The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) has announced that Kiang Wu Hospital History Heritage Museum, alongside 33 other sites, was added to the fourth list of newly designated National Memorial Facilities and Sites of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression on Friday, in order to commemorate the Victory of the Chinese People’s War Against Japanese Aggression and 80th Anniversary of the World Anti-Fascist War.
The bureau made the announcement in a statement on its website on Sunday.
The statement noted that the private Kiang Wu Hospital was established in 1871, the oldest Chinese medical institution and charitable organisation in Macau, which has made significant contributions to the social development of the city. Since the Japanese invasion of China began in 1931, Kiang Wu Hospital took on the responsibility of treating soldiers and residents and supporting the War of Resistance, according to the announcement.
The statement noted that the Kiang Wu Hospital History Heritage Museum is located at 68 Rua de Coelho do Amaral (連勝街), which was completed in 1989 and expanded in 2001, within the compound of the Kiang Wu Hospital Charitable Association.
The building was designed in the style of a traditional Chinese pavilion, showcasing various artifacts related to Kiang Wu Hospital, including the 1871 “Stele Inscription for the Establishment of Kiang Wu Hospital,” the 1872 stone inscription of the hospital’s gate plaque, and other historical materials related to the hospital’s charitable relief efforts and wartime activities.
Kiang Wu Hospital History Heritage Museum opens with free admission to the public every Saturday from 3 p.m. to 5:40 p.m. closed on public holidays, the statement said.
According to the “wanderlog” website, “the museum commemorates virtuous individuals, celebrates their good deeds, and promotes the national spirit. It covers an area of about 130 square metres and reflects the noble character of Macau people working together to help others.”
Dr Sun Yat-sen, widely revered as “the founder of modern China”, practised medicine at the hospital between 1892 to 1894.
The statement added that the local government fully supported the application for the inclusion of Macau’s War of Resistance memorial facilities in the national list. It said that the successful selection of the Kiang Wu Hospital History Heritage Museum follows the inclusion of the Xian Xinghai* Memorial Museum in 2020, marking it another memorial site in Macau to be listed as a national-level War of Resistance memorial facility or site, which affirmed Macau’s historical contributions to supporting the War of Resistance and China’s victory in the anti-fascist world war.
*Monday’s Macau Post Daily Editorial “‘The Composer’ – honouring Macau’s most famous son and marking the nation’s WWII victory” is about the 2019 Chinese-Kazakh film “The Composer”, which chronicles the life of the Macau-born musician Xian Xinghai, focusing on his immense difficulties and deep-rooted Chinese patriotism during his time in the Soviet Union from 1941 until his death in 1945.
This undated handout photo provided by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) on Sunday shows the Kiang Wu Hospital History Heritage Museum at 68 Rua de Coelho do Amaral (連勝街).
