Schools and universities look at teaching in Mandarin and Simplified Chinese as a valid option to homogenize the teaching model and allow their students other opportunities on the Mainland. Stores use simplified Chinese and employees proficient in Mandarin to attract visitors to Macau – the vast majority of whom are from the Mainland.
The local community resists; you want to preserve your identity traits, for your children to have the same education they received, for everything to remain the same… while the city changes; in economic, social and political terms. The arguments, on both sides, are more than valid. Mandarin and simplified Chinese are essential for us to continue with a thriving tourism economy, and necessary to keep up with the current trend of regional integration. Schools have the right to these curricular changes – nothing in the Law says otherwise – and businesses do nothing more than respond to market trends. But the penetration of Mainland culture puts Cantonese and traditional Chinese in check; and the population fights to turn the tables.
The fight, however, delays the inevitable. For Cantonese and traditional Chinese not to fall into disuse, conditions must be created. From a tourist point of view, these features give color to the city, but this value alone is not enough. Just look at what happened to the Portuguese. Continental and international visitors know that Macau has Portuguese history and culture – and this is often the selling point -; however, the language is used less and less, and the culture is seen less and less on the streets of Macau. There must obviously be effort and courage from the local government, but also a reflection on the creation of economic value through its identity traits, which cannot be limited to tourism. There is no better guarantee than the importance of identity traits for the functioning of the economy and for the bridges that are created abroad. But this concern with maintaining linguistic and cultural values – which, unfortunately, does not exist to the same extent with Portuguese – has to be reconciled with the city’s livelihood, completely dependent on the Continent and its political decisions. Nothing prevents us from seizing the opportunities that come with Mandarin and Simplified Chinese while creating conditions to value Cantonese and Traditional Chinese. You don’t have to close one door to keep the other open. In fact, this is the characteristic that has made Macau a special city for so long, capable of reconciling such different cultures. We can’t continue to live in a bubble, and I’m not just talking about Mandarin and Simplified Chinese, which is naturally a cause taken more seriously by the local population. There is a need to return to valuing Portuguese, which allows everyone other opportunities; and also English, as this is the language that allows the city to confirm its international status. Today, anyone who doesn’t speak Cantonese or Mandarin has a lot of difficulty navigating the world. The local economy and the population’s quality of life can only benefit from all these bridges. Combining the values of intangible heritage with new realities is the most intelligent attitude; and it is only at will’s distance.
*Executive Director of PLATAFORMA
