Archives and Manuscripts of Macau Kiang Wu Hospital Charitable Association (1857-1961), which were jointly submitted by City University of Macau Memory of the World Knowledge Centre--Macau and Macau Documentation and Information Society, were successfully inscribed to the MOWCAP Register at the 11th Meeting of the Regional Committee for the Memory of the World Programme for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP) in Indonesia on November 5, 2026.
In 1933, the meeting minutes of Kiang Wu documented the establishment of the hospital's "Medical Rescue Team"
The extensive collection is well-preserved and mostly consists of sole copies, including archives, old photographs, letters, plagues, paper scrolls, inscriptions, meeting minutes, event reports, contracts, etc., with a total of with a total of 5,400 items. This collection reflects the development and contributions of the association from the late Qing Dynasty through World War II, the Republic of China era, and up to the founding of the People’s Republic of China. In particular, it highlights the association’s the pioneering work in the combination of Chinese and Western medicine and its cultural integration, gender equality, humanitarianism, the role of "red merchants", and the promotion of Macao's connections with the Asia-Pacific region and the international community, revealing the unique and irreplaceable universal value and global significance of the collection.
Records of Sun Yat-sen providing free medical care promoting western medicine at Kiang Wu in 1892
Photographs of child refugees housed at the Kiang Wu during World War II
The Memory of the World Programme is a documentary heritage preservation initiative launched by UNESCO in 1992, aimed at promoting the preservation, use, and dissemination of archival and documentary heritage. Alongside the World Heritage (WH) and Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), the Memory of the World (MoW) is one of UNESCO’s three major heritage programmes. The MOWCAP is responsible for evaluating nominations for the MOWCAP Register, which takes place every two years.
The inscription of the Archives and Manuscripts of Macau Kiang Wu Hospital Charitable Association (1857-1961) in MOWCAP Register marks a significant milestone in the protection of Macao’s documentary heritage. Memory of the World Knowledge Centre--Macau, in collaboration with the Macau Documentation and Information Society, will continue to promote research, preservation, and dissemination of the collection, and strengthen the revitalization and international exchange of Macao’s documentary heritage.