The University of Macau’s (UM) State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine (QRCM Lab) today (18 December) held a book launch for a new book on macrofungi in Macao. Co-authored by Li Shaoping, deputy director and Distinguished Professor of the QRCM Lab and Associate Professor Zhao Jing, the book took 15 years to complete and focuses on the varieties, distribution, and characterstics of macrofungi in Macao. It provides detailed information on 101 kinds of macrofungi indigenous to Macao, with 282 colour pictures for illustrative purposes. It is expected to provide scientific basis for the study and the utilisation of macrofungi, as well as environmental protection in Macao.
Vice Rector (Research) Ge Wei delivered a speech, in which he mentioned that the publication of the book in this year coincides with the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 20th anniversary of the handover of Macao. It is the first book on the subject ever published in Macao and sheds some light on how to address the lack of natural medicinal plants through modern biotechnology. Wang Yitao, director of UM’s Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences and the QRCM Lab, said that thanks to the support of the central government and various parties in mainland China, the Chinese medicine industry in Macao is beginning to develop in earnest, with concrete results in talent development, scientific research, and the establishment of international platforms.
