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Once or twice a month, on a Saturday afternoon, the Historical Archives of Macao opens its doors to curious members of the public who come to attend one of its Conservation Workshops. Up to twelve participants meet in the Gallery of the old Historical Archives building to learn some of the fascinating skills used in conserving paper records. Designs so far have ranged from paperback and hard cover notebooks to silk-bound volumes and accordion fold-out books. The Conservation Workshops were launched in June 2009 to mark the newly established International Archives Day. The aim is to give local citizens an insight into this most traditional craft while demonstrating the care Historical Archives professionals extend to the historic documents they work with every day. The conservators working in the Historical Archives have years of experience and training in handling these precious records, and they are keen to share some of the basic notions involved in this craft with members of the public. While the presentation is mostly in Chinese, instructional support is also provided in English. Additionally, support is on hand for the hearing-disabled. Using a combination of visual presentation, written notes in Chinese and English, and practical demonstrations by the professional conservators, participants of all ages, some as young as ten years old, can spend a relaxing afternoon in the airy gallery of this historic building on Tap Seac Square and take away a completed handicraft project when they leave.
Registration for each workshop opens a few days before the scheduled date, and places usually get snapped up very quickly. The registration fee is MOP$20 and participants do not need to bring any materials or equipment. All workshops start at 2pm and end at 5pm. The Historical Archives of Macao will hold another of its popular binding workshops on Saturday 24th of April. Registration will open on April 19th for the workshop taking place on April 24th. To register, please visit the Historical Archives of Macao (open Mon-Fri, 09:30-18.30, Sat, 13.00-18.00) and pay the workshop fee of MOP$20. Places are limited and will be distributed according to order of registration. For more information about individual workshops, please visit www.archives.gov.mo. For further details, please contact Ms. Esther Chu at 85986537. To better inform the public of this activity, the schedule for the remainder of 2010 is as follows:
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According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, on a monthly basis, money supply M2 witnessed a decline after a continuous growth for five straight months. As deposits with banks dropped slightly and total loans saw an increase, the loan-to-deposit ratio rose from a month earlier. Money supply
Currency in circulation increased 7.1% whereas demand deposits decreased 8.6%. M1 thus dropped significantly by 6.2% compared with the previous month. Meanwhile, quasi-monetary liabilities fell 1.7%. The sum of these two items, i.e. M2, decreased 2.4% to MOP210.2 billion. On an annual basis, M1 and M2 rose 20.2% and 9.2% respectively. The share of Pataca (MOP) in M2 stood at 29.3%, up 0.5 percentage points over a month ago or 0.3 percentage points from a year earlier. Concurrently, the share of Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) in M2 was 52.9%, down 1.3 percentage points month-to-month but up 0.5 percentage points year-on-year. Deposits
Resident deposits dropped 2.7% from the previous month to MOP204.8 billion. Of which, MOP deposits and HKD deposits declined at respective rates of 1.3% and 4.7% while other foreign currency deposits rose 1.7%. Concurrently, non-resident deposits increased by 5.5% to MOP72.9 billion and public sector deposits with the banking sector also rose 1.5% to MOP15.5 billion. As a result, total deposits with the banking sector dropped 0.5% from the previous month to MOP293.2 billion. The shares of MOP and HKD in total deposits were 23.2% and 45.4% respectively.
Loans
Domestic loans to the private sector expanded 1.9% in February to MOP104.6 billion. Among which, MOP29.3 billion was MOP-denominated and MOP68.8 billion was denominated in HKD, representing 28.0% and 65.8% of the total respectively. Meanwhile, external loans grew 6.2% to MOP101.2 billion; of which, loans denominated in MOP and HKD accounted for 0.9% (MOP0.9 billion) and 41.6% (MOP42.1 billion) of the total respectively. Loan-to-deposit ratios
Due to the decline in resident deposits and increase in domestic loans to the private sector, the loan-to-deposit ratio for the resident sector grew 2.0 percentage points in a month to 47.5% at end-February 2010. The ratio for both the resident and non-resident sectors reached 70.2%, up 3.1 percentage points from the previous month.
