The 37th Macao International Music Festival (MIMF) opened on Friday, showcasing the city's unique charm of interwoven cultures.
Organized by the cultural affairs bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region government, this edition of the MIMF features 12 spectacular programmes and 14 outreach activities under the theme of "Vocal Waves."
The world-renowned opera "Carmen" opened this year's MIMF at the packed Macao Cultural Center on Friday night. It was performed jointly by the China National Symphony Orchestra Chorus, the Macao Orchestra, and the Macao Youth Choir. Their magnificent rendition of this timeless classic delivered a spectacular musical feast for both residents and visitors of Macao.
"The China National Symphony Orchestra Chorus presented the classic opera 'Carmen' in a brand-new way. We collaborated with outstanding teams from around the world to bring a fresh opera experience to the audience in Macao," said Wang Runyu, mezzo-soprano head of the China National Symphony Orchestra Chorus.
During the festival that lasts until November 8, artists and orchestras from China, Russia, Portugal, Switzerland and other countries will stage captivating performances, echoing Macao's vital role as a cultural bridge and promoting exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations through the dialogue and collision of diverse musical arts.
"We engage in deeper exchanges with each other through culture and music, allowing audiences to better experience the charm of Macao," said Lio Kuokman, programme director of the MIMF.
37th Macao Int'l Music Festival kicks off
South China's Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), the world's largest FTP by area, is in smooth and orderly operations one month into the launch of its special customs operations.
The island has seen an increase in both the value of imports of zero-tariff goods and the number of foreign trade entities since Dec 18.
According to the Haikou Customs, from Dec. 18, 2025 to Jan. 17, 2026, the value of "first line" imported zero-tariff goods was 750 million yuan (about 107 million U.S. dollars); the value of processed and value-added goods sold domestically through the "second line" was about 85.9 million yuan.
Meanwhile, a total of 5,132 new foreign trade entities were registered in this period.
In addition, the duty-free sales supervised by customs reached 4.86 billion yuan, up 46.8 percent year on year, and the number of shoppers rose 30.2 percent year on year to 745,000, showing sustained strong consumption vitality.
To better meet the diverse needs of tourists, Hainan's duty-free policy ushered in a new round of adjustments on Nov. 1, 2025. The categories of duty-free goods increased from 45 to 47, and the beneficiary range was expanded to include outbound travelers, attracting more international tourists to duty-free shopping.
On Dec. 18 last year, China launched island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan FTP, allowing freer entry of overseas goods, expanding zero-tariff coverage, and introducing more business-friendly measures.
One notable special customs policy is offering "freer access at the first line," referring to freer trade between Hainan and areas outside China's customs borders, and "regulated access at the second line," which involves applying standard customs controls for goods moving from Hainan to the mainland.
China's Hainan FTP sees early gains from island-wide special customs operations
