Macao Chamber of Commerce and Reading Room

The Macao Chamber of Commerce was officially founded in 1913 under the first directorship of Sio Ieng Chau with the premises of Tung Sin Tong as its provisional office. Later on, it moved to a building, numbered 4 at Rua do Pagode, owned by the Table of Directors of Bazaar Temple. In the meantime, the Chamber was approved for official registration by the then Department of Industry and Commerce of the Chinese government under the name of “Macao Overseas Chinese General Chamber of Commerce”. In 1916, it was officially designated the “Macao Chamber of Commerce”.

　　As the Chamber’s office at Rua do Pagode was too old and small, the Table of Directors agreed to raise funds and purchase the building numbered 18 at Senado Square as office. Since 1932, Fan Kit Pang was the director of the Chamber. By 1935, the system of directorship was changed to chairmanship and Fan took up office as director and chairman for seven consecutive terms.

　 In 1987, the Chamber was granted a lease of land of over 1000m2 in area at the ZAPE district of Macao by the government to construct the 19-storey Macao Chamber of Commerce Building. It was completed in 1991 and inaugurated by General Vasco Rocha Vieira, the Governor of Macao by then, Guo Dongpo, Director of Xinhua News Agency (Macao Branch) and several other honorable guests. The previous office building of the Chamber at Senado Square was demolished in 1994 and reconstructed into the 4-storey China Commercial Building which was completed in 1996.