The “Fusion of China and Portuguese-speaking Countries” Art Photography Exhibition (Hengqin) of the 15th Cultural Week of China and Portuguese-speaking Countries was inaugurated on December 1 at Hengqin Port Plaza. Adopting the innovative mode of “multi-venue event,” the exhibition was held in Macao and Hengqin for the first time. The exhibition in Macao was officiated on November 9.
The exhibition was co-organized by the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao and the Economic Development Bureau of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Co-operation Zone in Hengqin. This event was attended by Deputy Secretary-General, Xie Ying; Director of the Economic Development Bureau, António Lei; Deputy Secretary-General, Paulo Jorge do Espírito Santo; Coordinator of the Executive Office, Li Xiaohui; Coordinator of the Liaison Office and Representative of São Tomé and Príncipe, Gika Simão; Coordinator of the Support Office, Teresa Mok; Representative of Angola, Agostinho dos Santos; Representative of Cabo Verde, Nuno Furtado; Representative of Guinea-Bissau, Abdú Jaquité; Representative of Mozambique, Francisca Reino; Representative of Portugal, Márcia Guerreiro, among other guests.
In her speech, Xie Ying stated that this year marks the 15th anniversary of the Cultural Week of China and Portuguese-speaking Countries. Over the past 15 years, the Cultural Week has created a platform for cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries by leveraging Macao’s multicultural charisma of blended Chinese and Western culture, its unique historical origins, and its language advantages. The “Fusion of China and Portuguese-speaking Countries” Photography Exhibition is held outside Macao in Hengqin for the first time, which is a powerful manifestation of the Hengqin-Macao “multi-venue event” mode, as well as Hengqin’s connection to mainland China and Macao’s unique regional advantage in connecting to the world.
António Lei said in his speech that Hengqin, as the extended area for the appropriate diversification of Macao’s economy, has facilitated the construction of the China-Portuguese-speaking Countries Commercial and Trade Service Platform. In addition to economy and trade, it has promoted all-round co-operation in various fields. The purpose of the debut of the photography exhibition in Hengqin is to, through Macao’s role as the China-Portuguese-speaking Countries Commercial and Trade Service Platform, promote the cultural characteristics of PSCs in mainland China and, therefore, let more mainland residents learn about the cultures of PSCs, spark interests from the works and boost trade and investment between China and PSCs.
The exhibition features 26 works of fine art photography by nine artists from eight Portuguese-speaking countries and Macao, China, including Edson Lima from Angola, Gui Martinez from Brazil, Evandro Semedo from Cabo Verde, Samba Muhamad Baldé from Guinea-Bissau, Jesús Domingo Williams ldjab from Equatorial Guinea, Yassmin Forte from Mozambique, Tânia Dinis from Portugal, Valdemira Bastos Lima from São Tomé and Príncipe, and António Leong from Macao, China. From the diverse perspectives of the artists, the exhibition opens a window for residents and tourists to immerse in China’s and PSCs’ colorful art and to jointly explore the unique charm of their cultural collision, exchanges, and harmonious integration.
The “Fusion of China and Portuguese-speaking Countries” Art Photography Exhibition (Hengqin) is held until December 31. All are welcome to visit the free exhibition. The thematic website for the 15th Cultural Week of China and Portuguese-speaking Countries will be updated successively, and the public is welcome to visit the website: semanacultural.forumchinaplp.org.mo.
In the afternoon of the same day, the delegation of the Secretariat attended the opening ceremony of the “2023 Let’s Hang Out – Lusophone and Macao Products Bazaar” co-hosted by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute and the Economic Development Bureau of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Co-operation Zone in Hengqin.
