In this mid-summer, along with the arrival of the steamy weather in Macau,  Ma Man Kei and Lo Pak Sam College (MLC) welcomed their first batch of visitors — a delegation from  Da Xia College of East China Normal University.  With the support of Vice Rector, Prof. Billy So, on 13th – 14th July, 2021, a delegation of 22 students and teachers came together at MLC to study the cultures of Macau, the University of Macau (UM), and UM’s college system.

The event began with the welcoming speech by Prof. YANG Liu, the College Master of MLC. In the speech, Prof. YANG introduced UM’s unique features and the latest plan of UM’s Residential College (RC) 2.0 initiative. She said, “UM acquires a modern governance, a multicultural environment, and an international faculty team. With English as the main medium of instruction, the university is committed to producing outstanding graduates who are innovative, patriotic, competitive, resilient and responsible, through a holistic education model implemented via RC system.” Prof. YANG extended a warm welcome to the guests on this 40th anniversary of the University of Macau, and expressed her heartfelt thanks to Da Xia College for their hospitality to the teachers and students of MLC visiting Shanghai. Prof. Mu Tao, Master of Da Xia College, reviewed the history of cooperation between the two Colleges. He highly praised the achievements in the development of UM and the management style of MLC, and looked forward to the establishment of a long-term cooperation.

  (Photo: Master YANG Liu and Master MU Tao exchanged souvenirs)

During the two-day visit, MLC arranged a series of three lectures on history for their visitors.     Renowned historian, Prof. Mao gave the first lecture on “The Relationship between Kang Youwei and Emperor Guangxu during the Hundred Days Reform.”  It was followed by a lecture given by UM’s Ph.D. student in history, Mr. Zhang Chen. Mr. Zhang’s lecture discusses the “History and Reality: The Gambling Industry in Macau.” The lecture series ended with a lecture given by MLC’s Resident Fellow, Prof. Venus Viana on “Everyday Life of Macau Citizens during WWII from a Microhistory Perspective.”   All three lectures were chaired by Prof. Mu Tao, Master of Da Xia College.   From various perspectives, the lectures discuss the historical development of Macau SAR’s inclusive society in the past two centuries, thereby allowing students a thicker glimpse of Macau’s multiculturalism.

All three speakers received insightful questions from Da Xia’s enthusiastic students. They were exceptionally interested in the history of Macau in relations to heritage, tourism, and the historical development of the gambling industry.  When asked about the college system, Prof. Mao explained that the college is a place where one’s  character is established and the interest in various academic disciplines is developed.

Besides attending lectures, Da Xia College teachers and students visited MLC. Being impressed by MLC and UM as a whole, some students expressed their interests in pursuing their Master’s degree at UM.

(By Venus Viana, MLC)