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The University of Macau (UM) has identified Macaology as a key discipline in social science and has established relevant plans with the aim of developing Macaology into a “cultural business card” of Macao and accomplishing some high-quality achievements in the field within three to five years. The first International Conference on Macaology co-organized by the University of Macau (UM), Macao Foundation, Institute of European Studies of Macau, Macau Society of Social Sciences, and Union of Macao Scholars, was held at UM from 15 April to 16 April. Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of Macao SAR Cheong U, Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in Macao SAR Lu Shumin, Director of the Department of Education and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Macao SAR Liu Xiaohang, President of the Macao Foundation Victor Ng, UM Rector Wei Zhao, Vice President of Beijing Foreign Studies University Jin Li, Vice President of Sun Yat-Sen University Chen Chunsheng, member of the Administrative Committee of Macao Foundation Wu Zhiliang, UM Vice-rector Rui Martins, President of the Institute of European Studies of Macau José Luís de Sales Marques, and Acting Director of the Centre for Macau Studies of UM Hao Yufan, attended the opening ceremony. At the opening ceremony, UM representatives presented certificates of appointment to Dean of the School of Asia-Pacific Studies at Sun Yat-Sen University Takeshi Hamashita, member of the Administrative Committee of Macao Foundation Wu Zhiliang, and Dean of the Institute of World History at Peking University Qian Chengdan, who will serve as UM’s part-time professors specializing in the study of Macaology. Macaology is an international and synthetic discipline based on the abundant historical archives and cultural heritage of Macao. In search of Macao’s uniqueness, Macaology takes the culture and history of Macao as the object of study. In the 1980s, some Macao scholars floated the idea of creating a discipline called Macaology and held discussions regarding the concepts, contents, methods of study, and significance of Macaology. It has become the consensus among scholars that establishing “Macaology” and involving scholars from around the world to study Macao-related issues in a systematic and scientific manner so as to increase the influence of “Macao culture” are very important. The main task of Macaology is to explore the profoundness and uniqueness of “Macao culture” and to examine the forms and characteristics of different cultures as well as the effect resulted from the interaction between these cultures, from a global perspective. Since the mid-Ming Dynasty, Macao has played an important role in the Great Era of Navigation during which period westerners entered China and China served as a link with the world. Since then Macao has become an important port, a platform for the interaction between eastern and western cultures, and an incubator for new cultures. Through the interaction between eastern and western cultures, “Macao culture”, a new culture characterized by diversity, tolerance and harmony, was born. Macaology, which takes “Macao culture” as the object of study, has high theoretical and practical value. The emergence and development of “Macao culture” has offered valuable insights into how we humans should better get along with one another and know one another. The harmonious co-existence of and interaction between different nationalities, religions and cultures in Macao provides a solution to the all-pervasive conflicts plaguing the modern world: Instead of seeking victory through conquest and destruction through conflicts, we should seek harmony through diversity and common ground through difference. It can serve as a treasure trove of wisdom for solving the conflicts between different nationalities, religions, cultures, and nations, thus realizing harmonious co-existence of the human society. It can also help ensure the successful implementation of the “one country, two systems” policy in China. Given the profoundness of “Macao culture”, Macaology should not be considered a “regional” area of study. The conference has been warmly received in the international academic circle. More than 80 scholars from the Chinese Mainland, Portugal, America, Germany, Brazil, Italy, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao gathered at UM to share their views on a range of issues such as the academic framework, establishment and future development of Macaology. Latest findings in the field were also presented at the conference. Conference discussions revolved around 6 topics, namely Macao and Macaology; The Academic Characteristics and System of Macaology; Macao in a Global Perspective; The Consolidation of Historical Archives; History and Culture; and Religion and Society. This is the largest international conference in recent years to discuss the study of “Macao culture”. It will surely play an important role in promoting the future development of Macaology as well as the academic prosperity of Macao.
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The Institute For Tourism Studies Career Day 2010 was held on 15 April at Taipa Campus. The exhibition aimed to provide graduating students more information on the employment trends in the tourism and service industries, thus, increasing their chance of success in job hunting. Organisations from different sectors were invited to the exhibition and twelve career talks were delivered. Seventeen organisations with more than 2,000 job vacancies from the tourism and service industries joined the exhibition. These included DFS Cotai Limitada, Four Seasons Hotel Macao, Galaxy Entertainment Group, Grand Hyatt Macau, Holiday Inn Macau, L’Arc New World Hotel Macau, Lisboa Hotels Complex, macauHR, Mandarin Oriental Macau, Melco PBL Entertainment, MGM Grand Macau, Micro China Marketing & Consultant Co. Ltd., Pizza Hut, Starbucks Coffee, The Venetian-Macao-Resort-Hotel, The Westin Resort Macau and Wynn Macau. Representatives from the organisations provided students and alumni information about job openings in their companies and distributed application forms to those who were interested, on site interviews were also arranged. The graduates-to-be and alumni were enthusiastic about the exhibition, especially in attending the career talks. Questions regarding employment trends and employers’ expectation were raised and discussed in the talks. The employment rate of IFT graduates is always satisfactory. In April 2009, a graduates’ employment survey, targeting the Bachelor and Diploma and Certificate programme graduates of 2007/08, were launched. According to the results of the survey, 95.7% got employment and 84% got placements in the tourism and service sector. The Career Day 2010 aimed to be the platform of communication between students and employers. It allowed the graduating students to have a better view of the job market and maximised the chance of success in their career path.
