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“Macao Light Festival 2016 – Treasure of Light” will come on stage from 4th to 31st December, presenting video mapping projections, light installations, interactive games as well as a music and light show at various locations in Macao. This year, the Festival will introduce innovative projection techniques and new interactive elements, in hope that more citizens and visitors will come to enjoy a more fascinating program of the Festival which promises a more compelling effect as a mega event. The organizer, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), held a press conference today (25 November) to introduce the event program. Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, Cultural Affairs Bureau and Sports Bureau are the event co-organizers. MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes and Deputy Director Cheng Wai Tong, Vice President of Sports Bureau, Lau Cho Un, as well as representatives of Cultural Affairs Bureau and Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau were present in the press conference along with other personages today. Director Senna Fernandes stated that the Macao Light Festival will be inaugurated on 4th December, the same day with the Macao International Marathon and the Parade through Macao, Latin City. During the Macao Light Festival, the city will also celebrate the 17th Anniversary of the Establishment of Macao Special Administrative Region and the Christmas holidays. Through a line-up of mega events, the Government strives to unleash a greater synergy and transform Macao into a City of Events, in line with the city’s goal to become a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. “As the organizer, MGTO will put unsparing efforts to present a spectacular Macao Light Festival, hoping to set off a mass fervor for the dazzling event again, and forge the Festival into a signature annual event,” she remarked. Remarkable blend of technology and innovation “Macao Light Festival 2016 – Treasure of Light” will be staged from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily from 4th to 31st December. The route covers a total of eight venues including Nam Van Lake Nautical Centre, Avenida Panorâmica do Lago Nam Van, Anim’Arte Nam Van, St. Lawrence’s Church, Mandarin’s House, Lilau Square, Moorish Barracks and Barra Square. Revolving around a quest for the “Treasure of Light”, the Festival invites citizens and visitors to embark on an adventure as “explorers” to look for seven lost Energy Gems of Mazu, which symbolize the meaning of 'Hope', 'Perseverance', 'Health', 'Happiness', 'Harvest', 'Bravery' and 'Faithfulness'. By collecting the seven gems, they can awaken treasure from the sea and enjoy a virtual reality tour beyond their imagination. It is fun for participants, young and old, to enjoy the activities involved. The production team of the Festival this year mainly comprises local teammates and partners from Hong Kong. The entire production features innovative projection techniques of video mapping which is not confined to architecture façade. The video mapping show at Nam Van Lake Nautical Centre will be projected upon a cascade of water. In addition, more interactive elements as well as a new music and light show are included to attract local and foreign spectators. A new mobile application named “Treasure of Light” is launched this year, featuring maps of the covered routes, program, theme game, the latest information and selfie-taking feature. The content of the App is available in Chinese and English. The App can be downloaded by the public for free on App Store or Google Play. Video Mapping illustrates stories about Macao Four video mapping shows namely “Sailing”, “Inheritance”, “Source of Water” and “Carrying-on” will be staged at Nam Van Lake Nautical Centre, Mandarin's House, Lilau Square and Barra Square respectively. The shows will take the audience to travel back into the old days of Macao for its moving stories. The shows are scheduled as follows: 7 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 8 p.m., 8:30 p.m., 9 p.m., 9:30 p.m. and 9:55 p.m. Every show spans 5 minutes. To facilitate the event “Walk for a Million”, the video mapping show and light installation at Barra Square will be temporarily suspended from 10th to 14th December. Light installations shine with new interactive elements Seven sets of light installations in total will be rolled out at various locations, including “Lake of Treasure” comprising 360 LED glow balls at Nam Van Lake Nautical Centre, “Path of Treasure” at Avenida Panorâmica do Lago Nam Van, “Light Painting, Neon Sketching and Street of Illusion” at Anim'Arte Nam Van, “Blessing Stairways” at St. Lawrence's Church, “Tree of Blessing” at Lilau Square, “Cave of Gems” at Moorish Barracks and “Harbor of Hope” at Barra Square. Most of the light installations will shine with new interactive elements. Among them, the “Light Painting” will enable spectators to creative their own graffiti of light and share photos on social network, while “Neon Sketching” will let spectators to sketch their own art pieces of neon light in concert. Creative interactive games add great fun A total of five interactive games with an enhanced level of interactivity will be available in the upcoming Festival. At Nam Van Lake Nautical Centre, “The Tree of Wishes” will enable participants to create their own fireworks through the LED Matrix installed for the video mapping show, whereas the “Romance Detector” at St. Lawrence's Church will combine video mapping effects to bestow blessings of love. For the “Lantern of Wishes” in Mandarin’s House, participants can ride a glowing seesaw to set off projections of blessing lanterns together. For the “Fountain of Light” at Lilau Square, participants can step into a fountain of light and collect gems flying down from the fountain. The public can play the interactive game “Lost Gem” on the mobile app “Treasure of Light” and collect the seven lost gems. They can then activate the collected gems on the game device “Eyes of Treasure” set up at Nam Van Lake Nautical Centre and Barra Square. After activating the seven gems, participants will be able to find the mysterious