Macao, a small city that recorded 25 million tourist ar-rivals in 2010, is definitely a wonderful tourism city in travellers’ mind. Dramatically and fantastically, Macao has been developing its famous tourist attractions. Peo-ple know about Ruins of St. Paul’s, Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro , A-Ma Temple, Old Ladies’ House Art Space, as there are so many places in Macao that have already been included in the World Heritage. However, Macao is not just like that. It has more than what we know and what we expect. Every corner shop, although as small as a grain of sand in the beach, also has its own story.

This Spring issue of Umac Bridges purposely chooses the “Macao Map” as the central theme. We believe that Macao has so much fun and we investigate many inter-esting stories to reveal that “the difference is Macao”.

We all went to different places, discovering the best news stories. We all faced difficulties in writing, con-ducting interviews or taking photos. But we all know, as a journalist, this is our job. And we love it. We have tried to explore it to the deepest as we can. Macao is not merely a tourism place, for us, it is romantic, mys-terious, creative, leisured, exciting, crowded and full of multi-culturalism. Producing the Macao Map, we want to arouse your interest and remind all of you that Macao, although a small city, still has a lot of fascinating stories going on. Our aim is to bring you to every single corner of this city and enjoy the treasured moments.

Umac Bridges is a campus publication as well as the aca-demic project by 4th year English Communication stu-dents in the Department of Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Macau. Through this publication, students can apply the skills of journalism, desktop publishing, web design and event planning and implementation which they have learned throughout the academic years to an actual project. The aim of this publication is to cultivate the sense of news of UM students and call their attention to issues happening around them. The magazine also has an online version which experiments with some multimedia news stories.

We would like to give special thanks to our course in-structor, Prof. Wu Mei, and our teaching assistant, Ms. Karen Chiang, for their knowledgeable guidance and support during the production process.

On behalf of the production team, I hope you will enjoy this issue of Umac Bridges, and go for an adventure with Macao Map.

Special thanks also go to Ms. Jenny Lou, Ms. Mandy Fong, Mr. Eliot Ng, Information and Communication Technology Office, and Welfare Printing Limited.

Chief EditorNuno Leung

Not only does Macao embrace multiculturalism, but she is also a dramatic city. She used to be a fishermen’s wharf of 12 km2 in 1912. Gradually under the vigorous effect of tourism, immigration and foreign investments, now she struggles and becomes a cosmopolitan city with a total area of over 29 km2. Land reclamation is deemed neces-sary to meet the upsurge of population and eco-nomic activities. The State Council’s approval of Macao’s land reclamation came almost four years after Macao first proposed the scheme in 2006.

Macao has a total of 3.5 km2 now for the new land reclamation; the pieces are mainly located along the coast of the southern and eastern parts of the Macao peninsula, and also north of Taipa. After the government’s first stage of public consultation for the future town planning on June 19 last year, it is reported that more than half of the reclaimed land will be allocated for public facilities. At least 50% of the reclaimed land will be used for green space, public buildings and community facilities. Part will be saved for social housing and the de-velopment of business sectors to promote eco-nomic diversification and “an appropriate amount of land” will be reserved for private housing proj-

ects, according to Lao Iong, the Chairman of the Urban Planning Department of the Land, Public Works and Trans-port Bureau (DSSOPT). The government has promised that no gaming developments will take place in the new areas. Its objective is to create sustainable development for Ma-cao through improving the residents’ living standards in the city. The Macao government said the reclaimed land will be sufficient for Macao’s development for the next 20 to 30 years.

At present, only zone A in the northeast of the Macao pen-insula is set to get ready before 2016 because it will be the link between Macao and the artificial island of the Zhuhai-Macao-Hong Kong Bridge. Both zones A and B are planned mainly for road infrastructure, tourism, recreation facili-ties, parks, green areas, public buildings, commercial and residential neighborhoods. Meanwhile zone C, D and E are located in northern Taipa and they will be used for pub-lic and community facilities, transport infrastructure, com-mercial and residential districts and for diverse industries’ projects.

Not only does Macao embrace multiculturalism, but she is also a dramatic city. She used to be a fishermen’s wharf of 12 km2 in 1912. Gradually under the vigorous effect of tourism, immigration and foreign investments, now she struggles and becomes a cosmopolitan city with a total area of over 29 km2. Land reclamation is deemed neces-sary to meet the upsurge of population and eco-nomic activities. The State Council’s approval of Macao’s land reclamation came almost four years after Macao first proposed the scheme in 2006.

Macao has a total of 3.5 km2 now for the new land reclamation; the pieces are mainly located along the coast of the southern and eastern parts of the Macao peninsula, and also north of Taipa. After the government’s first stage of public consultation for the future town planning on June 19 last year, it is reported that more than half of the reclaimed land will be allocated for public facilities. At least 50% of the reclaimed land will be used for green space, public buildings and community facilities. Part will be saved for social housing and the de-velopment of business sectors to promote eco-nomic diversification and “an appropriate amount of land” will be reserved for private housing proj-

ects, according to Lao Iong, the Chairman of the Urban Planning Department of the Land, Public Works and Trans-port Bureau (DSSOPT). The government has promised that no gaming developments will take place in the new areas. Its objective is to create sustainable development for Ma-cao through improving the residents’ living standards in the city. The Macao government said the reclaimed land will be sufficient for Macao’s development for the next 20 to 30 years.

At present, only zone A in the northeast of the Macao pen-insula is set to get ready before 2016 because it will be the link between Macao and the artificial island of the Zhuhai-Macao-Hong Kong Bridge. Both zones A and B are planned mainly for road infrastructure, tourism, recreation facili-ties, parks, green areas, public buildings, commercial and residential neighborhoods. Meanwhile zone C, D and E are located in northern Taipa and they will be used for pub-lic and community facilities, transport infrastructure, com-mercial and residential districts and for diverse industries’ projects.

