Lei Seng Chon: a founding builder of the Macao Daily, from patriotic newspaperman to Basic Law drafter
A Macau newspaperman, cultural figure, and association leader, Lei Seng Chon was one of the founding builders of the Macao Daily News. A native of Xinhui, Guangdong, born in Macau in 1926, he helped found the Macao Daily in 1958, starting as its manager and rising through deputy editor-in-chief, editor-in-chief, and publisher to chairman — steering Macau's largest-circulation Chinese daily for decades. A member of the China Writers Association and honorary president of the Macau Pen Club and the Macau Journalists Association, he was also deeply involved in national and Macau constitutional affairs: a deputy to the 9th National People's Congress, a member of the 8th and 9th National CPPCC, a member of the Basic Law Drafting Committee, a member of the Macao SAR Preparatory Committee, and Vice-Director of the NPC Standing Committee's Macao Basic Law Committee. He received the Golden Lotus Medal (2002), the Grand Lotus Medal of Honour (2009), and an honorary Doctorate of Humanities from the University of Macau (2011). He died in Macau on 30 December 2015, aged 90.
Lei Seng Chon李成俊
Newspaperman · Chairman of the Macao Daily News · Macao Daily News1926-2015Published Jan 1, 2026
信任檔案報人傳媒
A Macau newspaperman, cultural figure, and association leader, Lei Seng Chon was one of the founding builders of the Macao Daily News. A native of Xinhui, Guangdong, born in Macau in 1926, he helped found the Macao Daily in 1958, starting as its manager and rising through deputy editor-in-chief, editor-in-chief, and publisher to chairman — steering Macau's largest-circulation Chinese daily for decades. A member of the China Writers Association and honorary president of the Macau Pen Club and the Macau Journalists Association, he was also deeply involved in national and Macau constitutional affairs: a deputy to the 9th National People's Congress, a member of the 8th and 9th National CPPCC, a member of the Basic Law Drafting Committee, a member of the Macao SAR Preparatory Committee, and Vice-Director of the NPC Standing Committee's Macao Basic Law Committee. He received the Golden Lotus Medal (2002), the Grand Lotus Medal of Honour (2009), and an honorary Doctorate of Humanities from the University of Macau (2011). He died in Macau on 30 December 2015, aged 90.
In 1958 a group of patriotic newspapermen revived a paper in Macau; among them was a man who began as its manager and ended as its chairman — Lei Seng Chon. He spent half a lifetime turning the Macao Daily into Macau's largest-circulation Chinese newspaper, and with the same pen helped draft a city's Basic Law.
Lei Seng Chon was a Macau newspaperman and a cultural and association leader, one of the founding builders of the Macao Daily News. A journalist and writer, and a public figure in Macau's constitutional development, his life was bound tightly to the city's Chinese-language press.
Profile
Chinese Name: 李成俊
English Name: Lei Seng Chon
Born: 1926 (Macau; ancestral home Xinhui, Guangdong)
Died: 30 December 2015 (Macau, aged 90)
Region: Macau / Xinhui, Guangdong
Domains: Culture · Press · Public affairs
Subject type: Newspaperman · Writer · Association and constitutional figure
Background
A native of Xinhui in Guangdong, Lei was born in Macau in 1926 and grew up through the turbulent, war-scarred decades of the mid-twentieth century. The Chinese-language press of that Macau was at once a source of news for residents and a rallying ground for patriotic voices. It was in this environment that Lei entered journalism, growing from a newspaper manager into a press leader equally at home in editing, writing, and public affairs.
Career
I. Founding the Macao Daily News (1958)
On 15 August 1958 the Macao Daily News was launched in Macau, replacing the then-circulating New Garden (新園地) as a paper of clear patriotic stance. Lei was one of its founders, serving as manager at its launch. He went on to hold the posts of deputy editor-in-chief, editor-in-chief, and publisher, finally becoming chairman, and led the paper's affairs for decades. Under the long stewardship of Lei and his colleagues, the Macao Daily became Macau's largest-circulation Chinese daily, accounting for some 70–80% of local newspaper circulation and a central platform for Chinese-language opinion in the city.