treasure and embark on a virtual reality tour. In addition, exquisite souvenirs can be redeemed at the two abovementioned locations. The interactive games will be held from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. except during the video mapping shows. On 24th December, the “Romance Detector” will end earlier at 9 p.m. Music and light show bespokes local artistic power The newest music and light show named “Melody of Light” will come on stage at Anim’Arte Nam Van, where citizens and visitors can find various cultural and creative stores, a craft market and more. In the show, local artists will orchestrate an array of spectacular performances into a symphony of painting art, music and light. The show will demonstrate local artistic power and lead visitors into a local world of cultural and creative art, gracing the Festival with new leisurely experience. The performers will play different styles of music with different musical instruments glittering with glow graffiti painted by a local artist. Spanning 15 minutes, the music and light show will take place every half an hour from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the Macao Light Festival, as well as on 8th, 20th, 21st and 26th December. Last December, MGTO held the inaugural edition of the Macao Light Festival – Journey of Lights. Following the Festival, the Office conducted an impact evaluation of which the result confirmed that the event had widely won recognition from citizens and visitors. A line-up of festive events during last December, including Macao Light Festival, Macao International Marathon and the Parade through Macao, Latin City, had unleashed a synergistic effect and led to growth in various tourism figures. Following that, MGTO staged another widely popular event named “Valentine's Day Fantasia 2016 – The Fairytale of Lights” this February. In the future, MGTO will continue to organize a diversity of mega events to enrich the city’s offer of leisure experiences, while assisting to promote integrated and complementary development of various industries to open up a new landscape for the tourism and leisure industry. In addition, the Office will strive to deepen cooperation across the fields of tourism, culture and sports for a stronger synergy, in hope to attract visitors from various source markets and encourage them to stay longer in Macao. The office will also apply more innovative technology and multimedia in tourism to promote smart tourism development in Macao.
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The joint task group for nuclear safety today (Thursday) paid a visit to the nuclear power plant in Taishan Prefecture, Guangdong Province, in order to gain a better understanding of its facilities and how the site has been planned. The plant has not yet started operation, according to information provided to the Government. The Government pays great attention to the public’s interest in safety issues regarding nuclear energy generating facilities located near Macao. It is actively seeking steps to allay any public concern regarding the safety of the Taishan nuclear facility in particular. Today’s visit was led by the Coordinator of the Security Forces Coordination Office, Mr Choi Lai Hang. The visiting group comprised members from a number of public departments and several Macao associations. The visit received support from: relevant ministries and departments of the Central Government; the Guangdong provincial authorities; and the Taishan Nuclear Power Joint Venture Co., Ltd. During the visit, a representative from the company stated the plant had already established an emergency response area as part of its nuclear emergency plan. According to relevant regulations, this area was divided in several zones: a pre-evacuation zone included the area within a five-kilometre radius of the plant; a secondary zone extended to 50 kilometres around the plant, and provisions for this area in case of an unscheduled nuclear event included mostly safety checks on any food produced in the area, and on any water sourced there. The radius of the latter safety zone is in line with the strictest requirements under existing regulations. Were an unscheduled event to occur that was categorised as of the most serious type, there would be no need to evacuate any area outside a 20-kilometre radius of the plant, said the representative. Macao is 67 kilometres away from Taishan. This means no part of Macao would require evacuation even in the case of the most serious category of unscheduled event at Taishan. According a seven-level scale for unscheduled events – as defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency – the first three levels are classified as “incident”, and levels four to seven are defined as “accidents”. In China, there has been no event categorised as more serious than level two. During the visit to the nuclear plant, the representative said the firm would – as always – comply with national laws and standards for developing nuclear power facilities. At the same time, the company pledged to enhance safety management at its facilities and maintain strict quality control regarding the equipment used in the Taishan project, in order to ensure the safety of the nuclear power plant. In addition, the SAR Government was working closely with Guangdong’s Emergency Management Office, regarding the establishment of a mechanism for regular communication between the provincial authorities and Macao. This was in order to facilitate exchanges relating to safety matters and in order better to respond to any public concern. Once the mechanism had been set up, it would facilitate further visits from Macao observers – including various sectors of the community – in order to enhance the public’s understanding regarding development of nuclear power at Taishan. The Government is analysing if there is a need to update Macao’s emergency response measures in order to cope with any possible unscheduled nuclear event in neighbouring areas. In June, the Government invited mainland experts in nuclear energy to Macao, to enable them to provide further details of the construction of the Taishan plant, and to share their knowledge with the public, regarding nuclear safety.