63% of respondents support the land reclamation project but only 35% of them say that they will participate in the second public consultation.Only half of the respondents know about Macao’s land areaWe have conducted a survey on Macao residents’ knowledge and opinions of the land reclamation proj-ect. This survey was conducted in March, 2011. Among the 100 survey questionnaires collected, 48% are stu-dents, 30% are white collar workers, the rest are mainly casino workers, taxi drivers, tour guides, etc. Nearly half of the respondents are knowledgeable about Ma-cao’s total land area 100 years ago and in the current development, with 48% responding 12 km2 in 1912 and 47% responding 29.5 km2 in 2009 respectively.

Social housing is the most urgent need63% of the respondents support the land reclamation project, they think it is going to benefit and sustain Ma-cao’s future development. No matter how the govern-ment is going to prioritize the social needs or the overall economic development, they are concerned more about the government’s promises of building social houses. 29% of them hope that the government will stabilize the market price of private housing and ease the oligop-olies of real estate companies in the housing market. The citizens think social housing can help to minimize the market price gap between social and private hous-ing. Apart from solving the problem of social housing, they understand that the transportation system in Ma-cao needs further improvement and 17% support the improvement of transportation facilities. They hope that the government can use this opportunity to ease traffic congestions especially in the busy and condensed cen-ters of Macao and Taipa. Moreover, they also hope there will be more public spaces available for parking. The third urgent need that respondents choose is private housing, about 15% express that they hope the supply of private housing can supplement the insufficient sup-ply of social housing in the new reclamation area.

17% of the respondents say they do not support the project, whereas the remaining 20% say they have no idea or comment on the project. People who oppose the project mainly think that this would destroy the

Jose Pereira Coutinho: Auctions of land should be transparentJose Pereira Coutinho, legislator of the current Legislative Assembly, said that there is a very urgent need for the government to provide sufficient land for housing and to set a price that is reasonable for residents to buy apartments, especially during this time of inflation. He claimed that residents have been suffering a loss as the government used to monopolize the land resources and allocate them to powerful estate holders without formal procedures, resulting in the phenomenon of rising housing prices. As the government is planning for this project, they should regulate the laws, prevent and slow down the rising price in the estates.

He further said that the reclaimed land should not be used to develop casinos and land should not be auctioned in eight to ten pieces at the same time in order to pre-vent influential buyers from raising the price further. The needs of the middle-class and lower-class residents should be the priority before any other developments.

He said the prospect of the reclamation project is good for Macao’s future develop-ment. However, since the government used to have little transparency in land auc-tions, therefore, residents are less likely to be informed of the land projects and hence have little interference to object to the government’s actions. The government has been criticized for auctioning land below the market price during the previous administration, as over 290 out of 300 pieces of land were supplied to estate devel-opers without public auctions. The auction of land is therefore a concern in this com-ing land reclamation.

Coutinho added that the distribution of land resources without public consultation and acknowledgement is ridiculous. He urged the transparency of the new reclama-tion project and believed that without it the public consultation is only a symbolic representation that has little effectiveness.

David Iao: Land reclamation helps to improve infrastructures and facilitiesSocial housing is essentialDavid Iao, Head of the Supervisory Board of the University of Macao Students Union, thinks that the first priority of land reclamation is social housing because most of the five-storey housing in the old areas are too old and many people cannot afford to buy an apartment. If social housing is developed, the government can remove those worn buildings in the old areas and hence the roads are widened which can ease the traffic problems. Moreover, there can be more space for public facilities and in-frastructures also. Although Iao is living in Taipa where there are more public facili-ties and more developed infrastructures, he is astonished to see many old buildings in the old areas where the roads are extremely narrow. In addition, public facilities and infrastructures are very deficient; therefore, it is necessary to improve all these problems through social housing, said Iao.

Land reclamation vs environment destructionIao is not optimistic about land reclamation because it will harm the environment and disturb the ecology; on the other hand, it is necessary since Macao is too small for the present situation.

The Government should popularize public consulationIao knows that the reclaimed lands in NAPE ( ) will be used to build social houses while lands near the Macao tower will be for a sport court, however, he be-lieves that the government’s public consultation and announcements are not popu-lar enough and many citizens are not very clear about the plans on land reclamation. Iao hopes that the government can work more on that. Some citizens think that the government’s public consultation is just for show and it is not likely that it will listen to the public’s opinions, however, Iao insists that if we give our opinions, the govern-ment will at least know what we want; if we do not give our opinions, we are giving up our freedom of speech and the government will never know what we want.

landscape and view of Macao; others think that the proj-ect will cause severe environmental pollution which the government is not capable of handling. 83% of the respon-dents who oppose the project think that it is a waste of public funds because this development is not necessary, they think the current land area is sufficient for sustain-able economic and social development. Besides, some of them worry that officials in charge may favor the benefits of the contractors and constructors, in case that happens, the project will be at risk for corruption.

65% respondents would not participate in the public consultationAmong the 100 respondents, 65% of them say that they will not participate in the second public consultation re-garding the land reclamation draft plan in the third quar-ter of next year because 55 % of them are not interested in public consultation and 45% of them may not be available to participate, but generally 68% of them have confidence in the government’s ability to prioritize and put residents’ needs into practice. In contrast, respondents who are will-ing to join the public consultation said they want to have deeper knowledge about the government’s planning and to observe whether the government is keeping its prom-ises. Overall, the majority is optimistic about the project in that they think the central government is supportive of Macao’s social and economic development.