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The Joint Meeting of the University Assembly (UA) and University Council (UC) of the University of Macau (UM) for the 2009/2010 academic year opened at UM on 12 April (Monday). Dr. Chui Sai On, Chief Executive of Macao SAR, Chancellor of UM, and Chair of UA, said at the meeting that the SAR government will carry out close cooperation with the University in various areas such as employment of UM graduates, using specialists from the University, and assisting the University with the application of research results. He expressed his hope that UM can take full advantage of the more favorable environment to make greater advances, nurture more outstanding graduates for Macao and the world, and progress towards the goal of becoming a world-class university in an incremental and systematic manner. This is the first UAUC Joint Meeting since appointment of the current members of the UA and UC. Dr. Chui Sai On, Chief Executive of Macao SAR, Chancellor of UM, and Chair of UA, presided over the meeting. Dr. Chui Sai On also invited Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of Macao SAR Mr. Cheong U, Chief of the Office of the Chief Executive Dr. Tam Chon Weng, and Chief of the Office of Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Ms. Cheung So Mui to attend the meeting. Dr. Chui Sai On said since implementation of the new Judicial Regime of the University of Macau in 2006, UM has launched a series of reforms, laying a solid foundation for pushing the internationalization of the University. He said as the Chancellor of the University he feels very proud of what UM has achieved. Dr. Chui Sai On said: “UM is a public university in Macao. It is also the leading comprehensive university and think tank for the local community. Therefore, it has a vital impact on the implementation of government policies as well as the realization of government objectives. The SAR government will convey the society’s expectations for the University in a clear, transparent and open manner. Last year, thanks to the effort of the SAR government, UC members and top management of the University, especially the great support from the Central Government, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress adopted a bill to authorize Macao SAR to exercise jurisdiction over the new campus on Hengqin Island upon its completion, creating favorable conditions for the University to improve its campus facilities and increase the intake of students.” Dr. Chui Sai On further added that the SAR government will do its best to ensure that the construction of the new UM campus and the subsequent relocation will be completed according to plan. He reiterated the government’s stance on the existing campus site of UM, saying that the site will be used solely for the purpose of accommodating social and cultural activities and will not be used for developing commercial housing. Dr. Chui Sai On stressed that developing UM into a world-class university is President Hu Jintao’s expectation for the University and is also a long-term goal for the University. He expressed his hope that UM can take full advantage of the more favorable environment to make greater advances, nurture more outstanding graduates for Macao and the world, and progress towards the goal of becoming a world-class university in an incremental and systematic manner while taking into consideration the unique situation of Macao. He said the SAR government will continue to provide policy-wise and financial support to the University and will carry out close cooperation with the University in various areas such as employment of UM graduates, using specialists from the University, and assisting the University with the application of research results. He also encouraged UM to step up communication with the government and try its best to build a team of teaching staff who are familiar with the social, political and legal systems of Macao and have high levels of teaching and research abilities. He said in the future UM will enter a new stage, which makes the guidance, supervision and support from UA and UC ever more essential, especially in the development of the new campus, implementation of the “whole-person” education, execution of curricula reform, and enhancement of scientific research. Dr. Chui Sai On expressed his hope that all UA and UC members can continue to provide support to the University to ensure its steady growth. After Dr. Chui Sai On finished his speech, UM Rector Wei Zhao summarised the major tasks and achievements over the past year. Rector Wei Zhao said: “2009 represented the most important milestone in the history of the University. The groundbreaking ceremony for the new campus was a success, and the new campus project will bring unprecedented opportunities for the University. UM takes quality education, scientific research and social service as its mission, and its objective is to become a world-class university with distinctive regional features. To accomplish this objective, UM has established a series of strategies, including creating an ‘elite undergraduate education’ brand, building a