Sands China brings Macau’s firecracker heritage to life in landmark exhibition

Sands China is reinforcing its commitment to Macau’s cultural and artistic development with a major exhibition that revisits one of the city’s most iconic industries.

Marking the centenary of the Iec Long Firecracker Factory, the integrated resort operator is presenting “A Century of Iec Long Firecracker Factory in Radiance – An Exhibition on the Resonant History and Aesthetic Memory of Macao Firecrackers” at Sands Gallery, located at The Grand Suites at Four Seasons, running through Aug. 31.

Bringing together more than 400 exhibits – including original manuscripts, firecracker-making tools, and vividly designed packaging labels – the exhibition offers a comprehensive look at the century-long evolution of Macau’s firecracker industry, once one of the city’s four major economic pillars.

Through a combination of archival material and artistic interpretation, the showcase revives an industrial legacy that once reached markets around the world, while showcasing the city’s cultural depth and creative spirit.

Structured into six thematic chapters, the exhibition moves from an immersive prologue into narratives of industry development, artisan craftsmanship, archival documentation, and interactive experiences.

It also explores the aesthetics of packaging design, illustrating how artistry and commerce intersected in the production, transport, and global export of firecrackers.

Speaking about the exhibition, Sands China executive vice chairman Dr. Wilfred Wong remarked on the importance of history in shaping identity and community.

“Sometimes, we must know where we come from. That’s the beauty of history. To know your roots makes you feel that you have a developing community,” he said.

Professor Ung Vai Meng

The exhibition is curated by Professor Ung Vai Meng, who has spent three decades researching the firecracker trade, and the project integrates scholarly research with rare historical artifacts.

The role of individuals such as Professor Ung, whose lifelong dedication to collecting and researching firecracker-related materials has made the exhibition possible, is lauded for keeping Macau’s history alive.

“You have to salute people who are willing to do that,” Dr. Wong said, noting that such commitment is increasingly rare, and he added that many items in the exhibition were generously donated.

Beyond preserving artifacts, the exhibition seeks to help audiences understand the social fabric shaped by the industry.

“I hope it helps people… to understand also, sometimes, why certain communities are like that, and live that way,” Dr. Wong said, particularly for younger generations or newcomers to Macau.

He also described the exhibition as an immersive “time tunnel,” designed to bring history to life. “History is not just up on the walls. Can you bring people back to the memory? Can you relive that part of living?” he said, presenting Sands Gallery’s role in offering a more dynamic and accessible alternative to traditional museum settings.

This approach embodies Sands China’s vision of cultural revitalization, giving importance to reimagining historical narratives to keep them relevant.

The gallery, now in its fifth year, has gradually built a reputation for quality and innovation, overcoming early skepticism about its scale and accessibility.

According to Dr. Wong, such partnerships required a high level of trust, particularly given the irreplaceable nature of many exhibits. “It’s creating a new model of partnership in the pursuit of art exhibition and culture sharing,” he said.

Professor Ung noted the historical role of the industry, stating that in the 1950s and 1960s, Macau-produced firecrackers accounted for roughly 30% to over half of global production.

The exhibition also preserves personal and historical stories, including letters from factory workers after 1945, showing how production responded to global events.

“For many older residents, it represents a shared collective memory of the last century,” he said, expressing hope that the exhibition would allow visitors to “hear the echoes of a century-long era that belongs uniquely to Macau.”

Visitors can also explore over 246 labels and original documents detailing production techniques, factory operations, and international distribution.

“This section is very interesting. It’s about the technique, the procedure, how to produce from paper to finished firecracker,” Ung said, explaining that interactive displays and videos bring these processes to life for younger audiences.

For Ung, the mission is to build a “bridge between the audience and the history” to preserve it in the audience’s memories.

Expanding firecracker heritage outreach locally and abroad

To deepen public engagement, Sands China and MUST are extending exhibition elements to the university campus, hosting academic dialogues and thematic displays focused on packaging design and archival materials.

These initiatives, running from March to May, aim to foster greater understanding of the city’s industrial heritage, particularly among younger audiences.

At the same time, Sands China is expanding its cultural outreach beyond Macau.

From March 25 to 29, the company will participate in Art Central in Hong Kong as an Associate Partner, becoming the first integrated tourism and leisure enterprise from Macau to do so.

The showcase will feature elements of the firecracker exhibition alongside works by three emerging Macau artists, positioning Sands Gallery as a “window to the world” for local culture.

Dr. Wong said the move illustrates a more proactive strategy, as the integrated resort operator is keen to help Macau artists reach the world, remarking that international exposure could encourage global audiences to visit Macau and experience its cultural offerings firsthand.

Contemplating on the long-term impact of such initiatives, Dr. Wong suggested that today’s efforts may themselves become part of future history.

“Maybe 100 years later, people will look at Cotai and say, that’s where we come from,” he said.

Through the exhibition, the ultimate goal of Sands China is to reaffirm its commitment to diversity and innovation in the arts, as the group is about diversity – and the ability to showcase different things in life, in culture, in heritage.

The exhibition is jointly presented in collaboration with the Library and Faculty of Humanities and Arts of the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST), Macao Museum and the Archives of Macao, illustrating a cross-sector partnership between government, academia and industry.

It is also the first exhibition to systematically trace and present the development of Macau’s firecracker industry, amplifying ongoing efforts to revitalize the historic Iec Long Firecracker Factory site.