The Taipa wet market building’s newly set up “Gastronomy + Culture and Creativity Zone” officially opened yesterday, when all of its 20 stalls selling light meals or cultural and creative products fully started operation.
The operators of the 20 newly set up stalls in Taipa Market were chosen by a public tender earlier this year. The new stalls’ setting-up are the result of the government’s revamp of the traditional wet market, located near Taipa Village, aiming to revitalise its operation.
The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM), the public entity tasked with managing the city’s wet markets, held the Zone’s opening ceremony at midday yesterday, which was officiated by Secretary for Administration and Justice Wong Sio Chak, whose portfolio oversees the bureau.
The bureau announced its plan in March this year to revamp Taipa Market, converting its first floor into a dining space with 19 stalls for light meals or cultural and creative products as about half of the market’s then 66 stalls were vacant. The renovation project, which also included the setting-up of a stall on the market building’s rooftop (second floor) to be used for a café, got off the ground in June.
Previously, there were no stalls on the rooftop.
After the completion of Taipa Market’s revamp, the ground floor, as previously, continues to be used for selling fresh food and traditional groceries.
The market building’s renovation relocated the vegetable stalls from the first floor to the ground floor, while the four fruit stalls on the first floor have remained there after the revamp.
Consequently, there are currently 23 stalls on the first floor, comprising the four fruit stalls and the 19 stalls for light meals or cultural and creative products.
The bureau launched a public tender for the lease and operation of the 20 new stalls (19 stalls on the first floor and one on the rooftop) in April, for which 437 bids were submitted. Among the 437 bids, 399 were accepted. The bureau announced the winners of the 20 stalls in August.
After the market building’s revamp was completed earlier this quarter, the “Gastronomy + Culture and Creativity Zone” started its trial operation on Monday last week, but only a few of the 20 new stalls started their business at that time, as the remaining ones were still being decorated, or the respective operators were still preparing to start.
The bureau has set up four dining areas on the first floor and one dining area on the rooftop, equipped with dining tables and chairs.
Before the operations of the 20 new stalls, Taipa Market was only a traditional wet market selling fresh food and traditional groceries.
Delivering a speech during yesterday’s opening ceremony, IAM President Chao Wai Ieng noted that Taipa Market’s revitalisation aims to bring in young stallholders dedicated to running their business with innovative ideas for the operations of newly set up distinctive stalls of new types of business, thereby enhancing the wet market’s vitality while retaining the sale of fresh and live food and traditional groceries on the ground floor.
Chao noted that Taipa Market’s revitalisation project has optimised the wet market’s facilities and appearance, embellished the building’s façade, and added Portuguese-style aspects, with the aim of creating a new image of the market.
Chao said that the operation of Taipa Market’s “Gastronomy + Culture and Creativity Zone” will enrich consumers’ shopping choices and consumption experience.
Chao also pledged that his bureau will continue to gather opinions from various segments of civil society and maintain close communication with the city’s wet-market stallholders, with the aim of advancing the transformation and sustainable development of traditional wet market.
While the stalls selling fresh food and traditional groceries in Taipa Market are open between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily, its “Gastronomy + Culture and Creativity Zone” is open between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily, However, the 20 new stalls have different opening hours.
After the opening ceremony, Wong toured the Zone, accompanied by Chao, during which he was briefed by other IAM officials about the new stalls selling light meals or cultural and creative products.
The 19 new stalls on the first floor comprise 11 small ones and eight large ones.
As seen by the Post yesterday, the 19 new stalls on the first floor comprise 17 stalls selling light meals and two stalls selling cultural and creative products. Three of the 17 light meal stalls also sell cultural and creative products.
For many years, the government has exempted stallholders of all wet-market stalls in Macau from paying their monthly rents.
Diners sit down in Taipa Market’s “Gastronomy + Culture and Creativity Zone” near four of its light meal stalls yesterday. – Photos: Tony Wong
Secretary for Administration and Justice Wong Sio Chak (second from left) waves goodbye to a family sitting in the dining area on the market building’s rooftop yesterday.
