Jointly organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region (IC, from the Portuguese acronym), the City Hall of Guimarães and the Vila Flor Cultural Centre of Guimarães, the opening ceremony of “Where the World Heritage Shines – Photography Exhibition of the Historic Centre of Macao” and a talk on the Historic Centre of Macao and Guimarães were held successfully at the Vila Flor Palace in Guimarães, Portugal, on 23 June 2017.
The opening ceremony was officiated by the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Macao S.A.R. Government, Leung Hio Ming; the Councillor for Culture of the City Hall of Guimarães, José Bastos; the Director of the Vila Flor Cultural Centre of Guimarães, Frederico Quiroz; the Director of the Economic and Commercial Delegation of Macao in Lisbon, O Tin Lin; the Assistant to the Councillor for Culture of the City Hall of Guimarães, Paulo Pinto; the architect and Chief of the Historic Centre Division of Guimarães, Miguel Frazão; the Advisor of the Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of Macao, Andrea Direito; the Director of the Archives of Macao, Lau Fong; and Chan Hio Io,who took the pictures featured in the exhibition.
The exhibition’s opening ceremony was preceded by a talk about the Historic Centre of Macao and Guimarães in the Vila Flor Cultural Centre, presented by the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Macao, Leung Hio Ming, and the architect and Chief of the Historic Centre Division of Guimarães, Miguel Frazão. The speakers talked about both historic centres and shared their experiences in conservation and revitalization of historical buildings. The ideas exchanged in the talk will serve as important references for historical buildings and heritage conservation in both places and will be highly beneficial for the promotion of the preservation of the two historic centres in the future. The Historic Centres of Guimarães and Macao were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2001 and 2005 respectively.
The exhibition and talk were included in the series of activities held in celebration of the Day of the City of Guimarães, which shows the degree of importance that this city attaches to the cultural exchange and dialogue with Macao. A series of cultural and arts activities, exhibition and performances is held each year to mark the Day of the City of Guimarães, drawing visitors from across the region to visit the city and its cultural attractions.
Chan Hin Io is a senior photographer nationwide and a recognised photographer in Macao. In recent years, he has been devoted to capturing Macao’s customs as well as the city’s landscapes, collecting several photography awards. Among his published works are The Neighbourhood of Macao – Documentary Photographs by Chan Hin Io, Memories of the Old Crafts and Trades in Macao, Life in Macao 2012 – Photographs by Chan Hin Io, Where the World Heritage Shines – Photographs of the Historic Centre of Macao and Picturesque Beauty of the Land - Aerial Photos of Macao by Chan Hin Io.
This exhibition now showcased in Guimarães, and previously presented in Macao, Zhongshan and Lisbon, features more than 90 photographs of the Historic Centre of Macao by Chan Hin Io, revealing the beauty and exuberant vitality of Macao’s cultural heritage and showing the charm of this small city through various angles. Among the photography works is a gigantic image of the Ruins of St. Paul’s, measuring 3 metres tall and 12 metres wide, which is roughly equivalent to two-thirds the size of the original world heritage site. The opening ceremony and talk were well-received and attended by numerous guests and residents, including experts and academics, photography lovers and Macao natives who have long settled in Portugal. The classification of the photographs on display and the spatial arrangement of the exhibition were made by the Production Manager in Portugal, Pedro Silva, who has enhanced the visual appeal of the exhibited works.
“Where the World Heritage Shines – Photography Exhibition of the Historic Centre of Macao” will be open at the Vila Flor Palace in Guimarães from 23 June to 12 August 2017 and then in Porto in March 2018. The exhibition is a manifestation of the friendly cooperation between cultural institutions in Macao and Portugal and an example of the ever-growing Sino-Portuguese cultural exchange.