strong faculty team through global recruitment, stepping up effort in developing characteristic disciplines, and creating an efficient and environmentally-friendly campus. Last year UM launched a series of initiatives to promote general education for undergraduate students, including the establishment and implementation of a core general education programme, the foundation of the Honours College which aims to devote all resources available to develop a select group of top undergraduate students into future pillars of the society; and the implementation of the undergraduate research programme which aims to help students lay a solid foundation for their future research. UM has also launched a series of measures to reform the teaching staff and academic affairs management systems, including the establishment of The Centre for Teaching and Learning Enhancement, with the aim of promoting high-quality academic research and building an internationally-recruited, high-caliber faculty team with innovative approaches to teaching and research. Through a year’s effort, UM is now progressing steadily in the quality of undergraduate education and has achieved satisfactory results in various areas such as enhancing the quality of teaching staff as well as academic and scientific research.” Rector Wei Zhao said the University could not have achieved these pleasing results without the support of the SAR government, the community, and members of UA and UC. He said he hopes people from all walks of life can continue to provide support to the University to help it reform systems, develop outstanding graduates, build the new campus, raise funds, and realize greater achievements. Encouraged by the great strides UM has made, attendees enthusiastically shared their opinions and put forward many suggestions regarding ways to accelerate the University’s progress towards the goal of joining the ranks of world-class universities. UA is the highest consultative organ of the University. In addition to hearing the annual work report presented by the Rector, it also provides suggestions regarding the overall guidelines and development plans of the University. UC is the highest collegiate organ of the University and is responsible for establishing guidelines for its development, supervising the implementation of such guidelines, and strengthening the links between the University and the community. In March 2010, Dr. Chui Sai On appointed the current members of UA and UC for a 2-year term. Current members of the UA and UC include: Fong Man Hung, Ng Fok, Stanley Ho, Lei Pang Chu, Lam Kam Seng, Siu Yin Wai, Zhou Li Gao, Or Wai Sheun, António Ferreira, Maria Edith da Silva, Ma Iao Lai, Susana Chou, José F. Pereira Chan, Leong Vai Tac, Ho Iat Seng, Joaquim Jorge Perestrelo Neto Valente, Wong Chi Seng, Wong King Keung, Liu Chak Wan, Liu Chung Laung, Cheng Kar Shing, D. José Lai, Lao Ngai Leong, Fok Chun-Wan, Kong Tat Choi, Tse Chi Wai, Lei Pui Lam, Wong Chong Fat, Ao Peng Kong, Huang Zhi Huan, Vitor Ng, Anabela Fátima Xavier Sales Ritchie, Tong Chi Kin, Kou Kam Fai, Chui Sai Peng, Au Chong Kit, Vong Hin Fai, Yeung Tsun Man Eric, Choi Koon Shum, Iao Man Leng, Chan Pak Fai, Sou Chio Fai, Vitória Alice Maria da Conceição, Wei Zhao, Simon Shun-Man Ho, Rui Martins, Alex Lai Iat Long, Zeng Lingliang, Philip Chen Chun-Lung, Timothy Alan Simpson, Rose Neng Lai, Kot Man Kam, and Chan Chi Seng.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the Tourist Price Index (TPI) for the first quarter of 2010 rose by 9.40% year-on-year to 161.81. The price indices of Miscellaneous Goods; Accommodation; Transport & Communications; Food, Alcoholic Drinks & Tobacco; and Restaurant Services increased notably by 19.26%, 11.66%, 4.94%, 4.59% and 4.59% respectively, attributable to dearer prices of jewellery led by rising gold prices; substantial rise of hotel room rate, airfares, food prices, as well as higher charges for restaurant services during the Lunar New Year. On the contrary, price index of Clothing & Footwear registered a slight decrease of 0.38% year-on-year. The first quarter TPI went up by 2.04% quarter-to-quarter, of which the price indices of Transport & Communications; and Restaurant Services increased by 4.67% and 2.38% respectively. On the other hand, price index of Clothing & Footwear decreased slightly by 0.53%. The average TPI for the last 4 quarters ended the first quarter of 2010 increased by 5.83% over the previous period, with marked increase observed in the indices of Miscellaneous Goods (+14.18%); Accommodation (+5.43%); Food, Alcoholic Drinks & Tobacco (+5.11%); and Restaurant Services (+4.24%). However, price index of Transport & Communications registered a decrease of 0.56%. TPI reflects the price changes of goods and services purchased by visitors, which is compiled according to the consumption pattern of visitors. TPI covers 8 sections of goods and services, namely Food, Alcoholic Drinks & Tobacco; Clothing & Footwear; Accommodation; Restaurant Services; Transport & Communications; Medicine & Personal Goods; Entertainment & Cultural Activities; and Miscellaneous Goods. The base period of TPI is from July 1999 to June 2000.