The year 2019 was a momentous one for the former Portuguese colony of Macao as it celebrated the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China as well as the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region. With the extra attention, it was also time for Macao to develop its position as a world centre of tourism and leisure. To complement this celebratory theme, Macao presented the inaugural five-month mega international art and cultural event, Art Macao, featuring numerous art exhibitions, music concerts and cultural events including international youth music, dance and drama festivals. Morning Studio was asked to produce a creative multimedia content series to help raise awareness of the tourism event and help reposition the city as a new hub of art and culture.
The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) wanted to promote a less-seen and little-known side of Macao – and educate people in Hong Kong about what it has to offer visitors, apart from its casinos and hotels. It was keen for people to focus on Macao’s artistic side, by promoting the former Portuguese-run city’s unique East-meet-West history, cuisine and culture. The tourism board saw the dual anniversaries as an opportunity to tell the city’s story in different ways, with SCMP’s renowned storytelling talents offering audiences a fresh regional narrative and perspective.