對很多人來說，可能歷史既是乏味又沉悶的 學科，但澳門大學人文學院葡文系José Jorge Simões Cavalheiro卻對歷史情有獨鍾。他在 澳門生活超過40年，講得一口流利廣東話、見 證了澳葡時期、澳門回歸中國主權、旅遊博彩 業蓬勃以及近年澳門特區政府大力培育中葡雙 語人才的政策。他熱愛東方文化，學廣東話、 聽廣東歌、研究道教、儒學、佛學，更非常融 入本地生活。回首過去，他對澳門這個小城感 觸良多：「我在瞭解澳門歷史文化和中國的過 程中，越來越喜歡這座城市。」 從葡國到澳門 在資訊急速發展的年代，人們每日彷彿活在競賽 的起跑線上，工作、讀書、進修、消遣充斥人生 的每分每秒。可是當你每天展望將來的時候，有 否曾思考和認識你的「過去」？Cavalheiro這位 長滿白鬍子的葡萄牙人花了大半生鑽研過去的澳 門和東方文化，探究歷史與自己的關係，剖析身 邊的事物和環境的意義。 History may be a boring subject for many people. But not so for Mr Jorge Cavalheiro from the Department of Portuguese, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Macau. For Cavalheiro, nothing is more fascinating than history. Having lived in Macao for more than 40 years, Cavalheiro speaks $ uent Cantonese. Over the past # ve decades, he has witnessed the major milestones of the city, including the Portuguese rule of Macao, the handover of Macao’s sovereignty to China, the rapid development of the tourism and gaming industries, and the Macao SAR government’s rigorous e" orts to train bilingual professionals pro# cient in both Chinese and Portuguese. Driven by a love of Eastern cultures, Cavalheiro taught himself to speak Cantonese. He also listens to Cantonese music, studies Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, and actively mingles with local people. Looking back, Cavalheiro says, ‘! e more I know about the history and culture of Macao and China, the more I like this city.’ From Portugal to Macao In this fast-paced information age, everyone seems to be living their lives as if they are in a never-ending race, with every minute filled by work, study, or hobbies. But when you are busy envisioning the future every day, do you ever pause to understand your past? Cavalheiro certainly does. Indeed, he has spent the better half of his life studying the history of Macao and Eastern cultures in order to understand their relevance to his life. In the 1960s, Macao was a Portuguese territory, a tranquil, laid-back small town characterised by traditional houses. At the time, Cavalheiro’s father migrated to Macao from Portugal with his family because of work. Later, they moved into a government-provided house near Kun Iam Tong (also known as Pou Chai Sim Iun). For the young Cavalheiro who had never before been exposed to Eastern culture, Macao was completely di" erent from Portugal. His heart was bursting with curiosity about everything around him. Cavalheiro frequented Kun Iam Tong as a teenager because he was fascinated with the traditional Chinese architectural style of the Buddhist temple and the cultural reality inside it. He talked to the monks there and worked hard to learn Cantonese. Gradually he learned the pronunciation and meaning of every item in the temple as well as the religious meanings of the various rituals. Even today, he still visits the temple o% en to relive his childhood memories. ‘! e temple still looks the same,’ says 昔日澳門新馬路 Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro in the old days 27 umagazine issue 16
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