The launch ceremony for the “Me and Chinese Culture – Macau’s History through Cultural Creativity” competition and its raft of exchange activities, as well as the “Ancient China in Cultural and Creative Products” exhibition, was held yesterday, aiming to showcase about 800 outstanding cultural and creative artefacts from museums nationwide and encourage professionals and young locals to unleash their creativity.
The launch ceremony for the competition and major exhibition, co-organised by the local government and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in conjunction with the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) and the National Museum of China, was held at Macau Forum in Zape.
IC President Deland Leong Wai Man noted in a speech that the cultural and creative competition has got off the ground. The contest will open up authorised creative assets and elements related to Macau’s UNESCO World Heritage and Intangible Cultural Heritage, encouraging local creators to unleash their creative potential. The government will select a batch of outstanding results for mass production to enter the market, she said.
According to an IC statement last night, the competition is officially open for submissions from today to October 30. Entries must feature recommended cultural elements, highlighting Macau’s urban symbols and cultural characteristics.
The statement noted that participants must be at least 18 years old, and each can submit up to five entries. The contest awards one Gold, one Silver, and one Bronze prize, plus seven Excellence awards, complete with cash prizes and certificates.
The statement did not say when the prizes would be awarded.
800 artefacts on display at Macau Forum
Leong also said that the national touring exhibition features about 800 outstanding Chinese cultural and creative artefacts, allowing cultural relics to be “interpretable, touchable, and collectible”.
The free-admission exhibition is open daily, except Mondays, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Leong added that the exhibition has previously travelled to major venues such as Spain’s capital Madrid, the China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair; and the Macao Cultural Centre (MCC) during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) tourism ministerial meeting, winning high acclaim from domestic and international audiences and serving as an innovative model for “bringing cultural relics to life”.
The special exhibition at Macau Forum brings top-tier national museum and cultural creative achievements back to Macau, open free to residents and tourists, Leong said.
Kong Lun, deputy director-general of the Bureau of International Exchange and Cooperation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in Beijing, noted that Macau’s 3rd Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development proposes to create Macau cultural IPs that possess cultural depth, regional characteristics, and market potential, adding that efforts will be made to actively cooperate with Macau in distilling these distinctive cultural symbols to create highly recognisable, richly connotative, and easily distributable cultural and creative products.
Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Wallis O Lam (fourth from right), Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Deland Leong Wai Man (second from right), Deputy General Director of the Bureau of International Exchange and Cooperation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism Kong Lun (third from right), and other representative pose during yesterday’s launch ceremony for “Me and Chinese Culture - Macau’s History through Cultural Creativity” competition and its raft of exchange activities, as well as “Ancient China in Cultural and Creative Products” exhibition at Macau Forum in Zape. – Photo: Ida Cheong
