The University of Macau (UM) hosted the 2nd International Forum on Chinese and Portuguese Languages, The event brought together 30 experts and scholars from Macao, the Chinese mainland, and Portuguese-speaking countries. They engaged in in-depth academic discussions and shared their latest research findings across a range of fields, including Chinese and Portuguese literature, linguistics, cultural exchange, translation studies, and language education.
Speaking at the forum, UM Vice Rector Rui Martins said that the forum, through academic exchanges, would foster dialogue and mutual understanding between Chinese and Portuguese languages and cultures, facilitate the exchange of ideas and knowledge, and broaden perspectives. He expressed hope that the forum would continue to serve as a dynamic platform and expand its international academic network to promote knowledge innovation and cross-cultural collaboration, thereby providing sustained momentum for advancing academic and cultural exchanges between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
The opening ceremony featured a presentation by Portuguese scholar Raul Gaião on his recently published three-volume dictionary of Macanese Patuá, Papiá Nôsso Lingu: Dicionário de Patuá di Macau. The publication is the result of years of compilation and represents a significant contribution to the systematic documentation and preservation of Macanese Patuá, a unique linguistic heritage that reflects Macao’s rich multicultural history.
The forum also featured a roundtable discussion with distinguished scholars and award-winning students. Speakers included Lu Chunhui, instructor in the UM Department of Portuguese and winner of the 2025 Fernão Mendes Pinto Award; Carla Lopes, recipient of the 2023 Henrique de Senna Fernandes Academic Prize for Best Thesis in Portuguese; and Li Renlan and Wang Siyi, UM students who won awards in the 2026 International Short Story Competition for World Portuguese Language Day. In addition, leading scholars delivered presentations on a variety of topics. Rui Pereira, assistant professor at the University of Coimbra, discussed recent developments in Portuguese linguistics and language education; Xu Yixing, professor at Shanghai International Studies University, explored the application of artificial intelligence in Portuguese language education; and Min Xuefei, associate professor at Peking University, shared insights into Portuguese literary studies.
