Explore Macau’s street vendors’ history at IAM exhibition

The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) is hosting an exhibition in the gallery at its headquarters opposite the city’s main square, Largo do Senado, allowing both locals and tourists to explore as well as appreciate Macau’s once bustling street vendor scene. 

Organised in conjunction with the Mutual Aid Association of Macau Vendors, the free-admission trilingual exhibition is titled “Macao Nostalgia - ‘Imprints on Street Corners’ Historical Exhibition of Hawkers”. 

The exhibition, the first large-scale themed exhibition focused on the history of Macau’s street vendors, kicked off earlier this month and will continue its run until March 1. 

With guided tours available, gallerygoers can view featured exhibits comprising related items and memorabilia such as old street vendor licences and various tools of the trade, curated photographs and video interviews, alongside informative texts throughout the venue. One can also explore areas replicating how vendor stalls were set up in the past. 

In all, the exhibition is divided into three eras that show the gradual development of the sector from the 1940s through the 1950s, altogether presenting the livelihoods of local vendors along with the city’s social transformations and economic growth. These sections are titled “The Rise of Hawkers, A Mixed Landscape”, “The Heyday of Hawkers, Surviving in the Cracks”, and “The Regulation of Hawkers, Restructuring Order”.

A statement displayed at the venue notes that the city’s street vendor sector has a long history, as documented in the “Map of Macao City” published back in 1607. Vendors have played a key role in meeting community needs over centuries, providing jobs, boosting tourism, invigorating the urban economy, and promoting local culture, the statement said, adding that with consistent government support for improvement and standardisation, along with the vendors’ determination, the sector has adapted to changes and continues to contribute to Macau’s economic growth.

Through the exhibits, a “unique portrait of Macau’s street-corner culture beginning in the 1940s is unfolded”, the statement points out. 

The exhibition is open daily, and one can visit it from 9 a.m. through 9 p.m. More details can be accessed on

Gallerygoers yesterday afternoon view the exhibits on display at the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) gallery on the city’s main thoroughfare, Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro. – Photos: Rui Pastorin