Sabrina Ho discusses the importance of heritage and culture 

Sabrina Ho is the manager of Yeng Culture Ltd and the Strategic Partner of UNESCO. The successful and young entrepreneur has always been passionate about arts and culture, adding years of experience that has helped her achieve countless awards. Sabrina is currently a member of the Committee of Cultural Industries of Government of Macao Special Administrative Region, as well as being the Honorary Ambassador of Korean Culture of Hong Kong and Macau of Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Hong Kong.

Sabrina is an advocate for culture and heritage, and she organizes youth activities, as well as participates in social affairs. Sabrina Ho discusses the reasons why heritage and culture is important to our society.

Understanding your culture

Sabrina explains that “It is important for young people especially to understand their cultural heritage and background. Heritage is one of the richest assets that we can have as people and by exploring our own culture, we can understand the depth of our history as a country, our traditions, and our values.”

Sabrina signed a strategic partnership agreement with UNESCO when she was just 27 years old. She represents Macau, where there are 12 UNESCO sites standing, such as Ruins of St.Pauls, A-Ma Temple, and Guia Fortress and Lighthouse. Sabrina believes that by understanding your own culture first, you are able to learn about other cultures and even relate up to a certain degree.

It can grant job opportunities

Sabrina stated that “By understanding and learning about your culture, you are absorbing skills and understanding that can help you out later on in life. Cultural development can create sustainability in many sectors of industries such as tourism and even speaking your mother tongue can grant you opportunities in many different sectors.”

There is an average of 30 million jobs globally that are in the creative and cultural industries. The younger generation ranging between the ages of 15 to 29 have a better chance of being employed, especially if they are cultured and skillful. With the current world crisis and uncertainty of employment, the younger generation can only count on having the opportunity to be able to understand the importance of culture and contribute that toward seeking employment.

Understanding the value of heritage

Sabrina advises that “The history of our heritage stands in our countries that we were born in or are from. Cultural properties, built heritage, and intangible heritage is important and is something that the youth should understand so that they can always fight for it.”

Sabrina believes that by teaching about the history of why the cultural properties are important to the youth, there will always be that underlying passion to protect the values of the heritage and even the history of our ancestors.

Cultural properties are always on the verge of danger with human hazards and natural causes, which is why it is always important to protect and fight for cultural properties that are a part of what the countries represent globally. 

Sabrina said, “We do not know what will come tomorrow or in the future, but if we make the youth understand that it is important to protect our heritage since it is part of our cultural identity, then we can always have a generation who culturally understand the significance of it all.”

Sabrina grew up in Hong Kong and was always involved in her culture and heritage. She believes that education is one of the most powerful and important tools that we can have to teach the younger generation.

Understanding traditions

Sabrina explains that “It is good to understand traditions of a culture and respect those who follow. It is also important to respectfully modernize traditions, so that we can adjust it to the modern world.”

Sabrina believes that the importance of traditions still stands, however, sometimes it is also an advantage to modernize traditions for a younger generation, due to the fact that the world is constantly changing in regards to values, rights and morality.

This can be in relation to women having equality to men and minimizing arranged marriages, so that both women and men can seek romance without pressure. It can also reflect on worker’s rights as women who are entitled to having equal pay with men, especially when given the same job opportunities.

For more information about what Sabrina is up to, check out: www.chiuyengculture.com