Culture of Macau

Last updated

Macau is an autonomous territory within China. A Portuguese colony until 1999, Macau has a diverse culture firmly rooted in Cantonese culture, with a mix of influences from East Asia and Western Europe. Macau is known for being the largest gambling center in the world.

Contents

A sign in both Chinese and Portuguese in Macau - "Zhu Jiao Zuo Tang Ban Gong Shi " (in Chinese) and "Cartorio da Se" (in Portuguese), which means "Office of the Cathedral." Macau-Chinese&Portuguese.jpg
A sign in both Chinese and Portuguese in Macau - "主教座堂辦公室" (in Chinese) and "Cartório da Sé" (in Portuguese), which means "Office of the Cathedral."

People and languages

The two official languages of Macau are Chinese and Portuguese, although the latter is only spoken by a small minority. English is also widely spoken.

In 2018 Reuters stated "there are signs that Chinese is being prioritized in government." [1]

The Macanese language, generally known as Patuá, is a distinctive creole that is still spoken by several dozen members of the Macanese people, an ethnic group of mixed Asian and Portuguese ancestry that accounts for a small percentage of Macau's population.

Signs in Macau are displayed in both Traditional Chinese and Portuguese. In contrast to mainland China, Macau—along with Hong Kong and Taiwan—generally does not use Simplified Chinese characters.

Among the main migrants of the country are skilled workers from the Philippines, hence Tagalog is one of the most-heard foreign languages.

Cultural identity

The worldwide popularity of Cantonese food and Chinese martial arts ( kung fu or wu shu ) has made them popular in Portugal as well.

In 1998, the first Festival da Lusofonia took place in Macau, a festival of Portuguese-speaking communities. In November 2013, the 16th edition of the festival took place over the duration of two and a half days with musical activities, kids programmes, traditional Portuguese games and food from Portuguese-speaking countries' cuisines. [2]

Mass media

Most of the pop music that can be heard on the channel TDM Teledifusão de Macau (澳廣視) [3] is imported from Hong Kong or overseas (mainly Japan). However, more and more local songs are being recorded by locals. Some Brazilian TV stations are also broadcast in Macau.

Cuisine

Macanese cuisine is a blend of southern Chinese (especially Cantonese cuisine) and Portuguese cuisines, with significant influences from Southeast Asia and the Lusophone world. The most famous snack is the Portuguese-style egg tart. It is widely popular in Southeast Asia, especially in Taiwan and Hong Kong. The most famous Macanese food is galinha à portuguesa, which is served in numerous varieties in Macau restaurants.

In 2018 Reuters stated that the cuisine was one of the few remaining Portuguese influences in Macau. [1]

Religion

The primary religion is Buddhism. Roman Catholicism has considerable influence in education and social welfare in Macau. However, adherents only count for about six percent of the population. Protestantism is spreading quickly, especially among the younger demographic groups.

Arts

Dom Pedro V theatre Teatro Don Pedro V, Macao, 2013-08-08, DD 01.jpg
Dom Pedro V theatre

Film

A few independent films have been produced since the late 1990s. Recent Macau film productions include:

Music

The Macau International Music Festival is conducted by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macau SAR Government every autumn. [9] The 20th anniversary of the MIMF was celebrated in 2007 with performances of Jazz, classical music, electronica, Chinese folk-pop, rock and Fado. [10]

Other Lusophone music types popular in Macao are samba , bossa nova , and kizomba . [11]

In 2005, the Hush!! Full Band Festival got established, a government-sponsored modern music festival featuring pop rock and hard rock bands from all over Asia with a focus on Macau bands. The festival is free of charge and it's in its 9th edition in 2013. [12]

Literature

Robert Ho Tung library in Macau. Biblioteca Robert Ho Tung, Macao, 2013-08-08, DD 01.jpg
Robert Ho Tung library in Macau.

The literature of Macanese (i.e. those with Portuguese descent) is a multi-dimensional art. Their literature appeared as early as the 19th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of well-known writers appeared:

Cantonese opera

Cantonese opera [17] is quite popular, especially among elderly residents. In 2003, the Cultural Institute of the Macau S.A.R Government, in collaboration with the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Hong Kong SAR, organized the exhibition "Fong Yim Fun – The Life and Work of a Cantonese Opera Artiste". [18] As a well-known actress and opera artiste in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, Fong Yim Fun performed in more than 150 operas and films. Part of her works was exhibited in the Museum of Macau at that time.

