The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) hosted a ceremony yesterday entitled “20th Anniversary of the Successful Inscription of the ‘Historic Centre of Macau’ on the UNESCO World Heritage List” at the Dom Pedro V Theatre in Largo de Santo Agostinho.
The theatre, built in 1860, is one of Macau’s historic edifices protected by UNESCO. It is one of the oldest Western-style theatres in the Far East.
The Historic Centre of Macau was officially inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, becoming China’s 31st World Heritage Site at that time – a pivotal cultural achievement following Macau’s return the motherland, according to a statement on the bureau’s website.
The Historic Centre of Macau consists of an “urban ensemble” of 22 monuments and eight plazas interconnected through the old city’s streetscapes, the statement points out.
Macau, according to observers, a meeting place of Eastern and Western cultures and a key node on the Maritime Silk Road, historically served as a bridge for commercial and cultural exchanges between China and the West. Today, as one of China’s current two special administrative regions, Macau is widely regarded by observers as a living testament to the nation’s growing cultural soft power under the “One Country, Two Systems” principle.
IC President Deland Leong Wai Man said in a speech at the ceremony that cultural heritage preservation is a civilisational relay for sustainable continuity. Over the past two decades, she said, the local government has consistently adhered to UNESCO World Heritage conservation principles, collaborating with all sectors of civil society in implementing strategies of protection and adaptive reuse. Legal safeguards, restoration monitoring, technological conservation methods and global partnerships have fortified the Historic Centre of Macau’s heritage preservation defences, she said.
During yesterday’s opening ceremony, the Cultural Affairs Bureau and Post and Telecommunications Bureau (CTT) jointly launched the 20th anniversary commemorative stamps, while inaugurating the bureau’s “Let’s explore the World Heritage!” programme – a guided tour and workshop series exploring the history, architecture, and cultural values of Macau’s UNESCO World Heritage.
According to a separate IC statement, the bureau yesterday published an architectural survey atlas entitled “Measured Drawings* of the ‘Historic Centre of Macao’”, while unveiling a raft of celebrations from this month until the end of the year, featuring 20 thematic programmes with over 50 events to mark the UNESCO inscription anniversary
Meanwhile, Leong told reporters on the sidelines that the UNESCO World Heritage Centre has mandated a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) for Macau’s planned Zone A and B viaduct and Light Rail East Line projects. She said this was a standard procedural step where construction cannot commence until UNESCO reviews the finalised HIA, currently delayed as the viaduct remains still in its preliminary planning stages.
Regarding a certain Guia hill high-rise building project, she said that the updated design plans have been submitted to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre in Paris, which confirmed that the project may proceed without a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) in accordance with its prior resolution.
*Measured drawings are precise, scaled architectural or technical drawings created by carefully measuring and documenting an existing building, structure, or object. These drawings aim to accurately represent the dimensions, materials, and details of the subject. – DeepSeek
Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Wallis O Lam (fourth from right), Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the MSAR Deputy Director Zhang Yingjie (fourth from left), Ministry of Foreign Affairs Commission in the Macao SAR Deputy Commissioner Sun Xiangyang (third from left), Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Deland Leong Wai Man (second from left), Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) President Chao Wai Ieng (left), Post and Telecommunications Bureau (CTT) Director Derby Lau Wai Meng (right) and other representatives officiate at yesterday’s ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the official recognition of the Historic Centre of Macao as UNESCO World Heritage. – Photo: GCS
