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Macao is a famous port city. Our predecessors relied on its unique geographical environment and natural resources to build a bustling trade center where Eastern and Western cultures blended. Macao's excellent harbor attracted ships from all over the world. Both its land-based architecture and maritime facilities are closely connected to the ocean. Even today, we can trace the city's development and see the tradition of our ancestors exploring the seas and embracing nature.
With social development, economic transformation, and technological progress, the face of Macao's harbor is vastly different from the small fishing village it once was. Rows of 'shop-below, home-above' shophouses have been replaced by skyscrapers; fleets of 'eight-sided wind-catching' Chinese sailboats have changed into motorized vessels.
My family has been fishermen for generations. Since childhood, I have heard stories of my family making a living from the sea, setting sail every day. Since the 1960s, Macao began introducing marine engines, which quickly gained popularity and replaced traditional sailboats within a decade. Sailboats have been absent from Macao for nearly fifty years.
Seeing that the memory of sailboats is fading among Macao people, and the sailors who built and sailed them are aging, we must act now to preserve Macao's sailboat craftsmanship and navigational techniques. This precious folk wisdom and traditional culture is on the verge of disappearing.
The "Sailboats and Macao Traditional Crafts" exhibition is one that balances fun and scientific inquiry. We invite everyone to explore the life of a sailboat sailor.
Culture & Heritage Exhibitions
Macao Communications Museum
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