Melco Star Macao – Youth Talent Competition Melco promotes Chinese culture and sense of national pride in young people

This month, the city’s calendar is filled with events celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China and the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region. One of the more prominent happenings – the finals of Melco Star Macao youth talent competition hosted by Melco Resorts and Entertainment in partnership with the National Conditions Education Association – recently took place at Studio City before an audience of around 2,000 guests.

The “China in Childhood”-themed Melco Star Macao competition focuses on the promotion of traditional Chinese culture, recruiting participants from the city’s secondary and primary schools, kindergartens and community groups. The selection process included an initial and secondary audition, followed by semi-finals and finals, from which the competition’s winners were nominated by the expert judging panel. Diverse performance categories included singing, dancing, instrument performances, musical bands, recitals, Cantonese opera, martial arts, fashion shows and original acts.

Melco Star Macao’s objectives are to cultivate and strengthen the sense of national identity in Macau’s young persons through the practice of traditional Chinese cultural performances, to exhibit the vitality and talent of Macau’s younger generation, as well as to showcase the success of the “One Country, Two Systems” constitutional principle. Since June, the competition has been warmly received by the local community – including schools and organizations for the youth. Over the past few months, the competition has attracted participation from more than 650 youngsters who took part in over 170 original acts.

Mr. Lawrence Ho, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Melco, said, “Fostering creative talent in Macau through our signature youth development programs such as ‘Dare to Dream’ is a key focus of Melco’s Corporate Social Responsibility. We are thrilled to integrate our objectives in youth development with the world-class, award-winning entertainment programs for which Melco is renowned through the Melco Star Macao competition in collaboration with the National Conditions Education Association. It has been a wonderful journey to witness the performance talents of all our participants through the competition’s theme of ‘China in Childhood’ in celebration of the China-Macau Double anniversary. We are also confident that the competition helps to enhance national pride and the sense of belonging for young people in Macau, strengthening appreciation for the People’s Republic of China.”

Mr. Jack Wang, President of National Conditions Education Association, said, “We are excited to celebrate the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China and the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao SAR through the Melco Star Macao talent competition. The competition has been developed to promote a sense of belonging and identity towards the Motherland for young locals and to establish a platform through which they can showcase their talent, energy, and vitality. We thank all participants, schools and organizations of the local Macau community who have supported and taken part in this wonderful project, and congratulation to all our winners as Macau’s rising stars.”