The Procession of the Passion of Christ, led by the Bishop and clergy, is a re-enactment of the Via Crucis in Jerusalem when Jesus was led to Calgary and his crucifixion. In Macau, the Procession has over 300 years of history. Over the years, participants gave various new meanings to the Procession. Today it is remembered as an urban legend that mixed up iconic figures of the Catholic Church and South Chinese folklore religions. In a broader sense, the Procession reveals the heterogeneous culture interwoven by Chinese and Portuguese inhabitants and by multiple religious and secular believes all shaped in the colonial period. However, the Possession, like other state rituals, are situated in a politicized context. When the Procession’s intangible cultural heritage identity was confirmed in 2017, the Procession was preserved and documented as one of the “social practice, religious practice, rituals and festive events,” leaving out the urban legends that reflected the cross-cultural values. This historical-anthropological research studies the politics of memory and the official construction of the cultural narrative.

Venus VIANA, Ph.D. University of Macau

From 1849 to 1881, the Portuguese colonial government began to regulate the selection of a new cemetery in light of public health and urban development, which led to contests of death space between Chinese and foreign communities. In the end, newly established foreign cemeteries extended beyond the city wall, where the Chinese community is located historically. Meanwhile Chinese burial grounds and existed graves were forced to move to the outside of Portas do Cerco (Border Gate) in Xiangshan County. This paper examines this historical process by analyzing interactions and reactions of different ethnic groups, the Portuguese colonial government and local societies, to reflect on the diversity of death culture in Macao in the early colonial period.

MAO Di, Ph.D. The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Macau Trade Paintings are part of the so-called China Trade paintings, also known as Chinese Export Paintings. However, the quantity, the artistic, historical, and cultural value and distinctiveness of the array of paintings related to Macau led me to create this designation. The 18th and 19th century history of Macau and of Macau Trade Paintings is closely linked to the history of other Southern Chinese cities frequented by Western (European and American) traders and visitors, in particular Canton. In the early 18th century, the Cantonese authorities interdicted Western traders to remain in Canton once the Winter was over. Instead of going back home, they spent the summer off-season in Macau. Often their families accompanied them and lived in Macau throughout the year. Western traders and visitors commissioned both European and Chinese artists with the painting of watercolors, oil paintings, and a variety of technically diversified paintings. Chinese traders gifted their Western counterparts with their portraits to celebrate especially successful business partnerships. The foreigners eventually took these paintings home as pleasant souvenirs of their visit or stay in Macau, for political reasons (commissions by their governments) and as commodities.

Cristina OSSWALD, Ph.D. Macau Polytechnic University and CITCEM – Universidade do Porto

Guan Shanyue 關山月, one of the leading figures in the Lingnan School of Painting, initiated his artistic journey during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-1945). The War not only devasted his life when Guangzhou was occupied by Japanese troops in 1938, but it also let him committed to modernise Chinese painting to reflect suffering in wartime. Guan experienced war firsthand, and the suffering of refugees touched him deeply. Guan finally reached Macau to join his teacher Gao Jianfu 高 劍父. Besides learning painting from Gao, Guan spent most of his time sketching old fish boats, fishermen, children, labourers etc. He debuted his exhibition in Macau in 1938, with paintings exposing the brutality of Japanese troops and the grievances of the people. Dedicated to contribute to the War of Resistance by painting, Guan set off to Southwest and Northwest China, drawing many landscape sketches from scenic sites, held exhibitions, and funded his journey from income from selling his works. His wartime artistic journey was concluded in his exhibition in August 1945. Guan’s wartime artistic adventures left a wonderful legacy for his lifetime artistic creation and effort to modernise Chinese painting with elements from nature and life.

Bianca CHEUNG, Ph.D. Lingnan University, Hong Kong

The GBA legal systems have notorious differences but also share underestimated similarities. It will be interesting to observe how each one of these three jurisdictions will evolve. Judging by the scale of the economies, one could assume that Macau’s heritage would soon be erased and forgotten. But maybe not. 

HK follows the common law (a case-by-case, non-codified system); PRC Civil Code imported German ideas for its new Civil Code; and the Macau/Portuguese experience could arguably be regarded as an improved, better adapted and tested version thereof. This can help adjust the transplant of German abstract theoretical legal thought into Chinese culture. Legal transplants are invariably chiselled by language and customs. Chinese traditional view on what the Law is blends in philosophy, religion, ethics, customs, family ties and other factors in a complex. The experience of applying civil law in Macau in Chinese, albeit limited, can prove itself to be a valuable contribution to the harmonization or improvement  of the Law.

Isabel FIGUEIREDO, Ph.D. University of Macau

Economic strength and resilience flourish under the bedrock of innovation, but what drives innovation?

This short presentation looks at recent observations focusing on two factors often implicated in propelling innovation—diversity and migration. Taking some recent and eclectic data from the United States, the presentation will share preliminary analyses and observations regarding the links between migration, diversity, innovation in science and technology, policies, as well as economic vigour, in addition to highlighting a few notable studies. Finally, a few lessons from Macau’s own rich history and contribution to innovation will be drawn, on the basis of which possible strategies for Macau’s economic recovery and future development, guided by equitable and inclusiveness in the context of modern realities, will be discussed.

Leonardo (Don) A.N. DIOKO, Ph.D. Macao Institute for Tourism Studies