The government should focus more on welfareKathy Hoi and Bo Lee, a typical young couple in Macao, have been working in a casino for three years since their graduation from university. As they cannot afford to buy an apartment, they have been living together in a rented apartment for two years though they are planning to get married. Lee expressed his opinion on the government’s plans of land reclamation, “I feel disappointed in our gov-ernment now. I don’t believe the new reclamation plan will bring any benefits to the young couples who would like to build their own family.” He said that they have al-ready saved money for two years but still cannot afford the down payment. Although Macau’s income standard has increased, inflation is getting serious too. What concerns them is not what the new reclamation plan can bring to Macao; they care more about the welfare which the gov-ernment offers. They hope the government will use the new reclamation area to build more social housing.

Jose Pereira Coutinho, a legislator of the current Legislative Assem-bly

“There is a very urgent need for the

land for housing and to set a price reasonable for residents to buy apartments.”

63% of respondents support the land reclamation project but only 35% of them say that they will participate in the second public consultation.Only half of the respondents know about Macao’s land areaWe have conducted a survey on Macao residents’ knowledge and opinions of the land reclamation proj-ect. This survey was conducted in March, 2011. Among the 100 survey questionnaires collected, 48% are stu-dents, 30% are white collar workers, the rest are mainly casino workers, taxi drivers, tour guides, etc. Nearly half of the respondents are knowledgeable about Ma-cao’s total land area 100 years ago and in the current development, with 48% responding 12 km2 in 1912 and 47% responding 29.5 km2 in 2009 respectively.

Social housing is the most urgent need63% of the respondents support the land reclamation project, they think it is going to benefit and sustain Ma-cao’s future development. No matter how the govern-ment is going to prioritize the social needs or the overall economic development, they are concerned more about the government’s promises of building social houses. 29% of them hope that the government will stabilize the market price of private housing and ease the oligop-olies of real estate companies in the housing market. The citizens think social housing can help to minimize the market price gap between social and private hous-ing. Apart from solving the problem of social housing, they understand that the transportation system in Ma-cao needs further improvement and 17% support the improvement of transportation facilities. They hope that the government can use this opportunity to ease traffic congestions especially in the busy and condensed cen-ters of Macao and Taipa. Moreover, they also hope there will be more public spaces available for parking. The third urgent need that respondents choose is private housing, about 15% express that they hope the supply of private housing can supplement the insufficient sup-ply of social housing in the new reclamation area.

17% of the respondents say they do not support the project, whereas the remaining 20% say they have no idea or comment on the project. People who oppose the project mainly think that this would destroy the

Jose Pereira Coutinho: Auctions of land should be transparentJose Pereira Coutinho, legislator of the current Legislative Assembly, said that there is a very urgent need for the government to provide sufficient land for housing and to set a price that is reasonable for residents to buy apartments, especially during this time of inflation. He claimed that residents have been suffering a loss as the government used to monopolize the land resources and allocate them to powerful estate holders without formal procedures, resulting in the phenomenon of rising housing prices. As the government is planning for this project, they should regulate the laws, prevent and slow down the rising price in the estates.

He further said that the reclaimed land should not be used to develop casinos and land should not be auctioned in eight to ten pieces at the same time in order to pre-vent influential buyers from raising the price further. The needs of the middle-class and lower-class residents should be the priority before any other developments.

He said the prospect of the reclamation project is good for Macao’s future develop-ment. However, since the government used to have little transparency in land auc-tions, therefore, residents are less likely to be informed of the land projects and hence have little interference to object to the government’s actions. The government has been criticized for auctioning land below the market price during the previous administration, as over 290 out of 300 pieces of land were supplied to estate devel-opers without public auctions. The auction of land is therefore a concern in this com-ing land reclamation.

Coutinho added that the distribution of land resources without public consultation and acknowledgement is ridiculous. He urged the transparency of the new reclama-tion project and believed that without it the public consultation is only a symbolic representation that has little effectiveness.

David Iao: Land reclamation helps to improve infrastructures and facilitiesSocial housing is essentialDavid Iao, Head of the Supervisory Board of the University of Macao Students Union, thinks that the first priority of land reclamation is social housing because most of the five-storey housing in the old areas are too old and many people cannot afford to buy an apartment. If social housing is developed, the government can remove those worn buildings in the old areas and hence the roads are widened which can ease the traffic problems. Moreover, there can be more space for public facilities and in-frastructures also. Although Iao is living in Taipa where there are more public facili-ties and more developed infrastructures, he is astonished to see many old buildings in the old areas where the roads are extremely narrow. In addition, public facilities and infrastructures are very deficient; therefore, it is necessary to improve all these problems through social housing, said Iao.

Land reclamation vs environment destructionIao is not optimistic about land reclamation because it will harm the environment and disturb the ecology; on the other hand, it is necessary since Macao is too small for the present situation.

The Government should popularize public consulationIao knows that the reclaimed lands in NAPE ( ) will be used to build social houses while lands near the Macao tower will be for a sport court, however, he be-lieves that the government’s public consultation and announcements are not popu-lar enough and many citizens are not very clear about the plans on land reclamation. Iao hopes that the government can work more on that. Some citizens think that the government’s public consultation is just for show and it is not likely that it will listen to the public’s opinions, however, Iao insists that if we give our opinions, the govern-ment will at least know what we want; if we do not give our opinions, we are giving up our freedom of speech and the government will never know what we want.

landscape and view of Macao; others think that the proj-ect will cause severe environmental pollution which the government is not capable of handling. 83% of the respon-dents who oppose the project think that it is a waste of public funds because this development is not necessary, they think the current land area is sufficient for sustain-able economic and social development. Besides, some of them worry that officials in charge may favor the benefits of the contractors and constructors, in case that happens, the project will be at risk for corruption.

65% respondents would not participate in the public consultationAmong the 100 respondents, 65% of them say that they will not participate in the second public consultation re-garding the land reclamation draft plan in the third quar-ter of next year because 55 % of them are not interested in public consultation and 45% of them may not be available to participate, but generally 68% of them have confidence in the government’s ability to prioritize and put residents’ needs into practice. In contrast, respondents who are will-ing to join the public consultation said they want to have deeper knowledge about the government’s planning and to observe whether the government is keeping its prom-ises. Overall, the majority is optimistic about the project in that they think the central government is supportive of Macao’s social and economic development.

