Opening ceremony of The House of Macao Literature
The opening ceremony of The House of Macao Literature was held at 4pm on 17 September and was officiated by the representative of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, the Chief of Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Ho Ioc San; the Director of the Department of Publicity and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR, Wan Sucheng; the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, Leong Wai Man; Member of the Cultural Consultative Committee, Carlos Marreiros; and the President of the Pen of Macau, Lei Kun Teng. The House of Macao Literature will be open to the general public from tomorrow, showing the aspects of Macao’s literature to residents and tourists, facilitating literary exchanges and diversified combination, and providing a greater space for the development of local literature.
The premises were built in the 1920s and served formerly as a residence for civil servants. It is also part of the architectural complex “no. 89-95G, Avenida do Conselheiro Ferreira de Almeida”, which is assessed as one of the ensembles in the classified immovable properties in Macao. The two-storey building features a permanent exhibition room, a reading room, a thematic exhibition room, multifunction rooms and inner and outer gardens. With collection, showcase, exchange and research functions, The House of Literature is adjacent to Tap Siac Square where cultural facilities and civic activities are concentrated, connecting the complexes of world heritage buildings nearby, giving full play to the distinctive landscape of each area, resonating with the cultural and creative spaces of the region, enhancing the cultural tourism experience of residents and tourists, promoting cultural exchanges and establishing the positioning of Macao as “a base for exchange and cooperation where Chinese culture is the mainstream and diverse cultures coexist”.
The permanent exhibition room presents an overview of the evolution of Macao’s literature and showcases the works and original manuscripts of various influential writers. It also features several representative Chinese and Portuguese poets and writers, as well as literary associations and literary periodicals from different periods. The “Wall of Book Covers” featured in the exhibition is an overall representation of the constant evolution of Macao’s literature from the past to the present and into the future, allowing the public to discover and feel the power of Macao’s literary heritage through these images. The exhibition “The House of Macao Literature Series” is currently held in the thematic exhibition room, presenting a number of books published by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, showcasing the diversity and profound connotations of Macao’s literature. The book series is composed of “Documentation Series”, “Literary Works Series” and “Studies and Review Series”.
The reading room offers a variety of literary works, a selection of periodicals and children’s books, as well as multimedia games and interactive devices for the public to learn with fun. Reservation for two multifunction rooms on the second floor will be open for interested parties and cultural associations for the purpose of small exhibitions, talks, film screenings and other activities.
In addition, in order to encourage residents to visit The House of Macao Literature, those who visit the venue from 18 September to 15 October and collect all five stamps on the venue passport can redeem a special gift, including postcards, document folders, sticky notes and bookmarks. Different gift will launch in weekly phases over the course of four weeks. Limited gifts are available on a daily basis.
The House of Macao Literature is located at no. 95A-B, Avenida do Conselheiro Ferreira de Almeida (between Tap Seac Gallery and Jao Tsung-I Academy). The House is open daily from 10am to 6pm (last admission at 5:30pm), including public holidays and is closed on Mondays. Admission is free. In cooperation with the epidemic prevention efforts of the SAR Government, all visitors must wear face masks, undergo body temperature checks, present a valid “Venue QR Code” (also known as “Venue Code”) and a “Macao Health Code” of the day, and comply with the anti-epidemic and crowd control measures on-site. For more information about The House of Macao Literature, please contact the House through tel. no. 2872 8205 during office hours or visit its website at www.clm.gov.mo.
