The multimedia theatre production Chi Lam Vai (茨林圍), presented by the Chung Chi Drama Club, directed by Michael Chung (鍾志業), and written by Chung and Steven U (余志雲), will be performed at the Macao Cultural Centre (CCM) from September 11 to 13.
According to a statement released by the club on Saturday, the production – funded by the Cultural Development Fund – aims to explore the moving stories of a centuries-old village in Macau, tapping into the collective memory and cultural heritage shared by the local community.
Chi Lam Vai (aka Chi Lam Chuen – 茨林村), known in Portuguese as Pátio do Espinho, is a 400-year-old former walled village. It is situated just a street away from the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Na Tcha Temple – one of Macau’s two temples dedicated to the deity known in Putonghua as Nezha – and close to the Ruins of St Paul’s.
The statement noted that the story centres on a protagonist named Chi Lam, who grew up in the village. Her childhood was filled with the bustle of the traditional Na Tcha birthday parades and the warmth of living with her grandfather. However, after her grandfather passed away, relatives fighting over the family property tore her once-happy home apart. Forced to leave, she left with deep emotional scars and built a wall around her heart.
Years later, she returns to her old neighbourhood to fulfil her grandfather’s dying wish “to make a film about the village”. Facing the familiar surroundings and neighbours who had once cared for her, she expects to find that people’s hearts have grown cold. Instead, as she reconnects with the community, she gradually realises her grandfather’s protection never truly left her. The genuine warmth and her sense of belonging in Pátio do Espinho had always been there, waiting for her return.
Anyone interested in purchasing tickets may visit the Na Tcha-themed café Amigos do Espinho (茨林) at Chi Lam Vai or the cultural and creative concept store A Fat Cat on Estrada da Bela Vista (新雅馬路).
Tickets are priced at 180 patacas per person, or 150 patacas per person for presale purchases and group bookings of two or more.
This poster released by Chung Chi Drama Club promotes its upcoming multimedia theatre play “茨林圍” (Chi Lam Vai).