The government should focus more on welfareKathy Hoi and Bo Lee, a typical young couple in Macao, have been working in a casino for three years since their graduation from university. As they cannot afford to buy an apartment, they have been living together in a rented apartment for two years though they are planning to get married. Lee expressed his opinion on the government’s plans of land reclamation, “I feel disappointed in our gov-ernment now. I don’t believe the new reclamation plan will bring any benefits to the young couples who would like to build their own family.” He said that they have al-ready saved money for two years but still cannot afford the down payment. Although Macau’s income standard has increased, inflation is getting serious too. What concerns them is not what the new reclamation plan can bring to Macao; they care more about the welfare which the gov-ernment offers. They hope the government will use the new reclamation area to build more social housing.

Jose Pereira Coutinho, a legislator of the current Legislative Assem-bly

“There is a very urgent need for the

land for housing and to set a price reasonable for residents to buy apartments.”

12

Reolian

By Jason So, Sara Lam, Wendy Kuok, Cecily Tseng

ready

for the road?!

Another resident attending the forum, Chan Peng Hong, also raised doubts on whether the announced bus frequency increase would be “enough” to discourage locals to use their motorbikes and private cars.According to the �ndings of a survey on the demand for community services in Taipa and Coloane, the islands’ residents are most con-cerned about the lack of parking space and public transport. �e survey was carried out by the Taipa service centre of the Macau Fed-eration of Labour Union (FAOM) between August and October last year. A total of 619 respondents completed the questionnaire.

According to the �ndings, 52.6 percent of the respondents said that the community service which needed most urgent improve-ment was the problem of �nding a parking

Courtesy: www.reolian.com.mo

In August, a new bus company, the Reolian Transport Company is going to be added to our tiny city to serve Macao people and tourists along with the other two bus compa-nies, Transportes Urbanos de Macau S.A.R.L. (Transmac) and Sociedade de Transportes Colectivos de Macau (TCM).

As the third public transport company in Macao, Reolian will start operating on Au-gust 8, 2011 running most of the bus routes in Macao. Investing in 245 buses with 26 bus routes going around Macao and Coloane Is-land, Reolian will account for 43% of the bus routes network.

Reolian Transport Company is a joint ven-ture of HN Group Limited and Veolia Trans-port in France-Paris Metro.

Residents worried about more tra�c jams

Marco Vai, a resident of the densely populat-ed “�ree Lamps” neighborhood, expressed his concern during an open-air forum, saying that the government’s recently announced increase in the frequency of public bus routes could ultimately produce more tra�c con-gestions.

Vai said that the city’s narrow streets would not be able to cope with a “double-increase” in public transport while the number of pri-vate cars was also set to grow further.

According to Vai, local residents have a “high” tendency to purchase cars but the govern-ment “has not taken any e�ective measure” to limit the ever increasing number of private vehicles clogging the city streets.

12

Reolian

By Jason So, Sara Lam, Wendy Kuok, Cecily Tseng

ready

for the road?!

Another resident attending the forum, Chan Peng Hong, also raised doubts on whether the announced bus frequency increase would be “enough” to discourage locals to use their motorbikes and private cars.According to the �ndings of a survey on the demand for community services in Taipa and Coloane, the islands’ residents are most con-cerned about the lack of parking space and public transport. �e survey was carried out by the Taipa service centre of the Macau Fed-eration of Labour Union (FAOM) between August and October last year. A total of 619 respondents completed the questionnaire.

According to the �ndings, 52.6 percent of the respondents said that the community service which needed most urgent improve-ment was the problem of �nding a parking

Courtesy: www.reolian.com.mo

In August, a new bus company, the Reolian Transport Company is going to be added to our tiny city to serve Macao people and tourists along with the other two bus compa-nies, Transportes Urbanos de Macau S.A.R.L. (Transmac) and Sociedade de Transportes Colectivos de Macau (TCM).

As the third public transport company in Macao, Reolian will start operating on Au-gust 8, 2011 running most of the bus routes in Macao. Investing in 245 buses with 26 bus routes going around Macao and Coloane Is-land, Reolian will account for 43% of the bus routes network.

Reolian Transport Company is a joint ven-ture of HN Group Limited and Veolia Trans-port in France-Paris Metro.

Residents worried about more tra�c jams

Marco Vai, a resident of the densely populat-ed “�ree Lamps” neighborhood, expressed his concern during an open-air forum, saying that the government’s recently announced increase in the frequency of public bus routes could ultimately produce more tra�c con-gestions.

Vai said that the city’s narrow streets would not be able to cope with a “double-increase” in public transport while the number of pri-vate cars was also set to grow further.

According to Vai, local residents have a “high” tendency to purchase cars but the govern-ment “has not taken any e�ective measure” to limit the ever increasing number of private vehicles clogging the city streets.

83

space, while di�culty in taking bus or taxi came as the second most pressing issue, representing 49.6 percent of the respondents.

Some 39.9 percent of the respondents said that “a shortage of public car parks” was the third most urgent community service issue that needed to be solved.

Seniors expect bus-stop at ‘remote’ social hous-ing estate

Monica Leong Chan, a 77-year-old granny living on her own at a Fai Chi Kei social housing estate, has to spend at least 30 minutes walking to the nearest wet market and back home every day. Having twisted her ankle recently and feeling that she can’t walk as well as before, Chan’s dearest Lunar New Year wish is to see a bus-stop being set up near her �at.

“It takes me about 15 minutes to walk to the bus-stop where most buses stop at,” Chan was quoted by �e Ma-cau Post Daily as saying. “I tripped over recently and my legs are not as good as before. Walking to the Patane Mu-nicipal Market for me is very far away.”

