Iconic Ruins of St. Paul's in Macao bears integration of Chinese, Western cultures

The Ruins of Saint Paul's, representing the historic center of China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), bears witness to one of the earliest and longest-lasting encounters between Chinese and Western cultures, as Macao is gearing up to mark the 25th anniversary of its return to China on December 20.

Located in the heart of Macao's historic center, the Ruins of Saint Paul's is an iconic landmark of Macao, with its structure resembles a traditional Chinese-style archway. Its name in Chinese "Da San Ba" is the Portuguese transliteration of "Saint Paul".

The original Saint Paul's Cathedral was built in the early 17th century by Jesuit missionaries from Portugal. In 1853, after a devastating fire, the cathedral was reduced to its front facade, with much of its foundation and steps remaining.

Its stone carvings feature a blend of both Chinese and Western cultural elements, depicting the effortless and perfect fusion of Eastern and Western civilizations, which is a hallmark of the region's cultural identity.

With the support of the central government, Macao's historic center including the Ruins of Saint Paul's was inscribed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 2005, making it China's 31st world heritage site.

The Ruins of Saint Paul's is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Macao. According to statistics, on average, the site draws around 90,000 visitors a day, with people coming from all over the world to admire its beauty, learn about its history and take photos in front of the striking facade.

The story of the Ruins of Saint Paul's was featured in the fourth episode of the China Media Group (CMG) documentary, titled "25 Years of Lotus Bond."

The series premiered on CCTV-1 at 20:00 Dec. 13 and will run until Dec. 17, with subsequent broadcasts on CCTV-4 and CCTV-13.

The documentary comprises five thematic episodes: Love for the Home and the Nation, A Path of Diversity, The Flavor of Happiness, A City of Integration, and Gateway to the Future. It highlights the successful practices of "one country, two systems" in Macao under the strategic guidance of the central government.

The Chinese government resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Macao and established the Macao SAR on December 20, 1999.

Iconic Ruins of St. Paul's in Macao bears integration of Chinese, Western cultures

China's 2026 box office revenue had surpassed 14 billion yuan (about 2.06 billion U.S. dollars) as of Tuesday, fueled by a diverse array of hit movies and consumption promotion campaigns.

The film industry got off to a strong start during the Spring Festival holiday. "Pegasus 3," the latest installment in director Han Han's racing comedy franchise, amassed over 4 billion yuan and remains the year's top grossing film so far.

Released during the Qingming Festival, the comedy drama "It's OK" focused on a mother-daughter bond and resonated strongly with young women, topping April's box office chart with more than 160 million yuan in ticket sales.

During the just concluded May Day holiday, "Dear You," a low budget film in the Chaoshan (Teochew) dialect featuring an almost entirely first-time cast, became one of China's biggest cinematic surprises of 2026. As the highest rated domestic release so far this year, the tear-jerking drama had raked in over 180 million yuan as of Wednesday afternoon.

The five-day May Day holiday, a key period for movie-going, drew more than 20.8 million people to cinemas, a 10 percent jump from a year ago, while the number of screenings rose 2 percent to nearly 2.4 million.

Bolstered by the "2026 China Film Consumption Year" and "China Travel with Chinese Films" initiatives, cinema spending has become a major driver of cultural and tourism consumption. The entire film industry chain has generated over 220 billion yuan in output value since January.

China's 2026 box office surpasses 14 bln yuan