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that visitor arrivals in package tours increased by 16.3% year-on-year to 464,370 in February 2010. Visitors from Mainland China (336,551); Japan (21,944); Taiwan, China (21,456); and Hong Kong (19,922) rose by 9.4%, 17.3%, 47.2% and 5.4% respectively. Moreover, visitors from Republic of Korea (13,838), Malaysia (10,105), India (5,194) and Vietnam (5,099) also registered notable increase. In the first two months of 2010, visitor arrivals in package tours rose up by 12.9% year-on-year to 923,277. The number of Macao residents travelling outbound in package tours soared by 63.4% year-on-year to 20,198 on account of the Lunar New Year fell in February this year, with Mainland China (57.7% of total), Hong Kong (10.1%) and Japan (7.6%) being the most popular tour itineraries. In the first two months of 2010, Macao residents travelling in package tours totalled 33,040, up by 8.3 % year-on-year. Meanwhile, outbound residents travelling under individual arrangements using services of travel agencies also surged by 36.4% year-on-year to 37,475; the main destinations were Hong Kong (49.2% of total), Mainland China (26.0%) and Taiwan, China (10.4%). In the first two months of 2010, outbound residents travelling under such arrangements rose by 15.1% year-on-year to 65,946. At the end of February 2010, total number of available guest rooms of the hotel sector increased by 1,360 (+7.7%) year-on-year to 18,937 rooms. A total of 578,877 guests checked into hotels and guest-houses in February 2010, up by 12.3% year-on-year, with the majority coming from Mainland China (54.6% of total) and Hong Kong (20.7%). The average occupancy rate of the hotels and guest-houses increased by 8.5 percentage points year-on-year to 77.8% and that of the hotels reached 78.5%, with 3-star hotels leading at 82.2%. The average length of stay of the guests increased by 0.2 night to 1.5 nights. The cumulative number of guests reached 1,243,276 in the first two months of 2010, up by 19.5% over the same period of 2009. In the first two months of 2010, visitor-guests of hotels and guest-houses accounted for 59.4% of the total number of tourists, slightly lower than 60.3% in the same period of 2009.
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Due to maintenance works, the Exhibition of the Bryde’s Whale Skeletal Specimen, organized by the Maritime Museum of Maritime Administration with the cooperation from the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, held at the Seac Pai Van Park in Coloane will be closed to the public on 19th April 2010. The reopen date of the exhibition will be announced later. Apologize for the inconvenience caused.
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The Macau Food Festival was the highlight event among the promotional activities including the 2010 Travel Mart and receptions for the travel trade and media held today (13) in Seoul by the Macau Government Tourist Office to promote the tourism features of Macau. Deputy Director of MGTO, Manuel Pires led a delegation comprising 17 representatives from the Macau tourism sector to launch promotional activities in Seoul today and in Busan on April 15. Representatives from Macau’s hotels, travel agencies, airlines and MICE venues strengthened connections and discussed business opportunities with their counterparts in Seoul at the 2010 Travel Mart to further boost Macau’s tourism industry. The “Macau Food Festival” was kicked off at the MGTO-hosted dinner reception for the travel trade in Seoul tonight. The three-week long food promotion held at The Westin Chosun, Seoul features two chefs from the Westin Resort in Macau, who will present the authentic cuisines of Macau to citizens of Seoul who can get a taste of Macau from its culinary culture. Mr Pires expressed that among the appeals that Macau offers, its cuisine by itself was very much a reflection of the community’s long multicultural experience. He added that Macau was famous for its unique blend of Portuguese and Chinese cuisine, known as Macanese food, and hoped that the “Macau Food Festival”, which showcased the exquisite Macanese cuisine, would attract more Seoul citizens to visit and experience Macau. To amplify the publicity effect of the events in Korea, MGTO hosted a media luncheon on April 14 where representatives from major media in Seoul participated. Advertisements were also posted on leading tourism papers in Korea to uplift the profile of Macau as a preferred destination. The delegation will travel to Busan for another travel mart and trade luncheon on April 15, which will provide a platform for the travel trade from Macau and Busan to communicate and develop business opportunities. South Korea is the fifth largest source market of Macau. MGTO’s representative office in Korea organizes year round promotional activities to attract more visitors from Korea to the city. In the first two months of 2010, close to 58,000 visitors from South Korea visited Macau, a significant growth of 68% over the same period of last year. Currently, Air Macau operates nine flights a week between Macau and Seoul.
