Heritage | ‘Macanese Families’ 2nd ed. to launch at UM

A book launch, organized by Albergue SCM and sponsored by the Macao Foundation, will be held today at 4 p.m. in the Auditorium of the University of Macau (UM) for Jorge Forjaz’s “Macanese Families – II Edition.”

This second edition will include a general review of the work and an update to almost all of the book’s chapters and sub-chapters. It will also feature the addition of 80 new chapters and over 3,000 photographs across the book’s five volumes, as well as a volume of indexes detailing all the names included in the work.

The first edition of the book was initially presented to the public during the 2nd Meeting of Macanese Communities in 1996 during a ceremony held at the Tourism Activities Centre.

Forjaz presented the results of a five-year study in the Macanese communities across China (particularly in Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Harbin) and also in Japan, Thailand and Singapore. Later the communities also settled in Brazil, Canada, the U.S.A., Australia and Portugal.

According to a statement from Albergue SCM, the work was well-received by the Macanese community.

“For this work, Forjaz earned the accolades of his peers and the gratitude of Macanese all over the world. Generations to come will treasure these books,” commented Professor Henry “Quito” d’Assumpção, as cited by Albergue SCM.

In 2011, Albergue SCM invited the author to a conference to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the work’s publication. After the conference, Forjaz agreed to review and update the first edition, which led to the publication of the second edition five years later.

The book will be launched on the occasion of the worldwide Gathering of the Macanese held in Macau every three years.