Macao Seen by Lok Cheong

Lok Cheong (1923-2006), the former president of the Macau Artist Society, who staled his career as a self-taught painter in theater. He was proficient in western painting, and then became expert in traditional Chinese painting later.

As a native in Macao, the works of Lok Clwong was fully brimming with local flavor. In his eyes, Macao is serenity and vital. His painting surpasses the conventional thinking, always blends in the local folk custom. In the early years, his artworks were usually selected in the art exhibitions in Guangdong Province.
Especially, “Gravel road”, an aquarelle with strong feature of Macao, had earned him a special award of the 6 national art exhibitions in 1985.

When National Day during 1960’s and 1970’s, the decorated archway standing erect around Macao, became colorful and shining, and show off the strength of national construction and culture. Especially the Largo do Senado and the Tiananmen Rostrum with grand style and glorious design, has become the gathering place for tourist. In those days, the decorated archway had become the characteristic of Macao, and was the indelible collective memory of such generation in Macao.

Lok Cheong as the coordinator of the design of the decorated archway for the National Day of China in Macao, leaded a production team and friends to develop for several years with innovation and unique style, finally got a great achievement. It happened one year, the decorated archway collapsed on the eve of National Day due to typhoon. Lok Cheong and his team spared no effort to make it rebuild again over one night, and renewed vitality, which was a much-told story at that time. Today many local painting leaders were steeped in the decorated archway.

A well-known saying by Zeng Gongliang, in Song dynasty, was that: “To enjoy the surprising scenery of the billows like giant silver mounts, you should push your windows open and take a broad view of the great river. (It means that to evolve into great achievements, one should take the initiative attitude to step out into the world, to make progress, to find good things in the world and learn from others.) Lok Cheong regards it as a model. As Macao is just a tiny place, the development of art of painting should be connected with outside. Lok Cheong and colleagues of Macau Artist Society initiated contact with the painting friends or peer all over China, and promoting the flow of painting talent in the name of art of painting. Its aim is showing prosperous and beautiful Macao. It always keeps learning from each other all over China, and making mutual progress and development of painting art.

Author Lok Pó
Translation: C&C - Translation Centre, Ltd.

The Stamps:

The Sheetlet:

The Souvenir Sheet:

The FDC with Stamps:

The FDC with Souvenir Sheet:

The Post Mark:

Dados Técnicos/Technical Data

Valor dos Selos/Stamps Value: stamps of 1.50, 2.50, 3.50 and 4.00 Patacas

Folha Miniatura com quatro séries/Minisheet with four sets

Valor do Bloco/Souvenir Sheet Value: 10.00 Patacas

Desenho/Design: Lok Cheong (Adapt. Lok Chong)

Data emissão/Issue date: 21.09.2012

Impressor/Printer: Cartor Security Printing, France

Impressão/Print: Offset Lithography

Papel/Paper: Paper with Security Fibers

Picotagem/Perforation: 13 x 13¼

20 Years of Safeguarding honesty and Transparency

The year of 1992 witnessed the entry into force of Macao’s first anti-corruption law and its establishment of an agency dedicated w graft fighting, kicking off the start of systematic integrity building in the city.

On 20th December 1999, the Macao Special Administrative Region was founded.

According (o Article 59 of the Basic Law, the Macao SAR government established on the same day the present Commission Against Corruption (CCAC), which marked a new milestone in integrity building of Macao.

As a graft fighter-cum-ombudsman. the CCAC has been pursuing the policy aiming at both suppression and prevention all along. Driven by the objectives of ‘supervision on integrity’, ‘supervision on law-enforcement” and ‘supervision on effectiveness”, the graft buster insists on carrying out its functions in an independent and objective way.

In compliance with the United Nations Convention against Corruption effective in Macao since 12th February 2006, the Legislative Assembly of Macao passed the law Prevention and Suppression of Bribery in the Private Sector, which entered into force on 1 March 2010. Ever since then, the CCAC’s jurisdiction has expanded and covered both public and private sectors. This is yet another breakthrough of development of integrity building in the territory.

On the path of integrity building, the CCAC pledges to join hands with different strata of society to enhance its development and safeguard social fairness and justice without prejudice or fear.

Commission Against Corruption

The Stamps:

The FDC with Stamps:

The Post Mark:

Dados Técnicos/Technical Data

Valor dos Selos/Stamps Value: stamps of 2.00 and 5.00 Patacas

Desenho/Design: Kuan Chon Kit

Data emissão/Issue date: 20.09.2012

Impressor/Printer: Joh. Enschedé Security Print, Netherlands

Impressão/Print: Offset Lithography

Papel/Paper: Paper with Security Fibers

Picotagem/Perforation: 14 x 13¼

Legends and Myths X – The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid

The legend “The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid” is a millenniums-old story from China. It originated in the worship of the stars. It is the result of the people’s deification and personification of the stars Altair and Vega.

