From 9th to 10th September, 2016, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Shandong Province, the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture, the Committee of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan and Foreign Affairs of Shandong Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultaive Conference, Weihai Political Consultative Conference, Rizhao Political Consultaive Conference, Dezhou Political Consultative Conference, Heze Political Consultative Conference, Macau University of Science and Technology, and the China Confucius Foundation jointly held the “Tour of Experiencing Shandong Intangible Cultural Heritages in Macau” at the lobby of the library building, Block N, M.U.S.T.. The grand Opening Ceremony of the Tour was held in the afternoon of September 9 at the library building of M.U.S.T.; the officiating guests included Ms. Leong In Fan, representative of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Macau, Mr. Zhao Chuan Dong, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Education of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Macao S.A.R., Mr. Sun Ji Ye, Vice Chairman of the Shandong Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultaive Conference, Mr. Qu Wei, Deputy Secretary in General of the Shandong Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultaive Conference, Mr. Cheng Guang Hui, Director of the Committee of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan and Foreign Affairs of Shandong Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultaive Conference, Mr. Li Yong Sen, Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Shandong Province, Mr. Liu Yan Bing, Deputy Director of the Committee of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan and Foreign Affairs of Shandong Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultaive Conference, Mr. Mak Soi Kun, Chairman of the Monitoring Committee of Public Financial Affairs and member of the Legislative Assembly of Macau, Mr. Si Ka Lon, member of the Legislative Assembly of Macau, committee memebers of the Shandong Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultaive Conference: Mr. Xie Shuo Wen, Ms. Wang Shu Zi, and Mr. Ma Chi Ngai Mr. Shao Zi Sheng, Vice Chairman of Dezhou Political Consultaitve Conference, Chair Prof. Liu Liang, President of M.U.S.T., Dr. Tong Ka Lok, Vice President of M.U.S.T., and Prof. Yu Qiu Yu, Honorary Dean of Facultyo f Humanities and Arts, M.U.S.T..
At the Opening Ceremony, Mr. Sun Ji Ye, Vice Chairman of the Shandong Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultaive Conference, and Chair Prof. Liu Liang, President of M.U.S.T. delivered addresses; the two speakers were also invited to join Mr. Niu Ting Tao, Deputy Secretary in General of the China Confucius Foundation, and Prof. Yu Qiu Yu, Honorary Dean of Faculty of Humanities and Arts, M.U.S.T., to unveil the plaque of the “Confucius School”, which is to be homed at M.U.S.T.. This is the first time that a Macau higher institution set up a “Confucius School”, which will open to the social communities, particularly, young students, organize a great variety of traditional cultural events, and bring the excellent traditional Chinese culture to the world.
When addressing the ceremony, President Liu Liang noted that the “Tour of Experiencing Shandong Intangible Cultural Heritages in Macau” is indeed a significantly meaningful event; Shandong is home to acclaimed and respectable Master Confucius, also originating place and significant town for traditional Chinese culture; the Shandong Province has done an excellent job in preserving tangible and intangible cultural heritages, as is brilliantly evidenced by the Tour. Macau is the place where the earliest exchanges of economy, politics, and culture between the East and the West began; from mid-16th century to 19th century, Macau was the earliest and sole bridge linking the mainland of China to the West; till this day, Macau remains a culturaly diversified, open, inclusive society; over ten percent of the historic town of Macau is now the preservation area of the UNESCO’s World Culture Heritages; such traits will enable the cultural exchanges of Macau and Shandong to move forward, providing the Macau communities a precious opportunity to enhance their understanding, appreciation and succession of the excellent traditional Chinese culture and the brilliant Shandong culture.
Vice Chairman Sun noted when delivering his speech that intangible cultural heritages are both witnesses of historical development and precious valuable cultural resources, which are deeply embedded in the public’s life, caressing people’s soul and sustaining the life of the nation. The initiation of holding this tour is destined to commence an exhilarating new chapter in the cultural exchanges of Shandong and Macau. The experience of the intangible culrual heritages made available by this tour enables Shandong and Macau to join hands in providing better protection and succession of excellent cultures, enhances people’s confidence of owning such long-lasting cultures, increases people’s pride in the magnificent cultures, and provides impetus for the people to devote to invention of more colorful new cultures.
During the time when the Tour was going on, individual successors or successor teams of 9 key characteristic intangible cultural heritages of Shandong province provided in-site live demonstrations, interacting with the audience. The involved projects were Traditional Art of Ju (mending broken ceramics), Xixiang (Tin-inlaying) Art, Black Ceramics Art, Juxian Guomenjian (paper-cutting), Weihai Paper-cutting, Dezhou Paper-cutting, Rizhao Stone-carving Art, Rizhao Farmer’s Paintings, and Caozhou Miansu (Making of rice powder figuries), among which the Juxian Guomenjian was announced by the UNESCO in September of 2012 to be enlisted in “the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”.
It was introduced that the Shandong province currently has 8 items being elisted in “the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”, 173 national-level representative items, 555 provincial-level representative items, 60 national-level representative successors, and 333 provincial-level representative successors, therefore is a big province by virtue of intangible cultural heritages both in name and in fact. This “experience exchange tour” represents the highest standard of Shandong’s intangible cultural heritages, and has fully displayed the unique charms of the Qilu land. The event is certain to move forward cultural exchanges of Macau and Shandong, enabling the Macau citizens and students to deepen their understanding and appreciation of Shandong culture and traditional Chinese culture. The event presented a full display of the intangible cultural heritages in the form of pictures, texts, artifacts display, in-site workshops performed by the successors, and interactive demonstrations, making understood rich colorful cultures in an interesting and vivid way. During the event, also held was the “New Frontiers of the Art World – New Works by New Fine Art Talents of Shandong”, which displayed 20 excellent Chinese painting works by young artists of Shandong.
Officiating Guests of the Opening Ceremony
Ceremony for unveilling the “Confucius School” plaque, held during the Opening Ceremony