Another senior citizen aged almost 80 also has to cope with the same situation. “It’s very tiring to walk to the wet market. When I still lived in the old social housing estate [which has been demolished], everything was so near,” Lei said.

TCM contested the decision by �ling a law suit. In August 2010, the government decided to give anoth-er route to TCM which in turn withdrew its appeal to the superior court.

�e Chinese name for “Reolian” stands for “Main-tain”, “Macao”, “Lotus” and “Transport”. �e compa-ny’s logo is a green color lotus which symbolizes the concept of environmental protection and the com-pany’s objective is to develop a better Macao.

Transmac and TCM

Transmac has been operating public transit buses in Macao since 1988. In mainland China, Transmac was known as Xinfuli, and it is operating in Xinhui and Wuhu now. Xinfuli operated in Guangzhou and Foshan as well until 2008 when its service was pur-chased by others. Fok Lei Autocarro S.A., founded in 1948, was the processor of Transmac, which be-gan service in 1988. Being the biggest franchised bus company in Macao, it �rst introduced the Macao Pass on March 20, 1999.

TCM is another bus operator in Macao. �e com-pany began as a ferry operator in the 1950s, but did not enter bus operations until 1974 when a bridge connecting the Macao peninsula with Taipa was �n-ished. TCM was disquali�ed from an open auction to operate public bus services in 2009. �e company was said to be “four minutes late” to submit its ten-der proposal to meet the deadline of the submission.

83

space, while di�culty in taking bus or taxi came as the second most pressing issue, representing 49.6 percent of the respondents.

Some 39.9 percent of the respondents said that “a shortage of public car parks” was the third most urgent community service issue that needed to be solved.

Seniors expect bus-stop at ‘remote’ social hous-ing estate

Monica Leong Chan, a 77-year-old granny living on her own at a Fai Chi Kei social housing estate, has to spend at least 30 minutes walking to the nearest wet market and back home every day. Having twisted her ankle recently and feeling that she can’t walk as well as before, Chan’s dearest Lunar New Year wish is to see a bus-stop being set up near her �at.

“It takes me about 15 minutes to walk to the bus-stop where most buses stop at,” Chan was quoted by �e Ma-cau Post Daily as saying. “I tripped over recently and my legs are not as good as before. Walking to the Patane Mu-nicipal Market for me is very far away.”

Another senior citizen aged almost 80 also has to cope with the same situation. “It’s very tiring to walk to the wet market. When I still lived in the old social housing estate [which has been demolished], everything was so near,” Lei said.

TCM contested the decision by �ling a law suit. In August 2010, the government decided to give anoth-er route to TCM which in turn withdrew its appeal to the superior court.

�e Chinese name for “Reolian” stands for “Main-tain”, “Macao”, “Lotus” and “Transport”. �e compa-ny’s logo is a green color lotus which symbolizes the concept of environmental protection and the com-pany’s objective is to develop a better Macao.

Transmac and TCM

Transmac has been operating public transit buses in Macao since 1988. In mainland China, Transmac was known as Xinfuli, and it is operating in Xinhui and Wuhu now. Xinfuli operated in Guangzhou and Foshan as well until 2008 when its service was pur-chased by others. Fok Lei Autocarro S.A., founded in 1948, was the processor of Transmac, which be-gan service in 1988. Being the biggest franchised bus company in Macao, it �rst introduced the Macao Pass on March 20, 1999.

TCM is another bus operator in Macao. �e com-pany began as a ferry operator in the 1950s, but did not enter bus operations until 1974 when a bridge connecting the Macao peninsula with Taipa was �n-ished. TCM was disquali�ed from an open auction to operate public bus services in 2009. �e company was said to be “four minutes late” to submit its ten-der proposal to meet the deadline of the submission.

marriage is becominga common phenomenon

in Macao nowadays. According to the Statistics and Census Service of the Macao SAR Government (DSEC), a total of 960 cross-border marriages were registered in 2010, an increase of 7% from end-2009.

As regards to the gender structure of the population, Macao currently has slightly more women than men, accounting for 52% of the total population. Information from DSEC indicated that the total number of marriages between Macao men and mainland women in 2010 went up by 7% to 599, which ex-ceeds the number of marriages between Macao women and mainland men by 238 cases. With a rising number of local men seeking mainland wives, local women are obliged to �nd mar-riage partners somewhere else.

�e old tradition that people �nd spouses across the border has thrived among the low income population since the late 1980s. However, this situation has gradually shi�ed to the middle class as well. When people in the middle class cannot �nd an appro-priate spouse in the local market, they tend to seek partners in the mainland, according to Eva Hung, assistant professor of the

Department of Sociology, University of Macau (UM).

Statistics revealed that over the past decade, the number of university students in China has increased by 5 times, master students increased by 6 times, and doctoral students by 3.5 times. �e number of college graduates is expected to reach 6.91 million in 2015. With the rapid economic growth in China and the improving conditions of mainland men in recent years, it is expected that more local women will turn northward for future husbands. In the fourth quarter of 2010, 21% of Macao women registered marriages with mainlanders, while 10% married Hong Kong men and only 3% with other countries.

In addition, more local women have higher education than the local men these days. In 2010, 57% of females obtained a Bach-elor’s Degree whereas only 43% of males held one. As Macao women are becoming better educated and tend not to “marry down”, they now place higher requirements on their future husbands. It is expected that there will be a sustained growth in cross-border marriages between Macao men and mainland women, making it more di�cult for local women to �nd an eligible groom in the local market.

Cross-border

Courtesy: Xinyinmingmen Studio

marriage is becominga common phenomenon

in Macao nowadays. According to the Statistics and Census Service of the Macao SAR Government (DSEC), a total of 960 cross-border marriages were registered in 2010, an increase of 7% from end-2009.

