The Macau Synergy Association think tank said in a statement yesterday that it has sent a letter to Commissioner Against Corruption Chan Tsz King calling for an official investigation into the “suspected illegal approval” of the demolition of Lok Kok Teahouse in Rua Cinco de Outubro.
Lok Kok, which opened in 1913 and closed in 1990, was one of Macau’s most famous teahouses. It was famed for its traditional Chinese wood-panel ceiling.
According to the Chinese-language letter, a copy of which was received by The Macau Post Daily yesterday, the building, which has recently been completely demolished, was a listed building.
Asked by reporters about the matter yesterday, Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) Vice President Leong Wai Man said that the demolition project had been recently approved as the building had almost completely collapsed over the past three decades, adding that the bureau had ordered its new owner to restore the building to its original design and to use specific methods and materials in its reconstruction.
This undated photo provided by Macau Synergy Association yesterday shows an empty plot of land where the Lok Kok Teahouse once stood.