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Today (12 April) Dr. Stanley Ho, Lui Che Woo Foundation Limited, Macau Henry Fok Foundation, and Ms. Susana Chou each donated MOP 30 million to the University of Macau Development Foundation (UMDF) to help establish four residential colleges on the new campus. The donations will allow the University of Macau (UM) to better implement “whole-person” education and nurture outstanding graduates with leadership skills for the local community. At the donation ceremony, Dr. Stanley Ho’s representative Dr. Ambrose So; representative of Lui Che Woo Foundation Limited Mr. Francis Lui; representative of Macau Henry Fok Foundation Mr. Fok Chun Wan; and Ms. Susana Chou presented the donations to Dr. Chui Sai On, Chief Executive of Macao SAR and Chancellor of UM, who received the donations on behalf of UMDF. Dr. Tse Chi Wai, representative of the founding members of UMDF and Vice Chair of the Trustees Committee of UMDF, expressed deep gratitude to the four donors for their generous donations as well as their support for the residential colleges. Dr. Tse said: “Late last year we founded UMDF with the purpose of seeking support from the community for the development of the University. The Foundation got off to a good start with numerous donors making donations immediately after its establishment. Subsequently we launched a special fundraising activity to try to find patrons who are willing to make donations as the endowment fund for each residential college on our new campus, a patron who is willing to make a donation in the form of an endowment fund to support the establishment and development of a residential college. And today we are very pleased to announce that we have found four such patrons who have each agreed to donate MOP 30 million. Their donations mark a new milestone in the history of the local community’s support for higher education.” The donations will be managed by UMDF as a permanent fund and will be used for the sole purpose of supporting the development of UM. Allocation of this permanent fund will be based on the actual operational needs of the residential colleges, such as scholarships, prizes and awards, lectures, visits, student exchange programmes, and so on. Utilization of the donations will be carried out in the name of the donors where appropriate so that students benefitting from the fund can appreciate the donors’ benevolence and follow their examples by repaying the society in their own ways. As a token of gratitude to the donors for their generous donations, UM will name the four residential colleges as “Stanley Ho College”, “Lui Che Woo College”, “Henry Fok College”, and “Cao Guang Biao College” respectively. On the new campus, approximately ten residential colleges will be established, and each one will accommodate 300 to 500 undergraduate students. The residential college system, which focuses on “cultivating people”, and the faculty-based system, which focuses on “imparting knowledge”, will perfectly complement each other. The combination of the two systems means that each student will simultaneously belong to a residential college and a faculty. Each residential college will be inhabited by students of different disciplines and years of study, and various competitions and recreational activities will be organized to enrich students’ lives and help them acquire good interpersonal skills. A caring and stimulating atmosphere will be created to encourage cross-disciplinary interaction and free exploration of knowledge, which will in turn help students grow, broaden their horizons, and develop their creative thinking abilities. Each residential college will be a living-and-learning community that enables students to establish meaningful, lasting friendships, and such friendships will become their greatest mutual assets for their future growth. Dr. Stanley Ho now serves as a member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chief Executive Officer of the Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, S.A. A staunch believer in the maxim that “one should always seek to repay the society for what he or she has gained from the society”, he has long been committed to public welfare and charitable causes, especially educational and cultural development, and has made remarkable contributions to Macao, Hong Kong and China. Dr. Ho has closely followed the development of UM, and since UM’s foundation he has served as a member of the University Council. This year he stepped down from the UC and was appointed a member of the University Assembly. He is also a co-founder of UMDF and Chair of the Trustees Committee of UMDF. For all these years he has spared no effort in pushing UM towards excellence through donations and scholarships. He often encourages young people to study hard, see learning as a lifelong process, and place the pursuit of knowledge before the pursuit of wealth because, to quote his words, “Money comes and goes; knowledge nourishes one’s soul. Wealth vanishes in the blink of an eye; the benefits of knowledge last for life.” He says he is very excited to have the opportunity to make this donation and help with the establishment of a residential college on the new UM campus. He says he hopes his donation can promote the development of higher education in