As regards to the gender structure of the population, Macao currently has slightly more women than men, accounting for 52% of the total population. Information from DSEC indicated that the total number of marriages between Macao men and mainland women in 2010 went up by 7% to 599, which ex-ceeds the number of marriages between Macao women and mainland men by 238 cases. With a rising number of local men seeking mainland wives, local women are obliged to �nd mar-riage partners somewhere else.

�e old tradition that people �nd spouses across the border has thrived among the low income population since the late 1980s. However, this situation has gradually shi�ed to the middle class as well. When people in the middle class cannot �nd an appro-priate spouse in the local market, they tend to seek partners in the mainland, according to Eva Hung, assistant professor of the

Department of Sociology, University of Macau (UM).

Statistics revealed that over the past decade, the number of university students in China has increased by 5 times, master students increased by 6 times, and doctoral students by 3.5 times. �e number of college graduates is expected to reach 6.91 million in 2015. With the rapid economic growth in China and the improving conditions of mainland men in recent years, it is expected that more local women will turn northward for future husbands. In the fourth quarter of 2010, 21% of Macao women registered marriages with mainlanders, while 10% married Hong Kong men and only 3% with other countries.

In addition, more local women have higher education than the local men these days. In 2010, 57% of females obtained a Bach-elor’s Degree whereas only 43% of males held one. As Macao women are becoming better educated and tend not to “marry down”, they now place higher requirements on their future husbands. It is expected that there will be a sustained growth in cross-border marriages between Macao men and mainland women, making it more di�cult for local women to �nd an eligible groom in the local market.

Cross-border

Courtesy: Xinyinmingmen Studio

Being in a cross-border relationship is not easy as cultural and language di�erences are involved. Philip Chau, a junior col-lege student of the Macao Polytechnic Institute, is dating with his girlfriend Amy who comes from Guangzhou. Although Chau and Amy both speak Cantonese, somehow there are dif-ferences in the way they speak and the form of language used. “My girlfriend sometimes does not understand what I mean if I talk to her in some Cantonese slangs,” said Chau.

Many people believe that cross-border relations do not last due to the challenges of geographical separation. According to Chau, however, the distance is not the major barrier of their love. “I can easily keep in touch with Amy by means of the Internet and telecommunication, so distance is not really a big concern to me,” said Chau. �ey have been together for two years. Even though they live far apart, they still meet each oth-er once a month. In fact, the major challenge for Chau is the opposition of his family and friends. He admitted that his par-

ents have once opposed his relationship with Amy. �ey think that she simply wants to secure a permanent resident status in Macao and it is hard to ensure that the girl does not have another boyfriend in the mainland. Besides, friends’ discrimi-nation towards his relationship is another concern to him. “I have been pressured by my friends to rather look for a local girl as a spouse,” Chau said.

Lee Man Wai, a fresh graduate from a mainland university also experienced a similar case. “When my family knew that I was going to marry a girl from the mainland, they all opposed it strongly,” said Lee. Lee was very determined to marry his girlfriend no matter how strongly his mother opposed their marriage. He even once threatened his mother that he would sever all ties with her if she insisted on deterring their relation-ship. But Lee is very optimistic regarding their future. “Even though we still cannot get their blessings, I believe that they will give in some day!” Lee added.

�ere is no doubt that higher economic conditions play a part in the cross-border relations. �e month-ly salary in the mainland is relatively low compared to Macao. According to Chau, Amy’s monthly salary in mainland China is about MOP1600. However, she can earn MOP5,500 per month working as a foreign laborer in Macao. “My girlfriend prefers a partner from Hong Kong or Macao because she thinks that those people have a better living standard, higher civilization and better economic conditions,” said Chau. Lee also stated that he and his girlfriend will settle down in Macao as the salary in the mainland is too low to start a family.

On the other hand, compared with Macao women, Chau and Lee both share the same opinion that a majority of mainland girls are better than the local ones. Chau used to date local girls before, but he found that girls from the Chinese main-land have better personalities than the locals. “Amy is more in-troverted and not so materialistic compared with my ex-girl-friends. Her inner beauty attracts me the most. Although we do not have much money but we are happy together,” he said cheerfully. Lee, on the other hand, has never dated any local

girls because they gave him a negative image. “I get to know more about the personalities of local girls through my friends’ complaints, so I decide not to have a try,” said Lee. �ough it is true that there are some cases that mainland women acquired permanent residency through marriage of convenience, such kind of relations o�en ended in divorce because of personal intentions.

In general, whether it is Macao men marrying mainland women or the other way round, cross-border marriages have become a social phenomenon and will further increase in number.

Being in a cross-border relationship is not easy as cultural and language di�erences are involved. Philip Chau, a junior col-lege student of the Macao Polytechnic Institute, is dating with his girlfriend Amy who comes from Guangzhou. Although Chau and Amy both speak Cantonese, somehow there are dif-ferences in the way they speak and the form of language used. “My girlfriend sometimes does not understand what I mean if I talk to her in some Cantonese slangs,” said Chau.

Many people believe that cross-border relations do not last due to the challenges of geographical separation. According to Chau, however, the distance is not the major barrier of their love. “I can easily keep in touch with Amy by means of the Internet and telecommunication, so distance is not really a big concern to me,” said Chau. �ey have been together for two years. Even though they live far apart, they still meet each oth-er once a month. In fact, the major challenge for Chau is the opposition of his family and friends. He admitted that his par-

ents have once opposed his relationship with Amy. �ey think that she simply wants to secure a permanent resident status in Macao and it is hard to ensure that the girl does not have another boyfriend in the mainland. Besides, friends’ discrimi-nation towards his relationship is another concern to him. “I have been pressured by my friends to rather look for a local girl as a spouse,” Chau said.

