Macau: Asia’s Gateway to Photography
Have you ever wondered how photography made its way into China and Asia? The English Co-Curricular Activities Committee (ECAC) held an event on 8 November 2023 to enrich students with knowledge about how photography entered China, and then to Asia. Mr. Hugo Teixeira, our ELC instructor, hosted the workshop “Macau: Asia’s Gateway to Photography”. In the workshop, participants were introduced to the history of photography and learned to recognize different types of photographic materials and technologies from the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century.
At the beginning of the workshop, Mr. Teixeira asked which participant took the most photos in the previous day. Afterwards, he showed the statistics of the average number of photos and videos taken per day, and the average amount posted on social media at a given period of time. He then introduced early photographic techniques, materials used, and the photographic results which influenced the development of photography. Mr. Teixeira also mentioned some well-known personalities in photography to provide a comprehensive view of the history of photography. After that, he invited all students to handle 100 to 150-year-old photos and asked them to imagine the lives of the people portrayed in them.
Students then discussed an old map of Macau which showed the original topography of the Macau peninsula. Mr. Teixeira showed more old photos of Macau and explained how those photos were possibly taken. He then showed the first photo ever taken of Macau which was that of the shipping boats in the Pearl River Delta with the Taipa mountains in the background. The photograph was believed to have been taken by a French journalist during the Opium war. This explained how photography entered China through Macau, and then to Asia.
Mr. Teixeira showed more photos taken in the early 19th century, and some historic moments of Macau. He also shared some early photos taken by famous Chinese photographers who lived in Macau.
The workshop ended with students discussing some aspects of photography and eagerly sharing their perspectives of the photographs they were introduced to. They were deeply impressed by the knowledge they have gained from the workshop and expressed that handling old photographs gave them a novel experience of learning.
Written by ECAC Student Ambassadors: Wang Si Yi, Doris; Wu Fei, Eason; Sun Shu Yang, Sonia; and Lio Chon Kit, Jacky
Campaign video created by ECAC Student Ambassadors: Lio Chon Kit Jacky and Wu Fei, Eason