Facilities

The Plaza of Cultural Centre Praca do Centro Cultural.JPG
The Plaza of Cultural Centre
Macao Cultural Centre Macao Cultural Center 2011.JPG
Macao Cultural Centre

The Macao Cultural Centre was established in 1999, for the purpose of offering unique venues for artistic events, international conferences and exhibitions, enhancing cultural exchange, and helping to expand culture horizons among Macau residents. Hundreds of programs and events take place there almost every day—e.g., martial arts performances, European traditional music, Chinese traditional music, foreign music, varies types of dancing, etc.

The Macau Ricci Institute is a recent foundation of the Jesuits in Macau. Its aim is to continue the process of friendly encounters between Chinese and European cultures and traditions, which was begun by Matteo Ricci 1552–1610 many years ago. [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macau</span> City and special administrative region of China

Macau or Macao, officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a population of about 680,000 and an area of 32.9 km2 (12.7 sq mi), it is the most densely populated region in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of Macau</span> Demographics of region

Demographic features of the population of Macau include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

The Macanese people are an East Asian ethnic group that originated in Macau in the 16th century, consisting of people of predominantly mixed Cantonese and Portuguese as well as Malay, Japanese, English, Dutch, Sinhalese, and Indian ancestry.

The culture of Hong Kong is primarily a mix of Chinese and Western influences, stemming from Lingnan Cantonese roots and later fusing with British culture due to British colonialism. As an international financial center dubbed "Asia's World City", contemporary Hong Kong has also absorbed many international influences from around the world. Moreover, Hong Kong also has indigenous people and ethnic minorities from South and Southeast Asia, whose cultures all play integral parts in modern day Hong Kong culture. As a result, after the 1997 transfer of sovereignty to the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong has continued to develop a unique identity under the rubric of One Country, Two Systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cantonese opera</span> Chinese opera tradition originating in Guangdong province

Cantonese opera is one of the major categories in Chinese opera, originating in southern China's Guangdong Province. It is popular in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Macau and among Chinese communities in Southeast Asia. Like all versions of Chinese opera, it is a traditional Chinese art form, involving music, singing, martial arts, acrobatics, and acting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macanese pataca</span> Currency of Macau

The Macanese pataca or Macau pataca is the currency of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. It is subdivided into 100 avos, with 10 avos called ho (毫) in Cantonese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macau national football team</span> National association football team

The Macau national football team represents the Chinese special administrative region of Macau in international association football. The team is supervised by the Macau Football Association. The Macau football team has a ranking that is one of the lowest among the FIFA members. Although usually known as simply Macau, the EAFF refers to the team as Macau, China.

Macanese cuisine is mainly influenced by Chinese cuisine, especially Cantonese cuisine and European cuisine, especially Portuguese cuisine and influences from Southeast Asia and the Lusophone world, due to Macau's past as a Portuguese colony and long history of being an international tourist gambling centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egg tart</span> Type of Portuguese egg tart

The egg tart is a kind of custard tart found in Chinese cuisine, derived from the English custard tart and Portuguese pastel de nata. The dish consists of an outer pastry crust filled with egg custard. Egg tarts are often served at dim sum restaurants, Chinese bakeries and cha chaan tengs.

Di Nü Hua is a fictional Chinese story about Princess Changping of the Ming Dynasty and her husband/lover, Zhou Shixian. The first known story was a Kunqu script written in the Qing Dynasty, while the second version was a Cantonese opera from the early 1900s later found in Japan and Shanghai. Little information is available from this early 1900s version. The contemporary prevailing version, not meant to be historically accurate, comes from the second Cantonese opera script.

Cantonese culture, or Lingnan culture, refers to the regional Chinese culture of the region of Lingnan: twin provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi, the names of which mean "eastern expanse" and "western expanse", respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TDM (Macau)</span> Public broadcaster in Macau

TDM - Teledifusão de Macau, S. A. provides public broadcasting services in Macau. By running five digital terrestrial television channels, one satellite television channel and two radio channels, TDM provides local audiences with a wide range of content in Macau's two official languages, Chinese (Cantonese) and Portuguese, as well as having time-slots for English as well as Indonesian and Tagalog, which reflects the multicultural nature of the city, with 95 percent of the population being Chinese and five percent made up of Portuguese and other ethnic groups.

