The Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR has released the list of this year’s recipients of the Academic Research Grant. Of the 36 eligible applications, five have been awarded the grant. Prof Sio Chio Ieong, assistant professor from the University of Macau’s (UM) Department of Chinese Language and Literature; and Prof Yao Jingming, head of the UM Department of Portuguese, are among the five grant recipients.
Prof Sio’s project is titled ‘Studies of A Dictionary of the Chinese Language by Robert Morrison’ (translation). Compiled by Robert Morrison in 1815, A Dictionary of the Chinese Language was the first Chinese-English dictionary published in China. This encyclopaedic dictionary presents a panoramic view of the cultural exchange between the East and the West in Morrison’s time by covering various topics, including systems, religions, people’s names, laws, appellations, geography, history, culture, and society. It also presents Morrison’s historical and cultural worldviews. Prof Sio’s project is expected to lay a solid foundation for the studies of Macaology.
Prof Yao’s project is titled ‘From Portugal to Macao: the Portuguese National Character as Seen in Portuguese Literature’ (translation). As implied by the title, the project aims to analyse the Portuguese national character by studying, from a Chinese perspective, literature written in the Portuguese language, including works by Portuguese writers who have lived in Macao. Currently, there are few books on Portuguese studies written by Chinese scholars, a gap Prof Yao hopes to fill with this project.
The Academic Research Grant from the Cultural Affairs Bureau aims to encourage original academic research projects on the studies of the culture of Macao and Macao-foreign exchange. Ever since its founding, this grant has promoted academic research in the history and culture of Macao as well as Macao’s role in East-West cultural exchange. It has also increased public understanding of Macao and advanced cultural development in Macao.
