• The Rui Cunha Foundation held a book launch for What Once Was, Will Never Be Again…
• The book includes around 40 photos showcasing Macau as a city where cultures blend and different worlds intertwine and coexist.

On 16 December 2025, the Rui Cunha Foundation hosted the book launch of What Once Was, Will Never Be Again…, presented by Portuguese photojournalist Gonçalo Lobo Pinheiro, who has lived in Macau for more than 15 years. The event also featured a photography exhibition showcasing 20 works.

With a foreword written by Portuguese writer and professor Henrique Levy – who lived in Macau in the 1980s – the book was designed by Carlos Canhita and published by Ipsis Verbis. It is the second and final volume of the What Once Was, Will Never Be Again… project. Spanning around 80 pages, the publication includes 40 photographs and was sponsored by Banco Nacional Ultramarino (BNU) and the Rui Cunha Foundation.

“The second volume continues to be an encounter linking the past and the present. This concept is not new in the world, but in Macau it can be considered a first, and that is precisely where the interest began,” Gonçalo said.

“As with the first volume, over the course of a little more than a year I collected many old photographs of Macau – black and white or sepia, in all kinds of formats. These images came from auctions, the internet, private collections, shops and even from Portugal. Some were also loaned by other people.”

Gonçalo also highlighted the book’s foreword, which states, “What Once Was Will Never Be Again shows us Macau as a city of encounters, a place where cultures blend and different worlds intertwine and coexist. Here, Portuguese heritage coexists with Chinese tradition and multiple Asian influences.”

The book is priced at MOP250 and is available at selected bookstores in Macau. Alongside the launch, a photography exhibition featuring 20 works was also presented, using a juxtaposition of historical images and present-day views to illustrate changes in Macau’s urban landscape. The exhibition ran until 10 January.