Lee Man Wai, a fresh graduate from a mainland university also experienced a similar case. “When my family knew that I was going to marry a girl from the mainland, they all opposed it strongly,” said Lee. Lee was very determined to marry his girlfriend no matter how strongly his mother opposed their marriage. He even once threatened his mother that he would sever all ties with her if she insisted on deterring their relation-ship. But Lee is very optimistic regarding their future. “Even though we still cannot get their blessings, I believe that they will give in some day!” Lee added.

�ere is no doubt that higher economic conditions play a part in the cross-border relations. �e month-ly salary in the mainland is relatively low compared to Macao. According to Chau, Amy’s monthly salary in mainland China is about MOP1600. However, she can earn MOP5,500 per month working as a foreign laborer in Macao. “My girlfriend prefers a partner from Hong Kong or Macao because she thinks that those people have a better living standard, higher civilization and better economic conditions,” said Chau. Lee also stated that he and his girlfriend will settle down in Macao as the salary in the mainland is too low to start a family.

On the other hand, compared with Macao women, Chau and Lee both share the same opinion that a majority of mainland girls are better than the local ones. Chau used to date local girls before, but he found that girls from the Chinese main-land have better personalities than the locals. “Amy is more in-troverted and not so materialistic compared with my ex-girl-friends. Her inner beauty attracts me the most. Although we do not have much money but we are happy together,” he said cheerfully. Lee, on the other hand, has never dated any local

girls because they gave him a negative image. “I get to know more about the personalities of local girls through my friends’ complaints, so I decide not to have a try,” said Lee. �ough it is true that there are some cases that mainland women acquired permanent residency through marriage of convenience, such kind of relations o�en ended in divorce because of personal intentions.

In general, whether it is Macao men marrying mainland women or the other way round, cross-border marriages have become a social phenomenon and will further increase in number.

This place also attracts an increasing number of Fili-pinos who have come to work here due to the extraor-dinary demand for manpower in the gaming industry. Casinos, hotels and restaurants need a large number of foreign workers. Filipino laborers have become the second largest foreign workforce in Macao as many of them are well-trained and low paid. They found that the Senado Square is a good place to gather on weekends.

gathering with friends, chatting, laughing and singing. The area used to be a recreation area for elders and now it is no longer a place for them. The Senado Square has become a popular Filipino gathering spot like Victoria Park in Central, Hong Kong.

Concerning this phenomenon, Mr. Wang, a tourist from Taiwan, gave his opinion, “As a tourist, I think it is interesting to see there are so many Filipinos in this popular tourist spot, which demonstrates that Macao is an open-minded and multicultural society with consid-erable cultural diversities.”

Being the centre of Macao, the Senado Square is an -

acteristic of Macao: a mixture of East and West. Al-though it seems to be a tourist attraction more than a place for the locals to hang out nowadays, the unique

The Senado Square is the heart of Macao; it is the most popular venue for public events and celebrations. Pro-viding a clear example of the multicultural dimension of the Macao community, the square is surrounded by pastel-colored neo-classical buildings, creating a con-sistent and harmonious Mediterranean atmosphere. The Senado Square is always packed with people - mainly the locals, tourists and Filipinos who make up the sec-ond largest foreign workforce in Macao.

With the rapid development of the gaming industry and the launch of the mainland individual travel scheme in 2003, there are lots of tourists visiting this popular ven-ue which has always been the favorite place of hang-ing out for the locals. We can see the Senado Square is crowded with people day and night. Vincent Cheung, a 24-year-old university student, said that during holi-days, he prefers not to go to the Senado Square as there must be crowded with tourists. “As a local person, I am very happy with the blooming development of tourism in Macao. However, sometimes I feel disturbed by the excessive tourists as the central part is always crowded during holidays, there are few places for the locals to hang out and the Senado Square used to be our favorite, but now many shops and restaurants are all crowded during holidays, that make us feel disturbed when go-ing out,” he said.

This place also attracts an increasing number of Fili-pinos who have come to work here due to the extraor-dinary demand for manpower in the gaming industry. Casinos, hotels and restaurants need a large number of foreign workers. Filipino laborers have become the second largest foreign workforce in Macao as many of them are well-trained and low paid. They found that the Senado Square is a good place to gather on weekends.

gathering with friends, chatting, laughing and singing. The area used to be a recreation area for elders and now it is no longer a place for them. The Senado Square has become a popular Filipino gathering spot like Victoria Park in Central, Hong Kong.

Concerning this phenomenon, Mr. Wang, a tourist from Taiwan, gave his opinion, “As a tourist, I think it is interesting to see there are so many Filipinos in this popular tourist spot, which demonstrates that Macao is an open-minded and multicultural society with consid-erable cultural diversities.”

Being the centre of Macao, the Senado Square is an -

acteristic of Macao: a mixture of East and West. Al-though it seems to be a tourist attraction more than a place for the locals to hang out nowadays, the unique

The Senado Square is the heart of Macao; it is the most popular venue for public events and celebrations. Pro-viding a clear example of the multicultural dimension of the Macao community, the square is surrounded by pastel-colored neo-classical buildings, creating a con-sistent and harmonious Mediterranean atmosphere. The Senado Square is always packed with people - mainly the locals, tourists and Filipinos who make up the sec-ond largest foreign workforce in Macao.

With the rapid development of the gaming industry and the launch of the mainland individual travel scheme in 2003, there are lots of tourists visiting this popular ven-ue which has always been the favorite place of hang-ing out for the locals. We can see the Senado Square is crowded with people day and night. Vincent Cheung, a 24-year-old university student, said that during holi-days, he prefers not to go to the Senado Square as there must be crowded with tourists. “As a local person, I am very happy with the blooming development of tourism in Macao. However, sometimes I feel disturbed by the excessive tourists as the central part is always crowded during holidays, there are few places for the locals to hang out and the Senado Square used to be our favorite, but now many shops and restaurants are all crowded during holidays, that make us feel disturbed when go-ing out,” he said.

is a place so tiny that you cannot even point

her out on the world map, yet she has a rich past, culture and patrimony - a rich multiculturalism, a remarkable gift of Eastern and Western cultural exchange over 400 years.