Macao and help UM nurture future leaders for the local community to ensure that Macao is a place “governed by Macao people with a strong degree of autonomy under the ‘one country, two systems’ policy” as was envisioned by the Central Government. He also hopes that UM can instill a high sense of social responsibility into students so that one day they can repay the society and contribute to the harmonious progress of Macao and China. Dr. Ambrose So presented the cheque to UM on behalf of Dr. Ho. He said: “Dr. Ho always honors his commitments to the society and has set a brilliant example. Not only has he made considerable contributions to the society, but he also cares about the learning needs of the staff and their children. Deeply inspired by his example, we all share the common goal of promoting the educational development of Macao.” Lui Che Woo Foundation Limited was founded by Dr. Lui Che Woo, Chairman and founder of the Galaxy Entertainment Group Limited. A distinguished philanthropist, Dr Lui has been particularly supportive of the development of medical care, higher education, and basic education for many years. So far many organizations have benefitted from his generous donations. Dr. Lui considers contributing to the educational cause to be his mission in life because he believes that education is indispensable to the progress of all societies and that talent is the most important asset in ensuring a brighter future for the mankind. Mr. Francis Lui, Vice Chairman of the Galaxy Entertainment Group Limited, said: “It is my father’s firm belief that education underpins a nation’s prosperity and enhances the quality of its people, and that is why he always tries his best to contribute to educational development. So far his donations have helped establish 150 primary and secondary schools in the Chinese Mainland. He has also made donations to numerous key universities both at home and abroad to support their academic research, exchange programmes, and improvement of teaching facilities. He made this donation to UMDF in hopes of helping UM implement ‘whole-person’ education and nurture all-round graduates for Macao. We are impressed by the outstanding teaching methods of UM and we feel greatly honoured to have the opportunity to contribute to the educational development of Macao.” Macau Henry Fok Foundation was founded by the late Dr. Henry Fok Ying Tung, former Vice Chairman of the National Committee of CPPCC and a renowned business tycoon in Hong Kong. A distinguished philanthropist, Dr. Fok Ying Tung made immeasurable contributions to the economic and educational development of China. Mr. Fok Chun Wan, his second son, said: “My father was committed to contributing to the educational cause for one purpose—helping China grow stronger and more prosperous. We made this donation to UMDF to help with the establishment of a residential college on the new UM campus. We hope it can help UM nurture some future leaders for the country. We also hope it will encourage more people from all walks of life to follow suit and contribute to the development of whole-person education at UM.” Ms. Susana Chou served as the President of the Legislative Assembly of Macao SAR for the first three terms. Her father Mr. Cao Guang Biao is the President of Hong Kong Weng Sun Co., Ltd. and founder of Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Limited. Mr. Cao Guang Biao is an active philanthropist and has been particularly supportive of the educational development of China. He often stresses that, “Education is the cornerstone that underpins the prosperity of all nations.” Ms. Susana Chou inherited her father’s benevolence and has also spared no effort in promoting the development of education in Macao. After leaving her post as the President of the Legislative Assembly of Macao SAR, she founded the Tong Chai Charity Association with her own money. Tong Chai Charity Association aims to reach out to those in desperate need of help and to contribute to educational development. Ms. Susana Chou says: “The new UM campus will have a far-reaching impact on the development of higher education in Macao and China. We feel greatly honoured that UM will name one residential college after my father. We hope our donation will help UM nurture more outstanding graduates for the country and promote the development of higher education in Macao.” UM’s educational values state that the University gives priority to general education and aims to nurture outstanding graduates with professional skills, extensive knowledge, and great integrity for the society through implementing high-quality “whole-person” education for undergraduate students. The new campus which is expected to be completed within three years will bring a host of exciting new changes for the University, including a world-class learning environment and state-of-the-art facilities. These new changes will help the University improve teaching quality as well as competitiveness in all areas, thereby enabling UM to achieve the goal of becoming a world-class university. The residential college system will be piloted in the East Asia Hall on the existing campus in the 2010/2011 academic year in order to give students a taste of the multi-faceted life under such a system.
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