"Report on the Matters of China". Original Manuscript in Italian written by Matteo Ricci in 1584.

On 20 December 2000, Macau celebrated the 1st Anniversary of the Handover to China. In conjunction with this celebration, MSLF organized an exhibition in Beijing entitled the "Macau: East-West Cultural Relics Exhibition," at the newly opened China Millennium Hall. Artifacts from Macau, Portugal, Rome, and China were flown in to represent Macau's long presence as a bridge into China. The exhibition was kicked off with opening ceremonies and a seminar on "Macau: Gateway of East-West Cultural Exchange."

 

The exhibition consisted of five parts:

1) 16-18th century old maps (about China and Macau) and nautical instruments.

2) "export porcelain" objects specially produced to meet the needs of westerners during the "China craze" that occurred in Europe during the 16-17th centuries.

3) Chinese export paintings and western paintings about China during the 18th and 19th centuries.

4) Sacred Art objects from the Catholic Church in Macau.

5) documents and books about Sino-Western cultural interchange, among which included the original manuscript of Matteo Ricci's report in 1584 about his impression of China. This selection included over ten original documents from the first Historical Achive of the PRC.