Heritage | New Macau calls for Coloane protection

Sulu Sou (center)

The New Macau Association is asking the government to mark the mountain and waterfront near the old Lai Chi Vun shipyards as a buffer to protect the whole area, the vice president of the association, Sulu Sou, said yesterday during a press conference.

The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC)’s public consultation regarding the evaluation of the classification of the Lai Chi Vun shipyards will end today. In the consultation, the IC depicted the shipyard area as being in a poor condition overall, which Sou, who is also a lawmaker, deemed a consequence of many years of the government’s dereliction of duty.

Sou pointed out that the submissions to the consultation described the shipyards as having safety issues, being in dangerous condition, unsuitable for use, and totally or partially collapsed.

“These comments are actually unfair and incomplete,” said Sou, noting that 13 shipyards were repossessed by the government, and these did meet the description above.

“Those which have been supported by the public are in a rather acceptable condition,” he remarked.

“In view of the government’s resources and engineering skills, if [the government plans to] create reinforcements or fix these so-called endangered parts [shipyards], then it is not difficult at all.”

Sou criticized the government for unfairly depicting the shipyards, which “led part of the public to only discuss the danger and safety issues of the shipyards and whether to demolish or keep them.”

The lawmaker believes that there is a need to protect the urban landscape and views near the area, which is currently under evaluation.

“The shipyard industry itself is the foundation, others are its carrier,” said Sou, emphasizing the importance of protecting the Lai Chi Vun shipyards and the area as a whole, not just the shipyards themselves.

He suggested that the Macau government protect Coloane Village, including the shipyards and the neighboring mountains, and limit construction heights to 11.6 meters in these areas.

Previously, the government proposed that the Lai Chi Vun shipyards be defined as protected locations, indicating that only the shipyards themselves should be protected.

Sulu Sou disagreed, arguing that the key to cultural protection is in knowing how to preserve the cultural atmosphere.

According to the IC, the Lai Chi Vun shipyards are the largest group of shipyards in Macau and a major part of the history of shipbuilding, which was a traditional industry in the southern China region.

The shipyards are evidence of the techniques and methods for shipbuilding used at the end of the 20th century, and also reveal the traditional lifestyles of the Lai Chi Vun village community.