The earliest version of the legend “The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid” was seen in the book of “Shi Jing” (Poetry Book). During the Han Dynasty, people began to unite the Cowherd and the Weaving Maid by marriage. After being handed down and circulated for generations, it eventually became a beautiful fairy tale.

The stamp issue “Legends and Myths X - The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid’, designed by Lio Man Cheong, an artist from Macao, includes six stamps and one souvenir sheet with seven themes, which are as follows:

Treating the Ox: The Cowherd was originally a diligent and smart cowherd on earth. After the death of his parents, his elder brother and his sister-in -law divide up the family property with him and they live apart, giving the cowherd only a sick old ox. Surprisingly, after the cowherd’s capable medical treatment, the ox turns out to be extremely clever and from then on, they depend on each other to make a living.

Stealing the Weaver’s Clothes: The Weaving Maid was originally a fairy girl. She was a celestial beauty and talented in the art of weaving. One day, she and her sisters descend upon earth to have a bath. The cowherd is overjoyed with this news and steals her clothes under the advice of the clever ox. The Weaving Maid is unable to go hack to heaven on time and agrees to stay with the cowherd.

The Cowherd Farms and the Weaver Weaves: The Weaving Maid happily marries the cowherd and lives on earth. They live together and remain deeply in love. They own a few acres of farmlands and an ox and raise a son and a daughter. They love each other and live a carefree life, sharing the daily chores, with the husband taking care of the farming, while the wife is responsible for the weaving. They both build a happy family.

The Weaver is caught: The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid happily live their mortal lives on earth. She is unwilling to remain a fairy girl and almost forgets about her original home. Of course, good things never last forever: the heavenly Emperor is very angry when she finds out that the Weaving Maid and the Cowherd have gotten married.

He sends soldiers from heaven to go down to earth and catch the fairy girl. The Weaving Maid is forced to go back to heaven and the happy family is torn apart.

Separated by the Milky Way: The Cowherd is very upset when he sees his wife being arrested. He listens to his dying old ox, who tells him that if he puts his skin on, he can fly up to heaven. Then, he picks up his son and daughter and they fly off into the sky. Unfortunately, they are blocked by the Milky Way, which the Heavenly Empress creates from a gold hairpin, thus separating the Cowherd and the Weaving Maid.

The Gods are Touched: The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid are separated by the Milky Way and weep for one another. All of heaven is moved by the sound of their sorrow and the heavenly Emperor is eventually also touched.
He allows the Cowherd and the Weaving Maid to meet each other once a year on Magpie Bridge in the Milky Way on the Qixi Festival: it falls on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar.

Meeting on the Magpie Bridge: Although the Weaving Maid can meet the Cowherd during the Qixi Festival, the question of how to cross the Milky Way remains. Luckily, a group of magpies with black feathers, bald heads and long tails comes along, willing to be the messengers of the Cowherd and the Weaving Maid in the Milky Way. They form a “bridge” (known in folklore as the “Magpie Bridge”) in the Milky Way, allowing the Cowherd and Weaving Maid to meet each other. The moving story of “Meeting on the Magpie Bridge” is widespread in Chinese folklore.

Author: Chan Su Weng
Translation: Next Vector Consultants Ltd.

The Stamps:

The Sheetlet:

The Souvenir Sheet:

The FDC with Stamps:

The FDC with Souvenir Sheet:

The Post Mark:

Dados Técnicos/Technical Data

Valor dos Selos/Stamps Value: stamps of 1.50, 1.50, 2.00, 2.00, 2.50 and 2.50 Patacas

Folhas Miniatura com duas séries/Minisheets with two sets

Valor do Bloco/Souvenir Sheet Value: 10.00 Patacas

Desenho/Design: Lio Man Cheong

Data emissão/Issue date: 23.08.2012

Impressor/Printer: Joh. Enschedé Security Print, Netherlands

Impressão/Print: Offset Lithography

Papel/Paper: Paper with Security Fibers

Picotagem/Perforation: 14 x 13¼

120th Anniversary of Tung Sin Tong Charitable Society

As a name well-known to all citizens of Macao, Tung Sin Tong is one of the most time-honored charitable societies in Chinese communities in Macao and it has been 120 years since its establishment.

