Discourse and production in Macau's culture of heritage: a decade after the Handover

This paper examines two major constituents of Macau's heritage culture, discourse and architectural production, through narratives constructed, policies and mechanisms instituted, conservation approaches employed. For heritage discourse, Macau's trajectory of urban conservation leading up to the 1999 handover will be traced. In relation to momentous changes in the first post-handover decade - from UNESCO World Heritage inscription (2005) to the Guia Lighthouse controversy and the upcoming new heritage legislation - the evolution of a heritage consciousness vis-a-vis planning imbalances arising from rapid urbanisation will be assessed. For heritage-related architectural projects, the latest range of approaches will be examined to reveal the richness of adaptive methodologies and usages to enliven a genuinely evolving heritage. Exploring the latest manifestations and reciprocities in heritage discourse and production, this paper speculates on a maturing "Macau formula(1) for heritage.