The revitalisation of the Mandarin’s House, the Dom Pedro V Theatre and the Navy Yard as future performance venues will spearhead the Cultural Affairs Bureau’s promotion of local cultural and creative industries next year.
Speaking after this year’s third closed-door meeting of the Cultural Development Advisory Committee, Cultural Development Advisory Committee Vice President and IC President Leong Wai Man said that the three venues boast their very own “Macao style”, which distinguishes them from performance venues in neighbouring regions.
Leong underlined that the Mandarin’s House, which is greatly favoured by audiences for its rich cultural heritage, has a wide walled area, which is able to provide the required flexibility to handle different types of performances.
As for the Dom Pedro V Theatre, Leong noted that it was the first Western-style theatre built in China and has always been used as a performance venue.
According to Leong, the bureau has issued more than 800 “busker cards’’ to allow artists to perform at specified venues. However, Leong acknowledged, the current performance venues for buskers are quite limited, and she pledged that her team will work to create conditions offering more flexibility for local artists and even overseas artists to perform here.
Committee member Ieng Weng Fat pointed out that non-local artists who come to Macao to perform in the streets may be subject to the law on the employment of non-resident workers, as they are engaged in activities that generate income.
In reply, Leong quoted Cultural Development Advisory Committee President-cum-Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U as saying that it wasn’t necessarily a legal constraint, adding Ao Ieong believed that the issue could be addressed in the future.
Leong also pointed out that the bureau will continue to promote cooperation between local and overseas film crews to attract production teams to come to Macao.
Leong pointed out that of the 190 filming applications received last year, 70 per cent were for local productions, over 20 per cent were from mainland China and just one to two per cent were from other regions or countries.
Leong said she would gradually improve the conditions for crews filming in Macao, such as improving the workflow and communication mechanism during filming, speeding up the approval process and creating more incentives to attract overseas film crews to Macao.
During yesterday’s meeting, government officials mentioned that the Navy Yard and the Lai Chi Vun shipyard area will be made available for commercial operations by using the historical buildings to enhance visitors’ cultural tourism experience and promote cultural tourism.
When asked when the Lai Chi Vun shipyard area will be ready, Leong said that the revitalisation project has already started, but pointed out that the work progress had been affected by the recent Covid-19 outbreak. Leong added that the current target is to complete the structural restorations by the end of the year, and then to set up the area’s leisure facilities.
Leong also pointed out that the partial opening of the Iec Long Firework Factory in Taipa is targeted to be completed by the end of this year, including the renovation and refurbishment of its entrance, The Macau Post Daily reported.
