The Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government will organize an Academic Research Lecture in the Cultural Affairs Bureau Auditorium (Edifício do Instituto Cultural, Tap Seac Square, Macao) at 6:30pm on Friday 26 November. Huang Hongzhao, professor of Department of History at Nanjing University, will give a lecture on “The Development of Macao's Ocean Culture". The lecture will be given in Mandarin with Cantonese, Portuguese and English simultaneous interpretation. Entrance is free.
Relics from the Stone Age site at Hac Sa, Coloane of Macao show that Macao people lived on fishing and hunting 5000 years ago, just like their counterparts in southern Zhuhai. Macao is therefore considered typical of southern China ocean culture, characterized by its external-oriented, open and commodity features. The settlement of Portuguese in Macao in 1557 spurred the development of Macao's ocean culture. Over centuries, this culture has gradually transformed and become outward-looking and pluralistic with a combination of leisure and recreation. On the other hand, Macao's ocean culture has a practical significance. Since opening up to foreign trade, Macao has reached out to the world via the ocean; at the same time, it embraces cultures from all continents. Macao has played a significant role in Sino-western cultural exchange in modern China as a gateway of western culture into China.
The lecture will introduce the characteristics and development of Macao's ocean culture, as well as how Macao could make use of its ocean culture advantage to remain a bridge in promoting international exchange and cooperation.
Huang Hongzhao is a professor at the History Department of Nanjing University; former deputy head of the History Department, deputy secretary-general of the standing committee of the China Association of Modern World History Studies, vice-president of Jiangsu Research Institute for Education of History and member of the history department of the 8th five-year plan review team of the State Education Committee. Huang is engaged in studies of Hong Kong and Macao history, world history and history of international relations. His major works include "Collection of Huang Hongzhao's papers on history studies", “Collection on Macao”, “Modern History of Hong Kong”, “Advantages in Culture and Dominant Culture of Macao”,“Macao Officials in Ming and Qing Dynasties and the Modern Macao”. In 2008, Professor Huang was awarded a Cultural Affairs Bureau academic research grant to study the development of Macao's ocean culture.
For further details, please contact Ms. Chu of the Macao Historical Archives of the Cultural Affairs Bureau at 85986537.
