The Records Written in Chinese - Story of Macao Told by the Archives at the Torre do Tombo National Archive exhibition opened on Monday at the National Library of China (NLC) in Beijing. 

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China-Portugal diplomatic relations, as well as the 20th anniversary of the return of Macao to China after more than 300 years of colonial rule under Portugal. 

Co-sponsored by the Torre do Tombo National Archive (National Archives of Portugal) and the NLC, the free exhibition is being held in the NLC's Museum of Classic Books and is set to run until July 26.

The exhibition includes official correspondence between Qing Dynasty officials governing Macao and the Office of the Procurator of the Loyal Senate of Macao. They are part of a collection comprised of more than 3,600 documents known as The Official Records of Macao During the Qing Dynasty (1693-1886). While the collection predominately is records written in Chinese, a large portion is in Portuguese. 

The collection was inscribed in the UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in 2017. It is considered a testimony to the importance of the port of Macao in serving as a meeting point for the West and East and cross-cultural communication. 

"The collection is a representative document of the cultural exchanges between China and Portugal. It has and will continue contributing to the development of the two countries' relations," said Portugese Minister of Culture Graca Fonseca at the opening ceremony for the exhibition held at NLC Monday afternoon.