"ICH Guardian Angel Mothers" Macao Station Holds Workshop — Helping Women Learn Crafts and Connect with the Community

 "ICH Guardian Angel Mothers" Macao Station Holds Workshop — Helping Women Learn Crafts and Connect with the Community

A workshop on Song Brocade accessory-making was held on 12 June 2026 at the Fuhong Society of Macau Creative Workshop, marking the Macao debut of "ICH Guardian Angel Mothers" — a national public welfare programme run by the Beijing Folk Art and Intangible Cultural Heritage Research Institute. The session was designed for women from the Macao Family Resources Service Centre, with participants working hands-on under instructor guidance throughout the morning.

Macao has a wealth of intangible cultural heritage, from folk rituals to traditional crafts and local creative products. In practice, though, much of the city's ICH activity is focused on cultural showcases and tourism promotion rather than direct welfare services for women facing hardship or families with special needs. "ICH Guardian Angel Mothers" has already been running in a number of mainland cities, where it has built up a working model for supporting women through heritage crafts. The Macao edition draws on Song Brocade — a national-level ICH — and pairs it with local social service expertise to deliver skills training in a community setting. According to the organisers, the goal is straightforward: give women a practical skill, and through the process of learning it together, help them build connections they can rely on. The first session was kept accessible by design, letting participants ease in at their own pace.

The workshop was attended by Mr. Wong Tai Lok, Director of the Grants Division representing the Chairman of the Administrative Committee of the Macao Foundation; Ms. Fan Lina, Vice President of the Beijing Folk Art and Intangible Cultural Heritage Research Institute; Ms. Maria de Fátima Santos Ferreira, President of the General Assembly of the Fuhong Society of Macau; Ms. Chau Wai I, Director of the Fuhong Society of Macau; Dr. Penny Wong On Chao, Past President of the Rotary Club of Amizade; and Ms. Chow Wai Peng, Manager of the Fuhong Society of Macau Creative Workshop.

Guests at the event expressed support for the programme's core idea — heritage can serve as a bridge to inclusion — and recognised the value of bringing this kind of cross-regional welfare initiative to Macao. The Macao Foundation has added the project to its priority list for community cultural welfare, and indicated it would monitor progress and explore further collaboration.

The project is jointly run by the Beijing Folk Art and Intangible Cultural Heritage Research Institute and the Fuhong Society of Macau. The Fuhong Society will handle participant selection, psychological support, activity management, and compliance on the ground, and will deliver the Song Brocade course and future ICH sessions according to local social service standards.

A number of Macao business figures and community organisations also took part, and several expressed interest in supporting the programme going forward — through co-hosting sessions, resource sharing, charity sales, and outreach. With this first workshop behind it, the "ICH Guardian Angel Mothers" Macao demonstration site is now up and running.