Heritage | Researcher suggests more community development projects in Macau

Peter Zabielskis

Peter Zabielskis, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Macau, recently published his latest research work on heritage preservation in Macau and the Malaysian city of Penang.

His latest book is a combination of more than ten years of work, during which he gathered material from every top scholar of Southeast Asia who had written about Penang.

“Previously a lot of work has been done on port cities in terms of business and trade, but not a lot on the exchanging of ideas that happened in coastal areas. Both the inner city of Penang and part of Macau haven’t been designated as UNESCO world heritage sites, but beyond that, there are still problems that remain that’s not the end point of any goal to get that designation,” said Zabielskis.

“UNESCO grants this global thing to a place, but then what is the benefit for the local people who are already living there? Of course it can develop the economy, it’s good for business, in terms of tourism, but what too often happens is that people’s senses of places get challenged, by congestion with foreigners, and things get oriented towards commercialization for outsiders instead of the development of a good quality of life for local people. So I compare Penang and Macau and there are some important differences but [also] some similarities,” he explained.

Zabielskis noted that one good thing done by Penang’s state government is their extensive funding of a group called Think City, which he described as an “NGO [non-governmental organization] on UNESCO heritage designation, and that’s meant for all sorts of community development […] developing smart cities that are not necessarily about technology.”

“I am waiting for something similar to happen in Macau, that really develops what we know worldwide to have really helped local people and their quality of life, rather than just economic prosperity,” he continued.

“In almost every heritage preservation project, the focus is on material culture – usually architecture, not on softer things like how does the place feel. How does it benefit local people? How does it contribute to culture and identity?”

“It’s too often that it becomes a process of encouraging tourist development only, and even the things that are listed in intangible heritage, if you look closely at them, most of them are things you could potentially sell tickets for. They are not safeguarding ways of life that have been continuous and changing over time, but that people value.”

On the topic of Macau’s scarce public space – the city has some of the lowest open public space per capita compared to other world cities – Zabielskis added that “to see so many of those spaces taken over, overrun by tourists, it’s quite sad. In both places, both in Macau and Penang, I see deep love of the place and the city among residents.”

In Macau, he noted, residents’ love of the city is often challenged by poor planning or overbuilding. “There have been so many art exhibits in Macau where the theme is ‘don’t build anymore, start thinking about people rather than buildings’. Of course there are housing issues, and everybody needs an affordable house. That’s one thing, but to allow the public spaces that are treasured by Macau’s residents to just be totally re-signified as commercial tourist spaces is kind of unfortunate.”

Zabielskis suggested that “instead of looking to the grand monuments, building mega projects, or even high-rises, a small amount of funding for a modest community development project is something to be considered to keep people engaged with the love that they already have for Macau.”