Macao team is carving “Golden Lotus Flower Embraced by the Dragon”.
A grand opening ceremony was held this morning (5 February) to kick off the Sapporo Snow Festival. The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government Dr. Alexis Tam was invited to attend the opening ceremony as one of the officiating guests, and inspected various tourism promotion projects Macao has rolled out on the HBC Macao Square. Making a debut in this year’s Sapporo Snow Festival with Macao chosen as a feature destination, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) is showcasing a snow sculpture of the Ruins of St. Paul’s at the center of the major event venue with a video projection mapping show. The Office also runs a Macao Café and a photo exhibition by a Macao artist based in Hokkaido, as well as hosted a gratitude dinner in the event. Besides the above highlights, the Office has invited a team from Macau Culinary Association to join the International Snow Sculpture Contest. The Ruins of St. Paul’s comes into the spotlight in Sapporo Snow Festival The Sapporo Snow Festival kicked off this morning (5 February) with an opening ceremony held on the HBC Macao Square located at 7 chome, the heart of Odori Site, the major venue of the Festival. The giant snow sculpture of the Ruins of St. Paul’s served as the key backdrop of the opening. Many Japanese citizens and international visitors stood in awe of the magnificent sculpture in the falling snow, enthralled by this masterpiece built with delicate artistry. At the opening today, Sapporo City Mayor, Katsuhiro Akimoto, mentioned that a total of 208 snow and ice statues in varying sizes are on display this year. Among them, the Ruins of St. Paul’s in snow, located at the main street and the opening venue, has become the icon of this edition. He also encouraged local citizens to travel to Macao. The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government Dr. Alexis Tam, Chief of Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Ip Peng Kin, MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, and General Manager of MGTO Representative in Japan, Fumihiro Sakakibara, attended the opening ceremony among other guests. After the opening ceremony, Secretary Tam paid an inspection to different tourism promotion projects rolled out by MGTO specially for the Festival on the HBC Macao Square. Destination promotion in creative ways During the Snow Festival, MGTO will project a 3D video mapping show upon the snowy façade of the Ruins of St. Paul’s, to radiate the myriad sparks of Macao’s cultural heritage and events ignited by their synergistic effect. The 10 minute-long projections will dazzle the snow sculpture every half an hour, enchanting the audience with the beauty of Macao in a fairytale of winter wonderland. Next to the snow-carved Ruins of St. Paul’s, a romantic Macao Café is set up to serve heartwarming Macao delicacies and hot drinks for visitors this snowy winter. In this café filled with Portuguese aroma, guests can relish Macao’s signature flavor recreated by Japanese chef who specially travelled to Macao to gain culinary experience. Besides, MGTO has invited Macao artist Season Lao, born in the 80s and currently based in Hokkaido, to share with visitors stories about Macao through a display of his stunning photographs of Macao. In addition, MGTO has invited a team of three snow-carving artists from Macau Culinary Association to join the 43rd International Snow Sculpture Contest, another highlight of the Festival, on behalf of Macao. Led by Chairman of the Association Perry Yuan Kam Hung, the team has to carve a snow sculpture openly at 11 chome on Odori Site from 4 to 7 February, presenting a piece of artwork known as “Golden Lotus Flower Embraced by the Dragon”. Winners will be announced on site on 8 February followed by a prize-giving ceremony. The Macao SAR Government hosted a gratitude dinner in the evening. During the dinner, Secretary Tam remarked that the event was a great success and an enhancer for friendly cooperation and tourism connections between Japan and Macao in the future. Nearly 30 Japanese officials, executives of travel trade and the press attended the dinner upon invitation. Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China in Sapporo, Sun Zhen Yong; Sapporo City Mayor, Katsuhiro Akimoto; Director of Department of Policy Planning and Coordination, Hokkaido Government, Hitoshi Kubota; Director General for Tourism, Hokkaido Government, Shinako Jin; Director General of Culture and Tourism Bureau, City of Sapporo, Masao Konishi; Chairman of Sapporo Tourist Association, Hisao Hoshino and President of Hokkaido Broadcasting Company, Takashi Watanabe, were present in the dinner among other guests.
