“At that moment I feel like I am a Chinese!”

English Translation


Interview with China News 11-2009

Macau Portuguese Postmaster General: “At that moment I feel like I am a Chinese!”
2009. 11.30 00:28 Source: www.chinanews.com.cn

Photo: Macau Postmaster General – Roldão Lopes, by Bì Yǒngguāng of China News

Reporters: Bì Yǒngguāng, Long Tǔ yǒu

On a sunny warm afternoon, inside the famous Macau historic General Post Office building, which was built in 1929, the reporters made a special interview with the Macau Postmaster General Mr. Roldão Lopes, who has served for Macau over 35 years.

Witness of the Development of Macau Telecommunications Sector

The cheerful and humoristc Mr. Lopes was born in Lisboa - Portugal, after his college graduation in 1974, he immediately came to Macau and worked for the Macau Post Office, as a telecommunications engineer. Since 1990, he has taken the responsibility as the “Master” of Post Office, and now, it has been over 20 years. He witnessed the history of Macau’s return to her motherland, and he is considered to be the witness of the development of Macau Telecommunications Sector for the past few decades.

Mr. Lopes explained the sectors of Post and Telecommunications have been managed jointly for a long time in Macau., But in the year 2000, the two sectors have been completely separated. After that, Post Office has increased two new services –Communications Museum and the eSignTrust service.

The Communications Museum was established in 2006, with permanent exhibition not only for stamps but also for the contents related to postal area, telecommunications technology, electrical magnetic field and the electrical current theories etc. The invention by Father of Fiber Optic Communications - Charles Kuen Kao and his picture are also part of the exhibition, thus providing a good and unique platform for popularization of science to the Macau students

In addition, Macau Post works closely with the MSAR to promote e-Government and e-Commerce; it launched the eSignTrust service on a timely manner, including the e-signature. Further, Macau Post activated the Electronic Postal Certification Mark service this July; the Postal Registered Electronic Mail service is also under way of preparation. “We wish to provide to the users security tools for communications in the Internet world” Mr. Lopes explained.

Although there is limited space for the development of traditional postal services, such as mails and parcels, there is a certain amount of growth after the Macau handover. Mr. Lopes explained that the major reason was due to the flourishing economy of Macau, with more and more companies involving in the activities.

“Sometimes the selection of stamp themes causes headaches”

With her special unique themes and the limited (relatively few) issued quantity, Macau postage stamps have been cherished and collected by Hong Kong and Mainland stamp collectors. Around the handover period, there was a difficult time to acquire Macau Stamps. Lopes indicated that, after the handover, the chosen stamp themes tend to be more localized, and the stamps with Portuguese characteristics are getting fewer and fewer. There are three main categories for the themes: International Important Events, Chinese Literature and Art (Materials) and Distinguishing Local Features (Characteristics). For the past 10 years after the handover, Macau Post has issued a total of 117 sets of postage stamps.

Director Lopes said, Macau is small; sometimes finding the themes for the stamps causes headaches. “For famous flowers, birds, mountains, rivers, natural sceneries and animals, all of them are nonexistent” In order to enhance the strengths and avoid the weaknesses, Macau Post emphasizes more on the historical buildings, traditional cultures and the folk custom etc, for example, this year, there was an issue on “Opening of Kun Iam Treasury”, in the coming year, the plan includes “World Heritage – St. Augustine’s Square” and “Woodcarving – Macao Religious Figure Carving” etc.

Science theme is also a big characteristic of Macau stamps. Macau has issued a postage theme about “The Universe”, which has been served as teaching materials by Tsinghua University Professor. Professor Nobel Prize Winner Li Zhengdao has also paid attention to this set of postage stamps.

Regarding to the issued quantity of the postage stamps, Lopes expressed that they would not deliberately satisfy the market demand, “contrary to the profit, we care more about the prestige of Macau stamps and the confidence of the stamp collectors.” The printing quantity of the stamps is published in the RAEM bulletin before its issuing; for the best selling ones, they will not consider printing more.

The local designers design over 90% of the Macau stamps, Macau Post Office wishes to make every effort for the local creativity industry.

There are “BIG MOVES” during the Celebration of Handover Anniversary

According to Lopes, Macau Post plans to issue three sets of stamps during the period of the celebration of 10th Anniversary of Macau Handover for the coming 20th December, they are: “10th Anniversary of the Reunification of Macao with the Motherland”, “10th Anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army Garrison Stationed in Macao”, “Macao Science Center”. The designs of the three sets of stamps have fully completed. Mr. Lopes said proudly, “We never issued three sets of stamps on the same date”.

Other activities also include issuing handover theme postcards, organizing a philately exhibition relating to foreign affairs theme, with the Office of The Commissioner of The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The People's Republic Of China in The Macao Special Administrative Region, Macau IACM and Macau Foundation etc.

Mr. Lopes said, after the handover, Macau has a closer relationship with the Mainland postal administrations. For Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, three regions have established the mechanism for regular postal meetings. Macau and Mainland, Hong Kong have jointly issued stamps for several times, such as “The Launch of Shenzhou 5”, “60th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China” etc.. At present, Macau and Mainland have been discussing the cooperation for the “Postal Registered electronic Mail”.

"At that moment I feel like I am a Chinese!”

There are not many Portuguese directors in Macau SAR Government. Lopes said with a smile, being a Portuguese, to serve the post as a director for the SAR Government after the Macau handover was “very interesting”. The special feeling was, he had opportunity to participate the international meetings as members of the Chinese Government Delegation, “At that moment I feel like I am a Chinese!”

During the interview process, Director Lopes spoke Portuguese, and the Deputy Director, Ms. Lau Wai Meng interpreted for him. Until the end of the interview, Mr. Lopes started to use his non-fluent Mandarin to make conversation with us. He said, he usually uses Portuguese and English to communicate with his colleagues, Mandarin is worse, but better than Cantonese.

Lopes started to learn Mandarin in 1986, in 1991, he has opportunity to go to Beijing Language Institute to learn Chinese for three months. He said that now he can recognize 1100 Chinese words, he hopes in future he can recognize 3500 words.

Mr. Lopes usually watches Chinese TV dramas, basically he can understand, “watch is better than listening, and listening is better than speaking.” Although his level of Mandarin needs to be advanced, it also brings a small advantage to him “ I understand for those I like to listen, for those I don’t like, I don’t understand ”. (End)

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