Transforming Taipa Village with Pamela Chan, Artist and Marketing Guru

Macanese-born Pamela Chan has held many unique titles in her career in the city: flight attendant with Air Macao, customer service officer at Sands Macao, assistant events manager at Crown Macau, and marketing and PR manager at City of Dreams.

Living in Taipa near her work in Cotai, Pamela grew a connection to her neighbourhood and Taipa Village on her doorstep. In 2015, she joined Taipa Village Destination as managing director, a development and marketing company promoting Taipa Village as a “sustainable heritage” destination.

A year later, she established the non-profit Taipa Village Cultural Association to highlight the area’s uniqueness and attractions beyond Macau’s gaming identity. The Beat Asia spoke with Pamela to understand her passion behind Macau’s historical village. 

What is your background in Macau and Taipa specifically?

As a local born and bred, I am accustomed to the “East meets West” culture of Macau throughout the years and have been engaged with the cultural significance of the territory. After the 1999 handover, Taipa Island was still an “underdeveloped treasure,” which was like a piece of hidden diamond to be discovered.

The liberalisation of the gaming license to six concessionaires since 2002, amid the robust urban development of Taipa and Cotai area, had undoubtedly created many job opportunities with great prospects for Macau residents, and I definitely was one of them!

Working with City of Dreams in 2008, I relocated to Taipa Island, which I perceived as “a new home and living circle,” a place that brought me to the next chapter of my career, which was traded off with long working hours, stressful environments, and a competitive workplace.

In 2016, I established Taipa Village Cultural Association, which aims to promote the unique heritage and colourful history of Taipa Village. Up until now, I am still engaging with Taipa deeply in terms of my work and livelihood!

With Macau’s former Portuguese history and current Chinese identity, what makes Taipa, and specifically the village, such an interesting place?

Taipa Village is the oldest and best-preserved part of Taipa. Formerly home to local fishermen, Taipa Village, with its traditional shophouses and quaint cobbled streets, offers an antidote to the glitz of the neighbouring Cotai Strip.

Richly endowed with a mix of Portuguese and Chinese architecture, and with unmistakable Mediterranean touches, it is a culturally diverse landmark destination that offers visitors a taste of the original, authentic Macau.

It is a treasure trove which uncovers a multitude of experiences for visitors to enjoy under one roof – from dining, shopping, and sightseeing to other lifestyle experiences.

Why was the Taipa Village Cultural Association founded?

Taipa Village Cultural Association (TVCA) was established in 2016. It is a non-profit association, highlighting the uniqueness of Taipa Village’s heritage by raising awareness of its attractions and cementing its position as a distinctive community that benefits all of Macau.

Numerous initiatives are planned to preserve, enrich, and cement the village as a tourist and cultural destination, including a diverse range of artistic and cultural attractions, which will allow visitors and future generations to enjoy a unique experience of the authentic Macau.

How does the TVCA preserve and promote sustainable heritage in Taipa Village?

Our goals to preserve and promote sustainable heritage, including fostering sustainable heritage in Taipa Village, [raising] awareness of the village’s colourful history, [and] promoting as a destination for culture, highlight the traditional side of Macau.

We actively support this heritage destination in close collaboration with the Macau government, contributing to the sustainable development of non-gaming tourism in Macau.

Why should visitors to Macau put the Taipa village on their itinerary to explore the neighbourhood?

Taipa Village is a food paradise and lifestyle hub that offers the best gastronomic and cultural alternatives, which cannot be experienced in traditional hotels and resorts. Centrally located in Taipa, the destination is accessible with various public transportation.

Visitors can linger around the alleys, streets, pedestrian-ways to explore the hidden gem of the area, feel the cultural charm and stunning heritage scenes of this historic realm. It’s an ideal destination to spend half to one day with various experiences.

How do you intend to shape the village for future use and refresh its image in Macau?

I would seek to preserve the traditions and embrace the diversity of the village, our motto. Heritage and culture need to be sustained for our next generation, while simultaneously injecting innovation and modernity to bring diversity to the area.

Visitors like creativity and innovation, therefore, we need to create something rare and special to them, retain their stay and enrich their experience.

To explore more about Pamela's work in reinvigorating Macau's top cultural and historical heritage site, check out their website.