Heritage | Ancient riverside foundations found under historic pharmacy

The Cultural Heritage Committee visited the site

The Cultural Affairs Bureau unearthed another cluster of stone relics amid ongoing restoration at the historic Chong Sai Pharmacy (East and West Pharmacy), allegedly established by Chinese Republic founder Sun Yat-sen. The relics, which date back hundreds of years ago, suggest a part of the region’s original shoreline.
During a Cultural Heritage Committee visit to the site, the bureau’s head Ung Vai Meng told the media the government had to change its plans for the three-story block, in line with the conservation of the remains. The first similar discovery was made in 2012 while the bureau’s restoration team was conducting a revamp project. Beneath the site’s foundation, the authorities discovered another layer of stone-structured ruins.
The historic site has already undergone an initial facelift of the whole complex and related conservation works. The authorities will soon carry out another phase of works to beautify the block’s exterior and interior.
The Cultural Heritage Committee visited the site last week to evaluate the ongoing works and their progress. Ung said that the government would also conduct public tours for locals in future.
Standing in the Macau peninsula’s downtown, the centenary three-story Chong Sai Pharmacy was acquired by the government in 2011 for MOP36 million. A series of renovations ensued, with the aim of turning the decrepit building into an exhibition center dedicated to Sun Yat-sen.