Urban Planning Heritage craft group faces displacement as revitalization plans advance

A lawmaker is urging a long-term approach to district revitalization that turns visitor traffic into lasting commercial gains for local small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), while a group teaching boat-building – a craft on Macau’s intangible cultural heritage list – is set to be displaced from the district as the government takes back the land.

Revitalization work across Macau’s six major historic districts has continued to advance, with recent events including the Barra Slow Festival and the Felicidade Tipsy Weekend. Lawmaker Joey Lao said that while short-term events can certainly boost foot traffic and raise a district’s profile, the effectiveness of revitalization cannot be judged on a few days of bustling activity alone.

He acknowledged that, based on the performance of the two recent events, the results were “quite impressive,” drawing 100,000 visitors and packing the venues, with the Barra event in particular clearly boosting light rail usage and the surrounding commercial atmosphere.

However, he stressed that district revitalization must be assessed on its year-round sustainability rather than a brief surge in popularity.

He called for a review of the effectiveness of revitalization efforts, a rethinking of the long-term positioning and goals of each district, and the formulation of long-term plans to convert foot traffic into sustainable commercial benefits that help local SMEs improve their business environment.

Lao noted a mismatch between the “slow living” theme of the Barra festival and the on-site reality. While Barra’s natural setting is well suited to a “slow, leisurely” positioning and the theme itself was “very appropriate,” the large crowds that flooded the confined venue during the event created congestion that clashed with the relaxed, open-air atmosphere that “slow living” seeks to evoke.

By contrast, he said, the nightlife theme of the Rua da Felicidade event was more consistent with the atmosphere and setting of that district, though the area lacked the transport advantages of Barra’s light rail station, giving rise to traffic problems.

He added that, as Barra and Rua da Felicidade have relatively few residents, the events caused limited disruption to daily life, although some Barra residents did raise concerns, mainly over noise from live music and the crowds.

Lao said the original purpose of district revitalization was to drive the sustainable development of local SMEs while improving residents’ living environment – not merely to chase a few days of photo-taking frenzy.

While phased events have their value, he said, the priority should be long-term planning, considering how to transform short-term popularity into lasting foot traffic and keep the districts consistently vibrant.

He observed that festive events are a phased, short-term stimulus: during the events, nearby shops and stalls benefit from the crowds, but once the events end, the momentum fades quickly and foot traffic returns to normal levels, leaving some businesses once again facing operational difficulties – a shortfall that reflects the ongoing challenge of sustainability.

Heritage craft group evicted as district revitalization continues

Since 2023, the government has partnered with the city’s six integrated resort (IR) operators to launch the “six historic districts revitalization program,” which has recently shifted towards a three-tier operating structure led by government-established, community-run “district development centers.”

The core long-term goal is to move away from “single-spot check-in” events towards a community economic ecosystem with lasting vitality, achieving “coexistence and shared prosperity between World Heritage and the community.”

However, the Shipbuilding Craft Culture Association revealed on its Facebook page that the government is reclaiming land in the district where it has long used the Plot X2 Kam Hoi Shipyard and Plot X4 Son Weng Shipyard on Estrada de Lai Chi Vun. “There, masters lead students in building a 4-metre-long wooden fishing boat model together,” the association wrote, adding that the shipyard owner had notified the group that it would have to move out this month.

The association, founded in 2019, traced its origins to 2017–2018, when its core members collaborated with the Dream Theater Association on several performances related to Macau’s shipbuilding industry.

“In the early days of the association, we were still finding our footing,” it wrote. “To better pass on shipbuilding skills, we launched guided tours, taking people into the shipyards.

At the same time, we organized a series of workshops so that people could experience the ‘first
scene’ for themselves” – including caulking classes, a six-month wooden boat model workshop, and the reopening of the Macau Coloane Lai Chi Vun Shipbuilding Exhibition Room.

Between 2022 and 2025, the association held comprehensive experience projects in Coloane, allowing the public to explore the area through walks, workshops, collaborations with local shops, small concerts, and shipyard visits.

“To this day, masters still insist on making model boats every day,” the group wrote. During those years, it launched its first cross-year project, under which participants built a 10-person original wooden dragon boat in a shipyard, and invited more than 20 local artists to record and
create works there, culminating in an exhibition staged across Kam Hoi, Son Weng, and Hip Lei shipyards.

At the closing event, a sunset concert was held at the shipyard, where the theme song “artisan’s dream” was performed live for the first time.

“As of 2026, we are still at the shipyard, with masters leading students to build a 4-metre wooden fishing boat model together,” the association wrote.

“For 10 years, the masters have persisted, coming to the Coloane shipyard to build boats day after day.” It noted that the shipyard had weathered three major typhoons, with even the floor being blown away, after which the masters rebuilt it.

“The shipyard seems to keep its appearance, but as people change, it changes too,” it wrote. The wooden panels in the middle of the yard, for instance, were installed by the masters before a dragon boat class to block the wind, while the most recent renovation last year raised the floor and added three large toolboxes for greater convenience. “So is it that we can’t bear to leave the shipyard, or that the shipyard can’t bear to leave us?”