event

The Sailing Junk and Macau Traditional Handcrafts Exhibition

18

Jan

“The Sailing Junk and Macau Traditional Handcrafts” exhibition is opening on January 18, at Kent Wong Exhibition Gallery, USJ.

Macau is a famous harbour city. The ancestors made use of the unique geographical and natural resource, established a Sino-Western cultural exchange spot and a prosper trade port. Macau’s quality shelter harbour attracted vessels coming from all around the world, this functionality was reflected on the maritime infra-structures either on land or at sea. Today, we can still discover the trace of our ancestors, who had bravely voyaged and embraced the ocean.

In pace with the social development, the economic transformation and the technological innovations , the landscape of Macau harbour changed. The small fishery village had became the Asia’s Monte Carlo. Where there used to be arcade buildings, the people operate downstairs and live upstairs, had became tall apartments. The numerous sailing junks on water, catch wind in all directions, had became motor ships.

I was born in a fisherman’s family. When I was a child, my senior family members told me a lot of folk stories, of which they sailed and harvested at sea. Macau’s fishery introduced machines and diesel engines in the early 1960s, which brought a rapid modernisation to the industry. The traditional sailing ships had became outmoded within a decade. Up to date, the sailing ships had disappeared from the harbour nearly half a century.

The sailing junk ships are out of the sight of Macau people, who have little recognition to them. What’s even worse is those skilled technicians and navigators are ageing and passing away. If we are not preserving the Macau sailing skills and craftsmanship, these valuable folk wisdom and traditional culture will soon be vanished.

“The Sailing Junk and Macau Traditional Handcrafts” is a both playful and educational science exhibition. Welcome and have fun exploring the daily life of a seafarer.

For more information regarding the exhibition, please contact USJ Library – library@usj.edu.mo

Opening Times:
Monday to Friday 9.00 a.m – 9.00 p.m
Saturday 10.00 – 2.00 p.m