December, 2003 - Hong Kong

As an advocate of the arts, Dr. Stanley Ho has been genuinely passionate about protecting and developing the cultures of Macau. Through the years, Dr. Ho has sponsored various art and culture projects, protecting the vintage architecture as well as participating in the building of new venues such as the Macau Cultural Centre. However, Dr. Ho's dedication in the conservation and promotion of Chinese culture has never been limited to within Macau. Recently, his donation has rescued a bronze relic of a pig's head originated from the Old Summer Palace of the Qing Dynasty. The bronze head was then donated to Poly Art Museum in China where the pig united with the other three relics, which are the head of an ox, a monkey and a tiger. This Christmas, these relics, together with twenty carved-stone Buddha statues from various Chinese dynasties will be showcased in an exquisite exhibition jointly presented by Macao Chinese Culture and Art Association and Poly Art Museum at the Macau Tower from December 19 to 29, 2003. In the spirit of promoting the appreciation of these historical works of art, the exhibition is admission free.

The Old Summer Palace was a masterpiece in the history of Chinese imperial architecture that fused the art of traditional Chinese garden with the western Baroque style. The four bronze relics and the other eight were a set of twelve sculptures representing the twelve animals of Chinese horoscope. The sculptures were designed by the European missionaries, produced by Chinese craftsmen and they stood peacefully around an imperial fountain until 1860 when Beijing was invaded. Since then, the 12 sculptures were lost and scattered outside China for over a hundred and forty years. In 2003, Dr. Ho donated the bronze head of a pig to Poly Art Museum, where the other three relics have been permanently housed.

The relics symbolize the remarkable artistic creativity of the Qing Dynasty and the stylistic crossover of the Chinese and western cultures. This Christmas, Macau residents and tourists can share with Dr. Ho the joy of reunion of these relics. Visitors of Macau Tower must seize this precious opportunity of appreciating China's rich cultural heritage.

About Macau Tower Convention & Entertainment Centre

The Macau Tower is the 10th tallest freestanding tower in the world. The 338-metre Tower anchoring four public levels of outlets includes a revolving restaurant, a lounge, a double-height Observation Lounge and an Outdoor Observation Deck. The Convention & Entertainment Centre houses world-class meeting and exhibition facilities. The Macau Tower, managed and operated by Shun Tak Holdings Limited ("Shun Tak"), was inaugurated in December 2001.

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For more details:
Visit the Macau Tower website at www.macautower.com.mo or contact:

Janet Tong - PR and Communications Manager,
Tel. (852) 2859 4823 Fax. (852) 2549 3204
janettong@shuntakhospitality.com

For images:
Visit www.leonardo.com, register and download your preferred picture(s).