Our Desk | Museums

Julie Zhu

If I were a Macau resident, thinking about the good for my hometown, Macau, I would have so much to worry about this city’s “sustainability” because of the protection it has been offering to its millennial generation.
Today’s topic is Macau museums. I want to start with some questions. Are Macau’s museums good? Are Macau’s museums better than the ones in other developed areas, such as the U.K., France, the U.S., or even Portugal? How much are Macau museums charging to its visitors? How do they categorize different groups of visitors in order for some people to be given priority or better deals when entering a Macau Museum, in particular local and non-local residents, for example, cheaper admission fees?
I would like to do a 550-word short critical essay on the last question by using the examples of the Macao Museum, the MET from the U.S., the British Museum from the U.K., and the Museu Nacional De Arte Antiga from Portugal.
Macau Museum, Macau. Admissions are as follow: adults MOP15; students card holders MOP8; children aged 12 years old or under and seniors aged 65 years old or above are entitled to free admission; free admission for Macau residents, schools and non-profit associations; commercial institutions pay MOP10 per person; travel agencies pay MOP10 per person. Finally, admission is free for everybody on Tuesdays and on the 15th of every month, and for holders of a tourist guide card issued by the Macau government.
The British Museum, U.K. Admission is free and advance booking is only required for groups of 10 or more. It charges for some exhibitions, events and tours.
The Met Museum, U.S. New York State residents and NY, NJ, and CT students pay for the tickets up to whatever amount each person decides. General admission tickets are 25 U.S. dollars for adults, 17 U.S. dollars for seniors, and 12 U.S. dollars for students. Tickets are free for Members, Patrons, and children under 12.
Museu Nacional De Arte Antiga, Portugal. Free entry on Sundays and holidays until 2 p.m. for all Portuguese citizens and foreign residents in Portugal. Free for children aged 12 or under, unemployed visitors residing in the European Union, and disabled visitors with one companion. Free for researchers, conservators, restorers, museum and/or heritage workers on professional service. Free for young people, residents in Portugal, upon presentation of an identity document. Free for journalists on professional duty, with prior notice. Free for teachers and students from any level of education, including universities (in study visits, booked in advance by the school).  Free for accredited groups from Portuguese Charity Institutions, Municipal Social Services or other institutions of public interest, with prior authorization by the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage (DGPC). Free for Groups of Friends of museums, monuments, palaces, castles and archaeological sites. Free for workers of DGPC and three companions. Free for volunteers working at the DGPC and 1 companion. Free for tourism workers (RNAAT).
I cannot and will not draw a conclusion on how these museums categorize the admission fees. But I assume it is unquestionably easy to tell which paragraph is longer among the above four.
In the beginning, I indicated that I am not a Macau resident. By now, these abovementioned observations are likely being deciphered as a stroke of jealousy, perhaps hatred, leading to the assumption that the writer is a bitter mainlander who is unhappy for she is not a Macau resident and should therefore return to mainland China if, in her opinion, Macau is so bad.