The Kung Sin Shipbuilders Guild Hall preserves the glory of Macau's shipbuilding industry

Located at the former site of the modern Macau Shipbuilders Guild Hall on Rua do Gamboa, the grand entrance is engraved with the words 'Kung Sin Shipbuilders Guild Hall' in five large characters. It is less than a 10-minute walk from the largest shipbuilding base relic in Macau—the Lai Chi Vun Shipyard. Founded in 1853, this guild hall is the predecessor of the Macau Shipbuilders Union and witnessed the splendid moments of Macau's shipbuilding industry. Inside the guild hall, the chairman of the Macau Shipbuilders Union, Tan Kam Kwong, chose to record the memories of Macau, a city that 'lives by the sea,' through the method of ship models. Making a ship model requires the cooperation of two people and takes about 700 hours over 3 months, which is not easy for two people who are both over the age of 60. Currently, there are probably less than 10 masters of ship model making in Macau, all of whom are former shipbuilders. Initially, they made fishing boats, but later developed various types of ancient ships. Lin Wai Kau says that they spare no effort in searching for pictures and information of ancient ships, pondering how to construct the outlines, estimating the proportions of depth, width, and height of the ships, and then restoring them one by one. The small ship models cannot sail through the winds and waves, but they carry even more expectations.