Origin: Tung Sin Tong is a charitable organization sponsored by a group of Chinese merchants in Hong Kong and Macao and is dedicated to promote the charity and public welfare activities. In the 18th year of Emperor Guangxu of Qing Dynasty (year 1892), the “Administrative Section of Chinese Affair Government” issued a document, approving the establishment of “Tung Sin Villa” (the predecessor of Tung Sin Tong), the deacon of which was authorized to perform charitable activities such as “provision of free medical treatment, donation of medicine and preach of good books”. The oftice was located at St. Domingos and then moved to Largo do Senado. Later, due to land acquisition by the government, Tung Sin Tong was constructed on 1924 at its current location and continued its efforts lo help the poor and the weak till now.

Objective: The objective of Tung Sin Tong is ‘Common wish to benefit society, virtuous atmosphere to welcome all.”, which means, we shall be of one heart and one mind, serving the society through joint efforts and treating others with a caring and kind heart.

Services: Since its establishment, with the supports from philanthropists and the society. Tung Sin Tong kept expanding all kinds of charity works. In the 20th year of Emperor Guangxu (year 1894), it set up the first confraternity, Delivery Assistance Confraternity. Then, it established other kinds of confraternities, including free coffin carriers, free medicine, pension and soul turning, healing the wounded and rescuing the dying, bringing benefits to all mankind. The charity services include free medical treatment, free medicine, child delivery, funeral and internment, tea provision, rice donation, disaster relief and poverty alleviation. etc. The targets of services are flot limited to any certain nationality.

Evolution: Now, the daily services of Tung Sin Tong mainly include four categories: Free Nursery Services, Free Education. Free Clinic and Medications and Help the Needy.

I. Free Nursery Services: Reduce the pressure of child care for working families and bring formative education to the young children promptly. Tung Sin Tong has been providing free child care service since 1976 and established two nurseries under the name of “Tung Sin Tong” successively. Later, as the demands for child care increased with the economic growth of Macao, two more nurseries were established in 1998 and 2002 respectively. The staffs in all our nurseries are working hard for healthy growth of the young children.

II. Free Education: In 1924, Tung Sin Tong established “Tung Sin Tong Free School for the Poor” and only dozens of boys were enrolled at first. “Tung Sin Tong Primary School was established in 1965 and later the kindergarten and adult night school were established. After the painstaking efforts, “Tung Sin Tong Middle School” was finally set up in the autumn of 1991 and became the first school in Macao providing 15-year free education. The school has also established scholarship and grant-in aids, supporting middle school graduates to pursue further education in universities and encouraging the motivated young people to continue their study.

III. Free Clinic and Medications: Tung Sin Tong has been providing free medical treatment and medicine since its establishment and two Chinese medicine doctors were engaged for diagnosis and treatment. The scope of service is expanded as the demands increase. In l950s, eight more Chinese medicine and western medicine disciplines were added to further expand the scope of service. After the returning of Macao, with the support from the society and the governmment of Macao SAR, great developments have been obtained, the medical quality has been improved and the service measures are getting more and more complete. At present, over fifty medical staff in the three subsidiary clinics and Tung Sin Tong Drug Store provides all kinds of Chinese and Western medicine services.

IV. Help the Needy: The targets of our aids are mainly old, weak, disabled, ill people and single-parent families with financial difficulties. At the beginning, it mainly distributed congee and winter clothing. In 1968, it was changed as rice distribution in every month, which has also become one of the symbols of Tung Sin Tong. It distributes rice, cooking oil or biscuits to people with difficulties every month, sends out gifts on holidays, distributes quilts and clothing in winters, provides free funeral and internment services and gives aids and consolations to people  suffering front injury or death. It also utilizes “The Ho Kam Yung Fund” to assist the disabled and rehabilitation organizations.

Tung Sin Tong Charitable Society

Translation: C&C - Translation Centre, Ltd.

The Stamps:

The Sheetlet:

The Souvenir Sheet:

The FDC with Stamps:

The FDC with Souvenir Sheet:

The Post Mark:

Dados Técnicos/Technical Data

Valor dos Selos/Stamps Value: stamps of 1.50, 2.50, 3.50 and 4.00 Patacas

Folha Miniatura com quatro séries/Minisheet with four sets

Valor do Bloco/Souvenir Sheet Value: 10.00 Patacas

Desenho/Design: Ng Wai Kin

Data emissão/Issue date: 08.08.2012

Impressor/Printer: Joh. Enschedé Security Print, Netherlands

Papel/Paper: Paper with Security Fibers

Picotagem/Perforation: 14 x 13¼