Macau is buzzing with excitement as the city prepares to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its return to the motherland on Friday. Streets have been adorned with celebratory banners, with the national flag and the regional flag of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) complementing each other.
“The celebrations highlight Macau ‘s remarkable transformation under the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ policy. Macau has now become a magnetic Chinese hub with multiple charms and prosperity amid the deeper integration into national development,” Luo Weijian, a law professor at the University of Macau (UM), told the Global Times.
President Xi Jinping will be in Macau from today to Friday to attend a gathering marking the 25th anniversary of Macau ‘s return to the motherland.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will be present at the inauguration ceremony of the sixth-term government of the Macau SAR.
Xi will also conduct an inspection tour during his stay there.
Currently across Macau, residents are participating in various activities to commemorate the anniversary. For example, Hou Kong Middle School hosted a lecture on “Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Macau ‘s Return to the Motherland – The Constitution and Basic Law Entering the Campus.”
Zhou Kelly, a student at the middle school, told the Global Times that the lecture reinforced her understanding of how the Basic Law of the Macau SAR established the implementation of the “One Country, Two Systems” policy, bringing Macau closer to the mainland and leading the region to enter a rapid economic and social development period under the guidance of the central government.
One campus poster reads, “Promotion of the Basic Law of the Macau SAR should come rain or shine.”
Under a giant “Welcome to Macau “ banner at Hengqin Port (checkpoint), Shen Yitong, a fourth-year student at the City University of Macau who lives in Zhuhai, spoke to the Global Times on Monday about how the “1-hour living circle” concept of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) has transitioned from a vision into reality in the Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone. Shen said she regards Macau as the starting point for both her academic and career aspirations.
According to Xinhua, as of September, 16,539 Macau residents lived in Hengqin, a year-on-year increase of 19.1 percent.
At the Hengqin Light Rail Station, Jimmy Zhang, who was returning to Macau via the newly opened Macau light rail line, talked to the Global Times about his experiences. Zhang, who has been working in the catering industry in Macau for eight years, was returning to prepare for the anniversary celebrations and the upcoming Christmas holiday season. He told the Global Times that since Macau’s return, its appeal to international visitors has grown significantly, extending beyond just gambling to encompass diverse offerings like cuisine, shopping, performances, and sporting events.
As of December 7, Macau which has a land area of only 33.3 km2, had recorded 32.545 million visitor arrivals this year.
In front of the famous Ruins of St. Paul’s, Hong Kong resident Lola Wang, who traveled to Macau specifically for the anniversary celebration with her daughter, told the Global Times that “Coming to Macau, I realized how close it is to Zhuhai, much like the proximity of Hong Kong and Shenzhen. The close integration within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area is palpable, giving this small piece of land unlimited development opportunities. Now, the celebratory atmosphere fills us with warmth and excitement,” she said.
– Courtesy of Global Times
Pedestrians walk along the city’s main square, Largo do Senado, adorned with national and regional flags, yesterday. – Xinhua
