The Poly MGM Museum, collaboratively presented by Poly Culture and MGM, is offering people in China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) a glimpse into the country's top-class cultural relics.
The museum, which opened in November this year, aims to be a major global cultural landmark, presenting China's cultural heritage and broadening the country's global cultural outreach.
Bronze head sculptures of the Ox, Tiger, Monkey and Pig from the destroyed Old Summer Palace, or "Yuanmingyuan" in Chinese, are currently on display at the museum. The bronze animal heads are from a collection of 12 Chinese zodiac animals. They were originally mounted on exquisite bronze stands around a spectacular pool in the old royal garden to form a fountain clock.
"Poly Culture has a deep historical connection with Macao. Twenty years ago, the renowned patriotic entrepreneur in Hong Kong and Macao, Stanley Ho Hung-sun, donated the bronze pig head of the Old Summer Palace to the Poly Art Museum, which allowed the national treasures that had been lost overseas for many years to return to their homeland. After 20 years, Poly Culture and MGM join hands to establish a heavyweight international cutting-edge cultural and art museum, which also serves as a tribute for the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland," said Wang Bo, Chairman of Poly Culture Group Corporation Limited.
The first-ever exhibition of the museum, titled "The Maritime Silk Road -- Discover the mystical seas and encounter the treasures of the ancient trade route," showcased 228 exhibits, including nearly 30 pieces of China's national first-class cultural relics.
"Macao is a place with rich cultural content, especially as a key node on the Belt and Road and the Maritime Silk Road. We look at the cultural inheritance of our Chinese culture and history from a perspective of China-West cultural convergence. Looking back, we have had very close cooperative relationships with Western regions for a long time," said said Pansy Ho Chiu-king, chairperson and executive director of MGM China.
The Poly MGM Museum contest was covered in the fourth episode of the China Media Group (CMG) documentary series 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 series 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.
Macao's Poly MGM Museum showcases China's top-class cultural relics
Macao's Poly MGM Museum showcases China's top-class cultural relics
China's push toward a greener future is once again in the spotlight at this year's annual political "two sessions", as lawmakers are reviewing a draft ecological environment code, a significant step toward establishing a comprehensive legal framework for ecological protection.
The draft code was submitted on March 5 to the ongoing fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, for deliberation.
Once adopted, it will become China's second formal statutory code, after the Civil Code, which was adopted in 2020.
The rule of law has been continuously strengthened to support the country's green progress. China already has more than 30 laws related to environmental protection, along with over 100 sets of administrative regulations and more than 1,000 sets of local rules.
The latest legislative move comes amid China's historic gains in ecological conservation over the past decade or so. Championing green development, the country has recorded the world's fastest growth in forest resources and afforestation, led globally in renewable energy development, and achieved one of the fastest national reductions in energy intensity worldwide.
The 1,242-article draft has five chapters, covering areas including pollution control, ecological protection, and green and low-carbon development.
Scholars involved in drafting the legislation say the code goes beyond broad legal principles. It is also designed to address environmental issues that affect people's daily lives.
"Electric vehicles are becoming very common in China. My family has one. We all think it environment-friendly. But have you ever thought about this question: how do we deal with the first generation of EV batteries after they expire a few years later? The same goes for wind turbine blades and solar panels," said Ding Lin, assistant professor of the Renmin University of China.
China's environmental progress has drawn global attention in recent years, from improving air quality to expanding renewable energy. Yet amid geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty, some observers have questioned whether the country will maintain the same pace of green transition.
"Last year during the COP30, even some friends who are very familiar with China asked me whether China will continue its green development path. I told them we have gradually worked out new policies. We have a very clear direction and goal. In a world full of uncertainties, we are providing the most certainty," said Wang Yi, an NPC deputy from east China's Zhejiang Province and professor of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
In a country pursuing modernization, taking the time to codify environmental laws sends a clear message: economic growth and environmental protection are not a trade-off to be managed, but a commitment to be upheld. For China, a beautiful environment is not a luxury for the future, it is a right for the present, and a responsibility to the next generation.
"This code reflects China's vision of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature. It shows how development and environmental protection can move forward together," said Lyu Zhongmei, vice chair of the NPC Environmental Protection and Resources Conservation Committee.
China will accelerate the green transition across the board and cut carbon dioxide emissions per unit of the GDP by a total of 17 percent in the 2026-2030 period, according to a draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) for national economic and social development submitted to the NPC for deliberation on March 5.
Chinese lawmakers review draft ecological environment code in major green legislative push