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The International NeuroELT Conference: Neuroscience and Language Teaching was recently held at the University of Macau (UM). 128 scholars from Chile, Brazil, Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, the Philippines, mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao, attended the conference and discussed the relationship between language teaching and the latest developments in educational neuroscience. The theme of the conference, ‘NeuroELT’, means the combination of educational neuroscience and English language teaching. During the conference, Dr Sun Yilin, director of UM’s English Language Centre and president of the TESOL International Association, gave a keynote speech, titled ‘21st Century ELT: Trends, Strategies, and Implications’. The two-day conference included eight main plenaries and presentations. Topics discussed at the conference included NeuroELT pedagogy, neuroplasticity, motivation, movement, collaboration, learning, cognition, and brain-based learning. Invited speakers included scholars in the field of English language teaching, with a focus on mind, brain and education, as well as authors of ELT textbooks. During the conference, a number of PhD students from UM told the participants about a cognition laboratory under the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and presented the lab’s various pieces of equipment, including eye tracking devices and EEGs. They also discussed how the equipment measures language acquisition.
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The International NeuroELT Conference: Neuroscience and Language Teaching was recently held at the University of Macau (UM). 128 scholars from Chile, Brazil, Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, the Philippines, mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao, attended the conference and discussed the relationship between language teaching and the latest developments in educational neuroscience.
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Since its launching, the Busking Programme, organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, has introduced a number of “Buskers” to present creative art shows at the three Busking Points, namely Anim’Arte NAM VAN, the Taipa Houses and the Mount Fortress Garden. The contribution of this programme has been highly appreciated by the participating artists, residents and tourists, increasing the city’s vitality. 57 applications for the Busker Card have been received until 18 November, which demonstrates a very good response. Between 7 and 18 November, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym) received 57 applications for the Busker Card, of which 53 were from local residents and 4 from foreign applicants, corresponding locals applications to 90% of the total. Among these, 40 applications have been approved and the rest are still being processed. The “Busking Programme” comprises performing arts, visual arts and creative crafts. Some applicants have applied for more than one type of street performances; submitted applications include 50 performing arts activities, 7 visual arts activities and 6 creative crafts activities. Since the launch of the “Busking Programme”, “Buskers” presented excellent performances at different “Busking Points”, attracting a flow of people in each site. The “Buskers” unique performances interact with the public, creating a good cultural exchange space. The Programme has been well received by both residents and tourists. The public thinks that the distinctive performances leave a good impression, thereby further enhancing the cultural atmosphere and injecting even more vitality in the city. The first phase of the “Busking Programme” will run for 3 months. During the trial period, “Buskers” can showcase their artistic skills at the three Busking Points, namely Anim’Arte NAM VAN, the Taipa Houses and the Mount Fortress Garden, every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and on public holidays. Buskers who are interested to use the Busking Points must first apply for a Busking Card before they can perform at the Busking Points in the designated opening hours. The Busker Card is valid up to 31 January 2017. Interested individuals can apply for a Busker Card online through IC’s webpage or in person at the Cultural Affairs Bureau Building from Monday to Friday (excluding on public holidays) from 10am to 5:30pm (including during lunch hour). For guidelines and details of the Programme, please visit IC’s webpage at www.icm.gov.mo/busking. For enquiries, please call IC through tel. no. 8399 6699, during office hours.
