Antique cannon found in Ilha Verde, origins still unknown

An antique cannon has been unearthed at a construction site in Ilha Verde, and the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) says experts are still studying its origins.

The bureau received a report at about 5:30 p.m. last Thursday that an antique cannon had been unearthed at a construction site at the junction of Estrada Marginal da Ilha Verde and Travessa Dois do Parque Industrial, near the Macau-Zhuhai Cross-Border Industrial Zone.

The cannon measures about 3.1 meters in length, with an inner muzzle diameter of 200 to 210 millimeters. It was unearthed intact, with surface deposits and rust. The Public Security Police Force’s (PSP) explosive ordnance disposal unit inspected the cannon and confirmed it posed no danger.

The bureau said it has completed environmental surveys, positioning, and three-dimensional scanning of the cannon and the site where it was unearthed, confirming that no other archaeological relics are present in the surrounding area.

The bureau moved the cannon to a warehouse for proper storage, with additional heritage protection, data analysis, and academic research to follow.

In response to a media inquiry at a post-press conference following yesterday’s fifth plenary meeting of the year for the Cultural Development Consultative Committee, the bureau president, Deland Leong, reaffirmed that the antique cannon has been moved, with detailed examination and restoration work underway, and pledged that information on the restoration would be released to the public in due course.

She acknowledged, however, that the cannon alone makes it difficult to reconstruct a complete historical picture and that experts will need to conduct long-term verification. She added that the bureau has not yet decided where or when it will be displayed and that it will first consolidate fragmented information and extract data before handing it to experts and scholars for long-term study.

According to Leong, assessments indicate that the likelihood of finding additional cannons or other archaeological relics at the site is low, so construction can resume. However, potential discoveries cannot be entirely ruled out. 

Under the relevant regulations, contractors must immediately report any heritage found during works.