Author to launch Chui Tak Kei’s photobiography

A photobiography on Macau’s late influential leader Chui Tak Kei will be released to the public on Saturday at Albergue SCM, showcasing nearly a hundred photos of Chui’s activities as a public figure across 40 years.

The book, “Chui Tak Kei, History in a Biography”, is authored by João Guedes, who has collected photographs from different archives including Tung Sin Tong’s, Kiang Wu Hospital’s and archives from the Government Information Bureau.

Spanning a total of 240 pages, the photobiography is the third edition of the “MacauFotoBios” Collection and contains photographs and documentation on Chui Tak Kei which has not been available to the public until now.

Born in Macau in 1911, Chui Tak Kei was a key political figure and an influential mediator between China and the colonial Portuguese administration, playing a pivotal role in the December 1966 riot, known as the “1-2-3 incident”.

The riot occurred on December 3, 1966 stimulated by the China’s Cultural Revolution.

Speaking to the Times, Guedes explained that the public figure had a significant role in the city, particularly during the World War II, assisting refugees who were coming to Macau.

“He was one of the three leaders of the Macau Chamber of Commerce – that was [what] we called ‘shadow government’ of Macau at that time,” he said.

“The photos speak about various times [in Macau] after the Second World War and until his death,” the author added.

The leading figure in the public and private institutions of Macau held political roles such as vice-president position of the Legislative Assembly of Macau, and positions in the Governors Consultative Committee and the Town Council of Macau (also known as Leal Senado).

The uncle of the SAR’s Chief Executive Chui Sai On, Chui Tak Kei was also a member of the Drafting Committee of the Basic Law and the president of the Consultative Committee of the Basic Law of the SAR.

According to Guedes, Chui Tak Kei financially contributed to artistic and music associations, as he was a fond patron of the arts with a specific interest in painting and music.

He devoted himself to drawing, painting and Chinese calligraphy.

Guedes hinted at the need for biographies of local personalities, particularly of public figures in Macau in order to inform younger generations.

“As far as I know, there are no biographies [in Macau]. So I think it’s very important to save it as a memory for the future [especially] these kinds of figures of the history of Macau, otherwise they disappear completely from the memory,” Guedes added.

Meanwhile, the author and journalist noted that he had just concluded a monography on Saint Joseph’s Seminar, which will be published in a few months.