Opinion

Han Language Document Files: The treasure of Macau stories waiting to be discovered

On the 30thOctober 2017, the Archive of Macau which is under the direction of the Macau Cultural Institute, and the Portuguese Archive Bureau (Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo), successfully applied for the Han Language Document Files(Local Government Offices Documents of Macau during the Qing Dynasty between 1693 to1886) to be included into the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.  This can be considered as another major cultural event worth our celebration, since the inclusion of Macau’s Historic Center into the UNESCO Cultural Heritage of the World Register in 2005. 

The Han Language Document Filesinclude official documents between China (Qing Government) and Portugal from 1693 to 1886. They reflect different aspects of Macau during those years in terms of the social situation, lives of the people, urban development, agricultural production and commercial trading.  The entire collection of files is composed of 3,600 written documents, including 1,500 original Chinese documents, five volumes of Macau Portuguese Counsel meeting translations in Portuguese, and four small packs of individual documents. 

These are rare and precious, first-hand materials for the research of Macau’s history as well as the history of diplomatic relations of China. Not only can they help posterity to understand the decline of the Qing Dynasty, but they also bear witness to how Macau has played an important role between the East and West in terms of commercial trading and exchange of culture. 

Since its discovery more than half of a century ago in 1952 by Chinese scholar and professor Mr. Fang Hao, the Han Language Document Fileshave already attracted a significant number of Chinese and Portuguese academics to work on them in documentation and research. Currently, the most complete Chinese version of these files are The Documentation of Macau Chinese Written Documents collected by the Portuguese Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo (in 2 volumes) published by the Macau Foundation in 1999, edited by Liu Fang and proofread by Zhang Wan. 

Later, the Portuguese version of the Canton-Macau Official Documents Collectionin eight volumes were published in the year 2000, edited by Jin Guo Ping and Wu Zhi Lian.

I am happy to have bought the mentioned collection of The Documentation of Macau Chinese Written Documents collected by the Portuguese Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo. Opening the pages and having read them carefully, I have found many interesting details among the vast number and complex relations in between documents. 

For instance, there is a substantial part concerning 'Shipping and Trading' which provides a great quantity of rich and detailed documentation about Macau, which was the first 'East and West Trading Harbor' in the region. These details help us to imagine the prosperous scene of this city during those years. 

Apart from these, there are also a good number of judicial files, especially those involving conflicts between Chinese and foreigners. These also depict this little city where 'East and West met' in many funny scenarios. 

There is one more interesting thing: the collections include the documents by the pirate Cheung Po Tsai, calling for the surrender of the local people. I am quite interested in the legendary story of Cheung Po Tsai who had deep connections with Macau. And we can find some of his information in these documents and files. 

Most of the current documentations and references about Cheung Po Tsai are mainly based on the book Xiangshan xianzhiby Anders Ljungstedt. But the Han Language Document Filesinclude letters between the Qing officials, Portuguese officials and Cheung Po Tsai himself, thus providing witnesses from another angle and completing what has been missing among the earlier archives found in China and the West. In order to better understand these historical events as well as the relations between different people, these documents provide quite a number of interesting historic materials. 

The collection of Han Language Document Filesis like a treasure box of innumerable stories of Macau, waiting to be discovered and explored by researchers and writers. According to local news reports, the governments of Macau and Portugal are working on the digitization of these documents, and exhibitions and conferences are being planned for this year, which is well worth looking forward to.

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