study Macau’s history and culture well so that they can better assist in the construction of Macau in the future and make greater contributions to it.
During her visit, Peng also talked to intangible cultural heritage and traditional handicraft artisans, expressing her support and encouragement to the young people who are willing to devote themselves to the cultural heritage industry.
President Xi Jinping’s wife, Peng Liyuan, talks with students who had just finished visiting the Macau Museum on Monte Fort yesterday morning. – Photo: Xinhua