II. A leader in the press and cultural worlds
Lei's influence reached well beyond the newsroom. A member of the China Writers Association, an honorary member of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and a director of the China News Service, he served as honorary president of both the Macau Journalists Association and the Macau Pen Club, long taking on an organising and mentoring role across Macau's press and cultural circles. He also wrote and published, with titles including Essays on Macau Literature, Lin Zexu and Macau, and a collected volume of Basic Law documents — extending a newspaperman's writing into the study of Macau's history and letters.
III. Constitutional service for the nation and Macau
In the pivotal years around the Handover, Lei was deeply engaged in national and Macau constitutional affairs. He served as a deputy to Guangdong's 7th People's Congress, a member of the 8th and 9th National CPPCC, and a deputy to the 9th National People's Congress; he was appointed to the Drafting Committee for the Basic Law of the Macao SAR, to the Macao SAR Preparatory Committee, and as Vice-Director of the 1st and 2nd NPC Standing Committee Macao Basic Law Committees. This record made him one of the representative figures of Macau's "newspapermen who entered constitutional work".
Defining Moments
I. Building the Macao Daily into the city's leading paper
From the founding manager of 1958 to the later chairman, Lei spent decades witnessing and driving the Macao Daily's journey from the hardships of its early revival to a position commanding 70–80% of Macau's newspaper circulation. More than a reporter of news, the paper became a vital carrier of Chinese-language culture and opinion in Macau — and Lei was one of its long-term core stewards.
II. Drafting the Basic Law and the pre-Handover transition
As a member of the Drafting Committee for the Macao SAR Basic Law and of the SAR Preparatory Committee, Lei took part in the debates over the constitutional text and transitional arrangements as Macau moved from Portuguese administration toward "One Country, Two Systems". After the Handover he continued as Vice-Director of the NPC Standing Committee's Macao Basic Law Committee, carrying a newspaperman's attention to public affairs into the constitutional sphere.
III. Honours and death (2002–2015)
Lei's contributions were recognised by the SAR Government in turn: the Golden Lotus Medal in 2002, the Grand Lotus Medal of Honour in 2009, and an honorary Doctorate of Humanities from the University of Macau in 2011. He died in Macau on 30 December 2015, aged 90, mourned by Macau's press and wider community.
Public Character
Lei's public image was that of newspaperman and public figure in one: inside the paper he was diligent in editing and adept in management, turning a patriotic newspaper into Macau's leading Chinese daily; outside it he served as an association leader and helped draft the Basic Law, carrying a journalist's sense of responsibility into public life. This archive presents his life and public standing neutrally and treats details not confirmed by authoritative sources with caution.
Key Achievements
Co-founder of the Macao Daily News; served as manager, deputy editor-in-chief, editor-in-chief, publisher, and chairman, leading Macau's largest-circulation Chinese daily for decades
Member of the China Writers Association, honorary member of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, director of the China News Service; honorary president of the Macau Journalists Association and the Macau Pen Club
Member of the Drafting Committee for the Macao SAR Basic Law and of the Macao SAR Preparatory Committee
Deputy to the 9th National People's Congress, member of the 8th and 9th National CPPCC; Vice-Director of the NPC Standing Committee's Macao Basic Law Committee (1st and 2nd terms)
Author of Essays on Macau Literature, Lin Zexu and Macau, and a collected volume of Basic Law documents
Golden Lotus Medal (2002), Grand Lotus Medal of Honour (2009), honorary Doctorate of Humanities, University of Macau (2011)
Information compiled from publicly available sources (Macau Memory, Wikipedia, an Education and Youth Development Bureau publication, and a Central Government Liaison Office interview, among others). If anything is inaccurate or needs updating, please contact us — we aim to respond within 48 hours.