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Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, Alexis Tam, attended today (24) the opening ceremony of the ‘International Gastronomy Forum, Macao 2016’, organized by Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), under the theme ‘Power of Gastronomy’, with the activities of the event running between November 23 to 26. The Forum gathers members of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, experts and academics, to connect with and share their successful cases. MGTO organizes this Forum as part of the work in forging ahead to develop Macao as a gastronomy city, on the road to transform the city into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. The opening ceremony of the ‘International Gastronomy Forum, Macao 2016’ was held this morning at MGM Macau, with Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam, delivering a welcome speech and the Secretary-General of China National Commission for UNESCO, Du Yue, presenting a keynote message to the event. UNESCO Creative Cities Network members and experts gathered in Macao The guests of honor of the opening ceremony also included MGTO Director, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, the Mayor of Dunedin, New Zealand, Dave Cull, the Deputy Mayor of Phuket, Kosol Taeng-Utai, the Deputy Mayor of Östersund, Sweden, Christina Hedin, the President of the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT), Fanny Vong, the Vice President of IFT, Florence Ian, MGTO Deputy Directors Cecilia Tse and Cheng Wai Tong, the Acting Deputy Director of Education and Youth Affairs Bureau, Leong Vai Kei and the Dean of the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management of Macau University of Science and Technology, Philip Xie. Other participants and guest speakers attending the Forum include representatives from around the world from 17 city members of UNESCO Creative Cities Network in Gastronomy and Literature, the World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for the Asia and the Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO, China Cuisine Association, Tourism Development Committee members, tourism academics, Macanese food experts and others, in a total of over 200 delegates. The city members of UNESCO Creative Cities Network joining the Forum include mayor, deputy mayor, tourism director, executive managers-level and other representatives from 16 of the existing 18 Gastronomy Cities - namely, Belém and Florianopolis (Brazil), Chengdu and Shunde (China), Popayán (Colombia), Rasht (Iran), Parma (Italy), Zahlé (Lebanon), Ensenada (Mexico), Bergen (Norway), Jeonju (South Korea), Dénia (Spain), Östersund (Sweden), Phuket (Thailand), Gaziantep (Turkey) and Tucson (USA), as well as one Creative City of Literature, Dunedin (New Zealand). Alexis Tam welcomed the participants to the event stating that “amid other infrastructure and tourism-related projects in the pipeline, we have attached great importance in our ongoing work for the application to become a UNESCO Creative Cities Network member. We strongly believe that the City of Gastronomy designation is the best way for us to seek recognition of our culinary distinctiveness.” The Secretary added that “the discussions generated from this forum will facilitate our task at formulating a model of destination management that will unleash the potential of gastronomy and other cultural and creative resources.” The Secretary-General of China National Commission for UNESCO, Du Yue, noted on his keynote message that “by applying for joining the Creative Cities Network in the field of Gastronomy, it will help Macao to showcase its diverse culture to the world while promoting exchanges and mutual learning of civilizations. I believe Macao fits the criteria and potential for application to bid as a Creative City of Gastronomy and the National Commission of China for UNESCO shall give its full support to Macao’s bid to UNESCO. To the representatives of other Creative Cities of Gastronomy present with us today, I invite you to meet and exchange perspectives with your Chinese counterparts and support Macao to be designated a Creative City of Gastronomy, to add a new shot of vitality to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.” Themed sessions and experience Macao tours The activities of the ‘International Gastronomy Forum, Macao 2016’ started yesterday (November 23) and will run until Saturday. The event includes two discussion sessions themed ‘Creativity and Gastronomy’ and ‘Sustainability on Gastronomy and Cultural Development’, along with a Round Table session. During the different sessions, members of UNESCO Creative Cities Network and experts will share their practical cases and insights on using creativity as a transformative driver for development, on how to integrate gastronomy and culture in order to make them sustainable in the new era, and experience sharing in forging ahead as a gastronomy city. Another important part of the program of the International Gastronomy Forum is to enable participants to experience the city’s gastronomical diversity, cultural heritage and new tourism attractions. The program of the Forum include a visit to the 16th Macau Food Festival, participation in a Macanese cooking demonstration, embark upon a walking tour through the city's heritage districts to Anim'Arte Nam Van, visit old Taipa Village, an evening tour of the city's new tourism complexes and more. Mission and vision to create an annual Forum Organized for the first time this year, MGTO plans to make the Forum an annual event, as part of its work in forging ahead to develop Macao as a gastronomy city, on the road to transform Macao into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. The Forum’s mission and vision is to promote and raise public awareness that creativity as a strategic factor enhances sustainable urban development. It wants to provide a platform for participating cities to communicate and understand the strengths of cultural assets, creativity and sustainable development. The Forum aims to connect cities to share their successful experience and learn from each other so as to boost the development of gastronomy in the creative field. It also aims to provide tours of culinary excellence to introduce Macao’s tradition, heritage and gastronomy-related industry. The Forum endeavors to demonstrate that food has become a common language shared by cities all around the world. UNESCO Creative Cities Network The Creative Cities Network is currently formed by 116 member cities from 54 countries covering seven creative fields: Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Music and Media Arts. Created in 2004, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network was created to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development.