The Macau Special Administrative Region, commonly known as Macau or Macao is one of the two special administrative regions (SARs) of the China (PRC), along with Hong Kong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yam Kim-fai</span> Musical artist

Yam Kim-fai (Chinese: 任劍輝, 4 February 1913, also known as Ren Jianhui was a renowned Cantonese opera actress in China and Hong Kong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visa policy of Macau</span> Policy on permits required to enter Macau

The Government of the Macau Special Administrative Region allows citizens of specific countries/territories to travel to Macau for tourism or business purposes for periods ranging from 14 to 180 days without having to obtain a visa. For other entry purposes, such as establishing residence on a long-term basis, a different policy applies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in Macau</span>

Women in Macau, as described by Candice Chio Ngan Ieng, president of the Macau Women's General Association (AGMM), in 2010 are currently defining themselves as capable and irreplaceable powers to Macau's modern-day civilization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shiga Lin</span> Hong Kong singer and actress

Shiga Taguchi, better known as Shiga Lin Si-nga, is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actress. As a singer, she is known for songs including "I'm Still Loving You" (2011) and "The End" (2012). As an actress, she is known for her performances in the film Lan Kwai Fong (2011) and television drama Life After Death (2020).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macau independence</span> Political movement advocating for Macaus independence from China

Macau independence is the political movement that advocates for the independence of Macau from China. Despite receiving little attention within Macau, the issue was raised in the Legislative Assembly of Macau following the Hong Kong Legislative Council oath-taking controversy. In 2017, several Chinese media outlets warned against discussion of Macau independence, fearing that speculation would lead to further action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manner (company)</span> Macau entertainment company

Manner Culture Enterprises Limited is a Macau entertainment company. The company produces comedic videos in Cantonese that can be between a few seconds to a few minutes. It has a dozen performing artists under management.

Tommy Chan Kai-kit, born Chio Ho-cheong, is a Macanese businessman who was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Macau and of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Following the revelation that Chan was the mastermind behind the fraud case of Guangnan Holding, he was wanted by Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). His whereabouts have since remained unknown.

References

  1. 1 2 "In Macau, Portuguese elites feel squeezed out by Chinese influence". Reuters . 2018-10-05. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  2. Instituto Para Os Assuntos Civicos E Minicipais (IACM) (2013-10-11). "16º Festival da Lusofonia". Archived from the original on 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  3. "Macau TDM". Portugues.tdm.com.mo. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  4. "macau.xmas.2005". Macau-creatives.org. Archived from the original on 27 May 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  5. "Home". Diffproductions.com. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  6. "Final Results Vote 2022" . Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  7. "Greatest Indie Film Nominee" (PDF). Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  8. "BCT Benevento Cinema E Televisione Schedule" (PDF). Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  9. "17th Macau International Music Festival". Instituto Cultural do Governo da R.A.E. de Macau. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
  10. "20th MACAU INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL". Travelscopy.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
  11. "20th Macau International Music Festival - Traveloscopy". Traveloscopy.com. Archived from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  12. "HUSH!! Full Band 馬拉松搖滾音樂祭2013". Ccm.gov.mo. Retrieved 2013-10-28.
  13. "Introduction". Arscives.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  14. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2006-08-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. "Carlos Marreiros". Dinastia Macau (in Portuguese). Imprensa Oficial. Archived from the original on 2006-05-12. Retrieved 2006-08-28.
  16. "Tang Xianzu". renditions.org. Archived from the original on 2001-05-22. Retrieved 2005-07-24.
  17. "Cantonese Opera to be proposed for World Heritage", Macau Heritage Net, 2002-11-21, archived from the original on 2004-10-27
  18. "Fong Yim Fun - The Life and Work of a Cantonese Opera Artiste". Museum of Macau. Archived from the original on 2006-01-08. Retrieved 2006-08-28.
  19. "The Macau Ricci Institute - Macau Ricci Institute Studies". Archived from the original on 2005-10-27.