Exhibition “Chapas Sínicas—Stories of Macao in Torre do Tombo” opens at the National Archive of Torre do Tombo in Portugal
The exhibition “Chapas Sínicas — Stories of Macao in Torre do Tombo”, jointly organized by the Archives of Macao under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau and the National Archive of Torre do Tombo of Portugal, was inaugurated on 8 October, at the National Archive of Torre do Tombo in Lisbon. The opening ceremony was held in a lively atmosphere and was officiated by the Director- General of the Directorate-General for Book, Archives and Libraries of Portugal, Silvestre Lacerda; and the Director of the Archives of Macao Lau Fong.
The “Chapas Sínicas” is a collection comprising a total of 3,600 documents, including Macao official letters written in Chinese during the Qing Dynasty, Portuguese translated copies of the letters and several other documents. preserved in the National Archive of Torre do Tombo of Portugal, which has been renamed “Official Records of Macao During the Qing Dynasty (1693-1886)” for the purpose of inscription in the Memory of the World Register. In 2016 and 2017 the collection was inscribed on the Asia-Pacific Register of the Memory of the World and on the Memory of the World Register, respectively. The records reflect the conditions of the society, people's lives, urban development, trade and commerce of Macao during the Qing Dynasty. In addition, they represent the significance of Macao to the world and record stories which although took place in Macao, are of historical relevance to China, Portugal , as well as to world history. The exhibition debuted in Macao last year. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Portugal and the 20th anniversary of Macao’s Handover to China. The exhibition is a manifestation of the friendly cooperation and resources sharing between the archival institutions in Macao and Portugal, contributing to the cultural exchange between China and Portugal.
The opening ceremony was attended by the Director of the Economic and Commercial Delegation of Macao in Lisbon, O Tin Lin; the Cultural Counsellor of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Portugal, Li Ji; the President of the International Institute of Macau, Jorge Rangel; the Director of the Office of the Organization of Ibero-American States in Portugal, Ana Laborinho; the former President of the Cultural Institute of Macao, Gabriela Pombas Cabelo; as well as by professional archivists and researchers. The exhibition “Chapas Sínicas— Stories of Macao in Torre do Tombo” is open to the public and is open from 9 October 2019 to 8 February 2020, at the National Archive of Torre do Tombo of Portugal in Lisbon.
