Organised by the Macao Cultural Heritage Reinventing Studies Association (MCHRSA) and funded by the Cultural Development Fund (FDC) of the Macao SAR Government, the “2024 Cultural Heritage Lecture Series” held its first session successfully at 2:30 p.m. on 5 October 2024 in the Auditorium of the Macao Museum. Dr. Carlos LO Ka Nok, Vice-President of the Macao Heritage Ambassadors Association, was invited as the speaker to deliver a talk entitled “People and Events in the Historic Centre of Macao: Starting from the Records of Western Adventurers in the 18th - 19th Centuries.” Centred on abundant historical materials – letters, journals, maps, and topographical paintings – from the West about Macao in the 18th and 19th centuries, the lecture discussed multiple economic transitions and demographic shifts in Macao from the late 17th to the late 19th century. Using the financial activities of Guangzhou, Macao, and surrounding regions, as well as foreign merchants’ trade and investment in China, as an entry point, Dr. Carlos offered the public a deeper understanding of Macao’s economic and social changes over the past few centuries, thereby strengthening public awareness of Macao’s history and cultural heritage.

Mr. Harry KWAH Hou Ieong, President of MCHRSA, stated that MCHRSA has organised the “Cultural Heritage Lecture Series” for many years to continually promote research on Macao’s cultural heritage and relic preservation, popularising knowledge about heritage conservation, and providingwith the aim of continually promoting research on Macao’s cultural heritage and relic preservation, popularising knowledge about heritage conservation, and providing related techniques and expertise. Over the years, MCHRSA has also been committed to enhancing community participation in the heritage conservation process of heritage conservation and establishing a discussion platform grounded in academic and professional knowledge. This enables Macao’s youth and citizens to gain a deeper understanding of local history and cultural heritage protection, contributing to the popularisation of heritage preservation and historical promotion in Macao.

The “2024 Cultural Heritage Lecture Series” will continue with two more sessions at 2:30 p.m. on 12 October and 19 October 2024 in the Macao Museum Auditorium. Mr. Alex LOU, a local scholar, will present “Stories in the Chapas Sínicas – People and Events in the City of Macao in the 18th – 19th Centuries,” and Ms. MA Linyan, Chief of the Conservation and Restoration Department II at Shaanxi Institute for the Preservation of  Cultural Heritage, will deliver “Qinba Mountains – Han River · Tile-Roofed Halls · Vermilion Art: Conservation and Restoration of Five Northern Provinces’ Assembly Hall Murals” Through various perspectives and in-depth discussions, the series aims for the public to fully appreciate the profound richness of cultural heritage from different places. All the public interested in history and culture are welcome to register for the upcoming lectures. For details, please visit the MCHRSA’s website: http://www.heritage.mo.