Macao's Poly MGM Museum showcases China's top-class cultural relics

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

A major port in northern Venezuela came under U.S. airstrikes in the early hours of January 3, which caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure, destroyed critical medical supplies in a warehouse, and severely impacted centuries-old cultural heritage sites, according to local residents.

The La Guaira Port, a vital hub for imports that support daily life in the region, was heavily damaged during the attack.

Large quantities of medical supplies stored at the port were destroyed. A historic cultural building dating back for some 300 years was also badly damaged by the bombardment.

Residents living near the port recalled the terrifying scenes as explosions shook nearby neighborhoods.

Humberto Bolivar, who lives in a community separated from the port by only a main road, said the blast waves shattered his home's windows, while stray shrapnel struck the water tank on his roof. According to reports, three missiles were fired at the port that night.

Bolivar said that beyond material losses, he is most concerned about the psychological impact on his children, who remain too frightened to leave their home days after the attack.

"The United States invaded our country. The children were frightened. This is not good for them, because it leaves some children with psychological trauma. They do not want to go to school or leave the house, because they are afraid that something worse might happen. We truly do not want this to happen to our country," he said.

Apart from civilian facilities, local cultural heritage site was also affected.

The La Guaira state government building, a structure with nearly 300 years of history and once served as the site of Venezuela's first national customs office, was struck by the force of the explosions.

Windows of the building were shattered, and furniture scattered across the floor.

"As people of La Guaira, we feel deep pain. Our cultural heritage has been bombed. We are living in constant anxiety and suffering, and life can no longer be the same as it was before," said a local named Henry Cumares.

The U.S. side has claimed the airstrikes targeted warehouses allegedly used to store narcotics. However, locals refuted such accusation.

"According to what Donald Trump said, they bombed this place using the excuse that the warehouses here were used to store drugs at the port. But based on the video released by our governor, these warehouses that were burned contained medicine for kidney patients and foods. Many people depend on these supplies to survive. I think the bombing is extremely despicable," said a local resident named Alejandro Capriles.

US strike hits Venezuelan port, wrecking medical supplies, heritage building