“Local Official Archives of Macau in the Qing Dynasty (1693-1886) were included in the Memory of the World Register”

The seventh general meeting of Asia/Pacific Regional Committee for the Memory of the World Program (MOWCAP) was held in Hanoi, Vietnam in May 2016. Archives of Macau and the National Archive of Torre do Tombo in Portugal jointly nominated Local Official Archives of Macau in the Qing Dynasty (1693-1886) (former "Chinese Official Letters” Collection) which was selected to the UNESCO's Memory of the World Register for Asia Pacific. Later, in October 2017, it was successfully listed in the International Memory of the World Register.

The “Chapas Sinicas” which is now preserved in the National Archive of Torre do Tombo in Portugal comprises of 3600 documents, including more than 1500 Chinese documents, 5 volumes of Portuguese translations of Municipal Council of Macau meetings. The copies of all the materials have been kept in Archives of Macau for public use.  These documents reflect the exchange of official documents between the Qing and Portugal when Macau was tenanted by Portugal at that time, showing China's territorial and ruling sovereignty over Macau, as well as the regulations and restriction regarding the Portuguese’s rule. Furthermore, there are valuable first-hand information about the local administration of Macau, the negotiation between China and foreign countries, the shipwreck rescue and various accounts, the contracts that reflect the social conditions of Macau at that time.

Source: Archives of Macau