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Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, Alexis Tam, attended today (24) the opening ceremony of the ‘International Gastronomy Forum, Macao 2016’, organized by Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), under the theme ‘Power of Gastronomy’, with the activities of the event running between November 23 to 26. The Forum gathers members of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, experts and academics, to connect with and share their successful cases. MGTO organizes this Forum as part of the work in forging ahead to develop Macao as a gastronomy city, on the road to transform the city into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure.
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The University of Macau (UM) will confer a Doctor of Social Sciences honoris causa degree on the educator Dr Tse Chi Wai for his contributions to education and social development, at the Ceremony for the Conferment of Honorary Degrees and Higher Degrees 2016, to be held on Saturday 3 December at 5:00pm in the University Hall. Dr Tse Chi Wai was born and completed his secondary education in Macao. He later received his bachelor of science degree in mathematics as well as master’s and PhD degrees in physics in the United States. During his 30-year presidency at Hong Kong Baptist University, Dr Tse promoted actively holistic education and was successful in raising its academic standards to the international level. In 2001, invited by the then chief executive of the Macao SAR, Dr Tse became the chair of the University Council of UM, with the major agenda of revamping UM’s governance, revising its charter, expediting its modernisation and internationalisation, and leading the new campus project. In addition to his contributions to higher education, Dr Tse has also served as the director of the Research Center for Sustainable Development Strategies of the Macao SAR, and is currently a member of the University Assembly of UM, chairman of the Executive Committee of the International Society of Chinese Medicine, and vice chair of the Trustees Committee of the University of Macau Development Foundation. His significant contribution to international higher education earned him ten doctoral degrees honoris causa and three titles of honorary professorship conferred by reputable universities in Europe, the United States, Australia, mainland China, and Hong Kong. During the ceremony, more than 800 students of PhD programmes, master’s degree programmes, and postgraduate certificate/diploma programmes, from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Faculty of Business Administration, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Science and Technology, Faculty of Social Sciences, and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, will receive their graduation certificates.
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The Government is stepping up efforts to develop finance leasing business in Macao, including via the drafting of a framework regulation and by inviting fresh investment to the city by companies experienced in such business. Speaking to the press today (Wednesday), the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Leong Vai Tac, said he hoped the draft version of a framework regulation for finance leasing business would be completed in 2017. To facilitate the development of a specialised financial sector in Macao, the Government had set up a cross-departmental taskforce – comprising also contributions from members from the city’s existing financial sector – to study further how to optimise relevant laws and regulations, and how to proceed with a supervised finance leasing system. The Government had contacted several large-scale international companies with experience in finance leasing and had noted that a number of them were interested in investing in Macao, said the Secretary. Mr Leong added that the Government had previously published a guidebook on the sector. Its aim was to provide local firms with a better understanding of the likely procedures needed regarding licensing for finance leasing businesses. Having such knowledge would allow interested parties to develop their related financial service business models. In addition, Mr Leong said the Government was striving to establish a system for trade credit insurance, a strategy that was supported by the Central Government. With such a system, Macao would be able to take a greater role in promoting cooperation between companies from Portuguese-speaking countries, and those from the mainland and from Macao. The Government was actively looking for underwriting companies or institutions as partners, in order to set up such a trade credit system, he said. The Government had received a positive response to its inquiries, and expected more progress would be made in the coming year.
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Consumer Council conducted its latest ‘Supermarket price survey’ in November on 23 November for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Surveyed locations included 13 supermarkets in Sé Parish. The latest ‘Supermarket Price Survey’ is now available on Consumer Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo), ‘Supermarket Price Information Platform’ iPhone and Android apps, and on the Council’s WeChat account page. The survey is also available free of charge at the offices of Consumer Council, IACM’s Iao Hon and S. Domingos Markets, bookstores and libraries. With reference to the local seven parishes and the number of supermarkets in each parish, the Council has divided around 100 supermarkets into 8 areas for price collection. The Council collects prices from these supermarkets for the provision of a more comprehensive database for consumers to check price discrepancies and make price comparisons according to their desired locations. For inquiry, please call 8988 9315.
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