For over 400 years, Chinese and Western cultures have blended in Macao, a once-renowned international trading port, which was selected as the “Culture City of East Asia” in 2025. Through the words of Chinese writer Feng Jicai, the city possesses memories, and the memories of this small city have always been closely connected to the international community. The 40th issue of Books And The City will take readers on an exploration journey to experience the profound historical heritage and vibrant cultural vitality of this city.
Cultural treasures are often woven into daily life. The “Historic Centre of Macao” , listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a microcosm of Chinese and Western cultures. Meanwhile, the 70 items on Macao’s Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage tell stories of cultural fusion through diverse customs and traditions. The Feature of this issue, “Cultural Macao”, will uses books as a medium to help readers understand Macao’s “World Heritage” and “Intangible Cultural Heritage”, while showcasing the rich cultural atmosphere of this small city through the introduction of local artistic activities.
Promoting reading is an important cornerstone for cultural heritage. This issue's “Library Handbook” particularly highlights the significant series of activities of “Reading Month in the City of Macao 2025”. One of the key activity, “Macao Library Week” focus on the theme “Reading × Sport”, with the doubling scale compared to previous years, extending from indoor venues to outdoor areas. It includes a variety of activities such as reading lectures, themed book exhibitions, and cultural creative markets. Furthermore, the popular activity “Book of Book” will be launched again, and also will showcase books from the Hangzhou Public Library at the “Thematic Exhibition of Books from the Collection of the Public Library”, weaving a cultural dialogue between the two cities. This issue’s “Special Column” also invites various book reviewers to write about exquisite books from China, Japan, South Korea and the Macao region, allowing readers to gain a deeper understanding of the culture heritage of the “Culture City of East Asia”.
Finally, we will create a connection between book knowledge and the landscape of this small city. In this issue of “Author’s Say”, we will become explorers, guided by the book Little Explorers – A Place of Discoveries strolling through the streets and alleys to rediscover this city. Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore once said, “The seed, in which life remains self-contained, does not know its complete truth. Even when the sheath bursts, it is not known in what shape its life will manifest itself, what fruit the branches will bear.” Now is the time to sow the seed.
