On 22 November 2023, the launching ceremony of the 2nd Festival of Chinese Culture and the 6th Macao Forum for Chinese Culture took place at the Cultural Building of the University of Macau (UM). The Festival of Chinese Culture is an event specially created and organized to promote the excellent traditions of Chinese culture, to enhance the awareness of patriotism and love for Macao among Macao’s academics and society, and to create a favorable campus and social atmosphere for the transmission of Chinese culture in Macao. The 2nd Festival of Chinese Culture will continue the pioneering significance of the 1st Festival of Chinese Culture in 2022, and will be further developed this year.
Organized by the UM, the festival is directed by the Department of Education and Youth Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central Government in Macao, the Department of Culture and Tourism of Henan Province, the Education and Youth Development Bureau of the Government of the Macao SAR, the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Government of the Macao SAR, Federation of Associations of Cultural Sectors of Macau. This year’s Festival of Chinese Culture is jointly organized by the Think Tank of United Citizens, University International College of Macau University of Science and Technology, Institute of Chinese Culture, City University of Macau, Macau Millennium College, Macao Association of Chinese Traditional Culture, and Macao Base for Primary & Secondary Education in Humanities & Social Science.
After Wu Zhiliang, President of the Administrative Committee of the Macao Foundation, announced the launch of the keynote programme of the 2nd Festival of Chinese Culture on stage, Si Ka Lon, Deputy to the National People’s Congress and Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Macao SAR, began his speech by stating that the Forum has been successfully held for five years, accumulating fruitful academic results and successfully publishing three series of books, which have been highly evaluated by all walks of life in Macao. The theme of this forum is Chinese Culture and the Spirit of the Times, which is of great significance in enriching the connotation of Macao’s One Base and shaping the heritage of Macao as a city of culture.
Huang Dongsheng, Director of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Henan Province, congratulated the event through a video message, pointing out that the Festival of Chinese Culture and the Macao Forum for Chinese Culture are important platforms for the inheritance and promotion of the traditional Chinese culture. He stressed that in recent years, Henan has been deeply implementing the strategy of integration of culture, tourism, culture and innovation, and attaches great importance to cultural exchanges and co-operation with Macao. After the first Festival of Chinese Culture, during The Great Ceremony of Xuan Yuan Huang Di in Macao in April 2023, the Macao International Forum on Yellow River and Yellow Emperor Culture 2023, organised by the Centre for Chinese History and Culture of the UM and the Global Chinese Ancestral Association, has also attracted a good response from the society.
The Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Xu Jie, in his speech, welcomed all the participants to the event and expressed his hope that through this festival. These valuable cultural treasures can be passed on to teachers, students and people from all walks of life, so that more people can love and pass on Chinese culture. The festival is also an opportunity to deepen the love for China and Macao. Through in-depth understanding of Chinese history and culture, we can better understand the development of the country and better contribute to the prosperity and stability of the country.
The Director of the Centre for Chinese History and Culture of the UM, Zhu Shoutong, recalled in his speech that the 1st Festival of Chinese Culture was completed in the midst of a difficult period when the epidemic was ravaging the city, and that nowadays we can meet at the University to share the cultural extravaganza on a peaceful day, which is mainly due to the strong spiritual impetus given by the traditional Chinese culture. The richness of Chinese culture is embedded in various fields, and the Macao Forum for Chinese Culture brings together the best achievements of different fields, so that culture can be promoted and passed on through sharing and learning, and this is the significance of the Forum. The ceremony was followed by the re-appointment of the advisors and supervisors of the Chinese Culture Ambassadors and the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the keynote events of this year’s Festival of Chinese Culture.
The launching ceremony also included a Chinese arts and culture showcase: Southern Lychee Ye – Works of Ye Zhongqiao and Huangmei Opera singing. Vice Minister Chen Zongxin of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Yunfu Municipal Party Committee introduced the cultural characteristics of Yunfu and the artistic influence of Ye Zhongqiao, while artistic performances were given by Hu Qian, President of Shanghai Junfeng Culture Media Co., Ltd, and Zhou Shan, a renowned artist of Huangmei Opera. The 2nd Festival of Chinese Culture included more than 100 fruitful activities and will continue until December. You are welcome to visit the relevant websites and wechat to keep an eye on the progress of the event.
