Heritage | Chapas Sínicas inscribed by UNESCO in joint China-Portugal bid

Adjustment between the establishment of Xing Yuan and the prosecutor of Macau (António Vicente Rosa) on the contract for the repair of various sites (1797)

The collection of Chapas Sínicas, or “Official Records of Macau During the Qing Dynasty (1693-1886)”, has been inscribed by UNESCO in the internationally recognized Memory of the World Register.

The Chapas Sínicas was submitted for UNESCO consideration by the Archives of Macao and the National Archive of Torre de Tombo of Portugal, marking the first instance of a joint Portuguese-Chinese nomination.

The Chapas Sínicas comprises a total of 3,600 documents, including over 1,500 official letters written in Chinese, five books of Portuguese translated copies of the letters kept by the Leal Senado (the body that preceded the Institute for Municipal and Civic Affairs) and four packets of miscellaneous documents.

The collection is the documentation of Macau during the Qing Dynasty and has been renamed as the “Official Records of Macau During the Qing Dynasty (1693-1886).” It is composed of official and non-official documents created mainly from the early reign of Qianlong to the late reign of Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty.

The largest part of the collection comprises official correspondence exchanged between the sub-prefects of Macau, magistrates of Xiangshan, other Chinese officials and the procurators of the Macau’s Leal Senado. The collection also includes official correspondence between the Chinese and Portuguese authorities.

In addition, there are documents such as bills, letters, deeds, contracts and other documents that are associated with the social conditions, the lives of the people, urban development, trade and commerce, among others.

The Chapas Sínicas were brought to Portugal in the 19th century and later transferred into the custody of National Archive of Torre do Tombo.

According to a statement released yesterday by the Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, “the collection […] clearly reflects the special status and role of Macau in the world at that time.”

“Through marine traffic and other means of communication, [Macau] was connected to the United Kingdom, France, Russia, the United States, Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Japan, North Korea, Vietnam, Brunei and the Philippines and many other countries. It became a place where foreign vessels assembled and a convergence point of Eastern and Western culture.”

To celebrate its inscription in the Memory of the World Register, the Archives of Macao and the National Archive of Torre de Tombo of Portugal will jointly organize a series of exhibitions in Macau and Lisbon in 2018 and 2019, and commemorative stamps will be issued in both cities.

The Macau SAR government said that this first joint nomination to the UNESCO program by the People’s Republic of China and Portugal reflects future initiatives that are intended to strengthen cultural exchanges between the two countries.