Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng planted a local-variety Machilus chinensis tree on Small Taipa Hill, with the aim of inspiring citizens to treasure Nature, according to a statement by the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS).
According to the statement, the tree-planting activity demonstrated the government’s commitment to the protection of Macau’s environment.
The 3-metre high Machilus chinensis tree planted by Ho is in front of a stone that has carved on it the aspiration that Macau and the nation be closely tied – as is a tree and its branches – in the pursuit of prosperity and the realisation of the Chinese Dream, the statement said.
The tree planted by Ho is adjacent to the same species of tree planted respectively in the exercise area known as Small Taipa 2000 Circuit by Macau’s former chief executives Edmund Ho Hau Wah and Fernando Chui Sai On, the statement noted.
According to the statement, Machilus chinensis is one of only a few local-variety tree species in Macau. It is one of the longest-living trees to be found in southern China. It is tall, straight and elegant in shape, with brightly-coloured leaves and flowers, the statement said, adding that “the species is not widely present in the general landscape but is considered excellent for supporting the ecological balance in an area.”Ho was accompanied during Saturday’s activity by Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong Weng Chon, Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) President José Tavares; and the chairman of the bureau’s Consultative Committee on Municipal Affairs, António José Dias Azedo.
Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng (second front right), Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong Weng Chon (second from left), Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) President José Tavares (right) and IAM Consultative Committee on Municipal Affairs Chairman António José Dias Azedo water a newly planted tree on Small Taipa Hill on Saturday. Taipa originally consisted of two isles, Big Taipa and Small Taipa. Photo: GCS
