Spring Festival Message for 2025
Director of the Central Government Liaison Office in the Macao SAR, Zheng Xincong
January 28, 2025
As the dragon dances in vibrant colours to bid farewell to the old year, and the snake brings auspiciousness to welcome the new spring, I would like to extend my Spring Festival greetings to all Macao compatriots on behalf of the Central People’s Government Liaison Office in the Macao Special Administrative Region. I wish everyone a prosperous and auspicious Lunar New Year!
The Spring Festival is the most significant traditional festival for the Chinese people – a time for family reunions and nationwide celebrations. We reflect on our achievements and share in our joys. Looking back over the past year, Macao’s economy has rebounded positively, the standard of living has continued to improve, the urban landscape has been revitalized, and the social atmosphere is festive and harmonious. Especially on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of Macao’s return to the motherland, President Xi Jinping visited Macao to celebrate with the people, offering warm care and heartfelt guidance, which has greatly inspired and encouraged us. Just before the Spring Festival, during his visit to Liaoning to comfort grassroots cadres and the public, and at the 2025 Spring Festival reception in Beijing, President Xi also extended Spring Festival wishes to the people of Macao, demonstrating the great importance and deep care the central government has placed on Macao.
The Spring Festival heralds the arrival of the most beautiful season of the year, where everything is renewed and full of vitality. We are filled with hope and blessings for the future. The new year marks the beginning of implementing the important speeches made by President Xi during his inspection tour of Macao, as well as the start of the new term of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government in accordance with the law—both of which hold significant importance for Macao’s development. With the care and support from President Xi and the central government, backed by our great motherland, and through the joint efforts of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government and all sectors of society, the “One Country, Two Systems” pursuit will surely take new strides and present a new outlook in the direction guided by President Xi.
— Macao is a pearl in the palm of the motherland, and I wish for more diversified development in the new year. Over the past 25 years since its return to the motherland, Macao’s economic and social development has achieved historic leaps, making it one of the richest cities in the world. The “Macao + Hengqin” initiative is becoming a new model for enriching the practice of “One Country, Two Systems.” Standing at this new historical starting point, I believe all sectors in Macao will focus on economic growth, development, and construction under the leadership of the Chief Executive and the Macao Special Administrative Region Government. By leveraging its advantages and resources, Macao will cultivate more new industries endowed with international competitiveness, continuously enhance the level of integration between Macao and Hengqin, and pave a broader and firmer path for the appropriate diversification of Macao’s economy, making this pearl of the motherland even more brilliant.
— Macao is a treasure of our great motherland, and I wish for prosperous connections both internally and externally in the new year. Macao serves as a bridge linking the motherland to the world, as well as a window for the world to observe and enter China. Standing at this new historical starting point, I believe all sectors in Macao will adhere to the positioning of “one centre, one platform, one base,” fully utilize the institutional advantages of “One Country, Two Systems” and Macao’s unique strengths, actively participate in the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the high-quality joint building of the Belt and Road, create a high ground for gathering international high-end talent, establish an important bastion for the country’s high-level opening up, and become a significant window for the exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and Western civilizations, contributing even more to the building of a strong nation and the rejuvenation of the nation.
— Macao is a blessed land for happy living and working, and I wish for a prosperous and harmonious Macao in the new year. Since its return to the motherland, the standard of living in Macao has reached new heights, with significant progress in employment, housing, education, healthcare, and social security. Today, Macao has become a land of happiness for its residents. Standing at this new historical starting point, I believe all sectors in Macao will support the Chief Executive and the Macao Special Administrative Region Government in their lawful governance, continue to strengthen the safeguards for national security, enhance all governance levels, and ensure that children receive better education, the elderly enjoy better services, and young people have more opportunities for development, continuously improving residents’ sense of gain, happiness, and security.
— Macao is a common home for people who have “drunk the water of Lilau**,” and I wish for a harmonious Macao filled with patriotism in the new year. Macao is a convergence point of Chinese and Western civilizations, where different ethnic groups coexist amicably, various religions harmoniously coexist, and diverse cultures shine together. After enduring over 400 years of trials, the excellent traditional culture of China remains the mainstream, with patriotism and love for Macao as core values. Today, the main theme of patriotism and love for Macao is more resonant. Standing at this new historical starting point, I believe all sectors in Macao will continue to promote the core values of patriotism and love for Macao, foster inclusiveness and harmony, and unite all positive forces with open arms to create the largest circle of support for the “One Country, Two Systems” initiative.
In Chinese culture, the snake symbolises spirituality, wisdom, and vitality, signifying harvest, auspiciousness, and blessings. In this hopeful Year of the Snake, let us remember President Xi’s exhortations, work together with determination, innovate while upholding our principles, take on responsibilities, and strive for success, as we write a new chapter in the successful practice of “One Country, Two Systems” with Macao’s unique characteristics!
*Haojiang is one of Macao’s ancient names
** The phrase “drink the water of Lilau” refers to a long-standing cultural tradition in Macao. Lilau is a well-known spring near the southern tip of the peninsula of Macao known for its fresh water. The act of drinking from this spring symbolises a person’s close connection to the local heritage. In a broader sense, it can also represent embracing local culture
N.B. Director Zheng’s message was released by his office on January 28, 2025, with its unabridged translation arranged and edited by The Macau Post Daily.
Undated file photo of Liaison Office Director Zheng Xincong – Image courtesy of Liaison Office in MSAR
