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Guests attend the book launching ceremony
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University of Macau Council Chair Tse Chi Wai, and Hong Kong Baptist University Vice President (Academic) Franklin Luk (1st from left), presents the atlas to Macao SAR Chief Executive Chui Sai On

Today the University of Macau (UM) and Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) co-organized a book launching ceremony for Macau Through 500 Years: Emergence and Development of an Untypical Chinese City, a collection of the most representative Chinese and foreign historical maps in East Asia and Macao, at UM’s University Library. The ceremony was attended by Macao SAR Chief Executive Chui Sai On, Legislative Assembly President Lau Cheok Va and Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Cheong U, among others.

In his speech, UM Rector Wei Zhao said that the book not only “shows once again the path of development of Macao into a city of commerce and culture interflow between east and west”, but also “greatly enhances the readers' knowledge in the aspects of the economy, and the socio-political changes that have taken place.” He also expressed his confidence that UM will “inherit the five hundred years of Macao's history” and continue to “play its role as the confluence of east and west”.

Prof Victor Sit, honorary research fellow at UM, director of the Advanced Institute for Contemporary China Studies at the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) and author of the book, said that the purpose of the book is to present Macao’s development over the past five hundred years through visual aids like maps, different images of the city, and graphs and charts. He said the special coloring and cutting of the maps and imageries provide readers with a clear and vivid understanding of what Macao and its neighboring regions looked like in different historical periods.

Macau Through 500 Years: Emergence and Development of an Untypical Chinese City has been published with sponsorship from UM and Macao Foundation. The book is published in three languages (Chinese, English and Portuguese). The Chinese edition has been co-published by UM and Joint Publishing (H.K.) Co. Ltd, and the English and Portuguese editions have been co-published by UM, Enrich Professional Publishing and HKBU. The book consists of five chapters, namely “Changing Perspectives of China and the Western World on Power at Sea and Their Convergence in Time and Space”, “The Golden Century”, “Protracted Decline: Opium Trafficking and an Aggressive Imperial Outpost”, “Colonization: Expansion and Modernization”, and “Contemporary Macau: Global City of Gaming, Tourism and Exhibitions”.

Also present at the book launching ceremony were Zhang Xiaoguang, deputy director of the Department of Education and Culture, Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Macao SAR; Yin Juming, director-general of the Department of Policy Research, Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC in Macao SAR; Tse Chi Wai, chair of UM’s University Council; Simon Ho, vice rector (academic affairs) of UM; Rui Martins, vice rector (research) of UM; and Prof. Franklin Luk, vice-president (academic) of HKBU.

 

For enquiries, please contact Ms. Kay Lai at(853)8397 4325 or kaylai@um.edu.mo, or visit www.umac.mo.