The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) hosted a joint press conference with the Macau Sports Bureau (ID) at the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM) in Nape yesterday about their 2-day “Cultural and Sports Carnival” starting next Saturday.
Yesterday’s press conference also announced a raft of cultural and sports activities to be co-hosted by the two bureaux this month.
The government announced in November last year the merger of the two bureaux by the end of this year.
IC President Deland Leong Wai Man said in a speech that the upcoming events represent a new endeavour in cultural and sports collaboration. She pointed out that culture is the soul and foundation of a city, while sport embodies its vitality and spirit of unity.
Leong said she hoped that the integration of culture and sports will inject new momentum into Macau’s development as a “City of Performing Arts” and a “City of Sports.”
According to a joint statement released during the press conference, the carnival will take place at the Nam Van Lake Nautical Centre, multiple UNESCO World Heritage sites, and various communities, involving a range of activities including dragon boat experiences, Cantonese opera, Portuguese folk dance, and Wing Chun kung fu*.
Besides, the statement also said that this month’s cultural and sports activities also include community activities, exhibitions, lectures, reading promotions, workshops, performances and others.
Sports Bureau Acting President See Lei Si Leng said in a speech that the core focus of this month’s cultural and sports activities is to align with the government’s policy direction by expanding sports resources into the community, cultivating a unique sports IP for Macau, leveraging the city’s sports branding and its ripple effects, and strengthening the integration and synergistic development of culture and sports.
Int’l Comedy Festival to start next Thursday
Meanwhile, Beijing Fun Age Entertainment Co., Ltd. co-hosted a press conference with Beijing Damai Culture Media Development Co., Ltd. at the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM) yesterday about co-organising the third four-day “Macau International Comedy Festival”, starting next Thursday.
Beijing Fun Age Entertainment Co., Ltd., commonly known as Kaixin Mahua (or Mahua FunAge), is a prominent Chinese entertainment company founded in 2003, specialising in comedy stage plays, musicals, and film production, according to DeepSeek.
Beijing Damai Culture Media Development Co., Ltd. (Damai.cn) is the nation’s largest online entertainment ticketing platform, established in 2003 and based in Beijing. Owned by Alibaba Group, it provides ticketing for concerts, theatre, and sports, according to DeepSeek.
The festival will be held in conjunction with the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC).
IC President Leong said in a speech during the press conference that in addition to maintaining coordinated activities between Macau and Hengqin, this year’s event will also feature special programmes at Nam Van Lake.
By leveraging the scenic advantage of the lakefront and hosting distinctive performing arts events, the initiative aims to promote the integration of culture with other sectors and create an innovative cultural tourism experience, she said.
Leong pointed out that outstanding participants from her bureau’s “Youth Actor Training Programme” will present a showcase performance on the festival stage so that the trainees can gain practical experience and broaden their horizons in the performing arts.
Interested individuals can purchase tickets through online platforms such as the Damai app and WeChat mini-programs. For more information, please visit the website at www.instagram.com/macaucomedyfestival/.
*Wing Chun is a concept-based Chinese martial art known for its efficiency, directness, and economy of movement. It is a form of kung fu (a term broadly meaning skill achieved through hard work) that emphasises practical self-defence over athleticism or showy techniques. According to tradition, Wing Chun was developed over 300 years ago by Ng Mui, a Buddhist nun who survived the destruction of the Shaolin Temple. She synthesised the essence of Shaolin kung fu into a more efficient system that did not rely on brute strength, making it suitable for smaller, weaker practitioners. She named it after her first student, Yim Wing Chun (“Beautiful Springtime”). Wing Chun gained worldwide recognition largely through Ip Man, a grandmaster who taught in Hong Kong in the mid-20th century. His students included Bruce Lee Siu-lung, who incorporated Wing Chun concepts into his own philosophy, Jeet Kune Do (“Way of the Intercepting Fist”). – DeepSeek
Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Deland Leong Wai Man (second from right), Macau Sports Bureau (ID) Acting President See Lei Si Leng (second from left), IC Vice President Choi Kin Long (right) and ID Vice-President Mok Chi Hang look on during yesterday’s press conference at the Macau Cultural Centre in Nape. – Photo: Armindo Neves
