Cultural Affairs Bureau continues to expand the collection of valuable and rare Books in digital format

MACAU, November 17 - The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from its Portuguese acronym) has been promoting the digitization of its rare books collection, aiming to preserve valuable local literature and provide convenient access for citizens and researchers. Since 2023, IC has launched the digital versions of two batches of rare books, and has now finished uploading the third batch. Members of the public and researchers are welcome to access the resources via the “Collection of Valuable Electronic Rare Books” section of the IC’s Public Library website.

The third batch of digitized rare books comprises 279 titles in 280 volumes written mainly in Portuguese and English. The collection covers areas such as history, literature, education, and natural sciences, and is of significant historical and research value. This batch includes: On the Poetry of the Chinese: from the Royal Asiatic Transactions (1834) compiled by Sir John Francis Davis, which introduces Chinese poetry and contains English translations of selected passages from History of the Three States; Macao and Its Future Port (1922), featuring past photographs of Macao’s historical landmarks and documenting urban planning concepts of the time; The Typhoon of August 20, 1927: Report by Captain Lieutenant Almeida Pinheiro, which details the impact of the typhoon that swept across Macao during the 1927 typhoon disaster; Portuguese Pioneers of Hong Kong: Horticultural Experiments at Kowloon (1930) written by the Macanese José Pedro Braga, which records the introduction and cultivation of fruits such as pineapples by the Portuguese in Yau Ma Tei in the late 19^th century; and Catalogue of Edible Fish of Macao (1959) compiled by José da Silva Vidigal, a veterinarian of the Municipal Council of Macao, which introduces 52 edible fish species found in the city in the 1950s, including their scientific names, fishing seasons, and Chinese names.

The first two batches of digitalised rare books include the books from the Jiaye Book Library Tower collected by Liu Chenggan of the Qing dynasty, the Qianlong-era edition of the Gazetteer of Xiangshan County, the earliest rare Latin book Regni Chinensis Descriptio (1639), as well as trilingual (Chinese-Portuguese-English) textbooks once used in Macao’s primary and secondary schools. The collection provides priceless information for those who wish to understand and study the educational development, cultural exchange, social landscapes and other aspects of Macao in the past.

The “Collection of Valuable Electronic Rare Books” can now be accessed through IC’s Public Library website (www.library.gov.mo) or the e-resources platform of the “My Library” mobile app.