For 21 years, I have been passing through Largo de Senado maybe 10,000 times. I am too familiar with the atmosphere and surroundings that have actually lim-ited or somehow I lost my patriotism, inspiration and sensation towards this little interesting area. Until these days, I started realizing the charm of this little plaza partly because I became the tour guide of my Singaporean friends and partly because of the multiculturalism topic for my article. Frankly, I am not a

citizen because I just started to explore. For more than a century, Largo de Senado (Plaza of the Senate Building) is regarded

the most precious Western heritage. The -

cy on the right hand side are of ancient Western architectural style. The three-

classical style of architecture in which it is colorful and every window is different in shape. In the early 90s, the Portuguese government invited a Portuguese artisan to pave the plaza with black and white Portuguese stones that portrayed a simi-lar street in Portugal. These fancy wavy stripes on the ground shine brilliant with the glittering classical architectures on both sides that fully portray a rich south-ern European charm. Largo de Senado not only embraces the southern European charm but also differ-ent languages with more and more tour-ists from around the world. It is such a good place for tourism where foreign cor-porations launch their branches like Star-

low-cost clothes, lingerie, accessories, toys, necessities, export merchandise, etc., which are very different from the grand stores in the Senado Square. No matter you are a foreigner or local citi-zen, customers going there are searching for practical, worthy stuff with reason-able pricing. Stalls and stores there are

-sess all the necessities. Within its modest and simple appearance, the bazaar em-braces the essence of traditional Chinese culture.

At the heart of the main city square with its predominantly western culture, tradi-tions and architecture, Sam Kai Vui Kun,

area nearby are still keeping the essence of traditional Chinese culture which ful-ly illustrates the harmonious coexistence of the two cultures.

Right left to the Portuguese plaza, there is the Chinese bazaar, right next to the boulevard, there is the alley, right next to the colorful architectures. There are grayish simple buildings. These precious cultural heritages are succession of hu-man endeavors over 400 years that has

identity.

I am content with my exploration. I am convinced by this beautiful mistake of being a Portuguese colony. I am proud because I live in this special little city that has given me a rich cultural background. I become more curious to explore more

where I came from, shapes who I am and

she has witnessed my growth and I have seen her changes. She is a dramatic lit-tle city with unique cultural and regional experiences, tranquil but prosperous.

our homeland more loving.

According to my Singaporean friends, besides appreciating the spectacular scenery and architecture, they also en-joyed shopping and different delicacies here in Largo de Senado.

Not far away from the plaza, walking into the alleys on the left hand side of

-other world of ancient Chinese cultural heritage and traditions. Sam Kai Vui Kun (Kuan Tai Temple) is located just on the left hand side in one alley near Lar-

1792 by local Chinese tradesmen, which was a precursor to the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in the city and is associ-ated with Chinese business associations.

-nese style with the green glazed tiles, the recessed entrance gateway and the grey brick façade, etc.

A few steps further from Sam Kai Vui

and the bazaar area. The market was al-ready there for more than a century. It was originally built in the hope to link up the northern and southern bazaar are-as nearby. Now, the modern seven-storey

-construction. The bazaar area has differ-ent types of hawkers and stores selling

Courtesy: Elaine Zhang

is a place so tiny that you cannot even point

her out on the world map, yet she has a rich past, culture and patrimony - a rich multiculturalism, a remarkable gift of Eastern and Western cultural exchange over 400 years.

For 21 years, I have been passing through Largo de Senado maybe 10,000 times. I am too familiar with the atmosphere and surroundings that have actually lim-ited or somehow I lost my patriotism, inspiration and sensation towards this little interesting area. Until these days, I started realizing the charm of this little plaza partly because I became the tour guide of my Singaporean friends and partly because of the multiculturalism topic for my article. Frankly, I am not a

citizen because I just started to explore. For more than a century, Largo de Senado (Plaza of the Senate Building) is regarded

the most precious Western heritage. The -

cy on the right hand side are of ancient Western architectural style. The three-

classical style of architecture in which it is colorful and every window is different in shape. In the early 90s, the Portuguese government invited a Portuguese artisan to pave the plaza with black and white Portuguese stones that portrayed a simi-lar street in Portugal. These fancy wavy stripes on the ground shine brilliant with the glittering classical architectures on both sides that fully portray a rich south-ern European charm. Largo de Senado not only embraces the southern European charm but also differ-ent languages with more and more tour-ists from around the world. It is such a good place for tourism where foreign cor-porations launch their branches like Star-

low-cost clothes, lingerie, accessories, toys, necessities, export merchandise, etc., which are very different from the grand stores in the Senado Square. No matter you are a foreigner or local citi-zen, customers going there are searching for practical, worthy stuff with reason-able pricing. Stalls and stores there are

-sess all the necessities. Within its modest and simple appearance, the bazaar em-braces the essence of traditional Chinese culture.

At the heart of the main city square with its predominantly western culture, tradi-tions and architecture, Sam Kai Vui Kun,

area nearby are still keeping the essence of traditional Chinese culture which ful-ly illustrates the harmonious coexistence of the two cultures.

Right left to the Portuguese plaza, there is the Chinese bazaar, right next to the boulevard, there is the alley, right next to the colorful architectures. There are grayish simple buildings. These precious cultural heritages are succession of hu-man endeavors over 400 years that has

identity.

I am content with my exploration. I am convinced by this beautiful mistake of being a Portuguese colony. I am proud because I live in this special little city that has given me a rich cultural background. I become more curious to explore more

where I came from, shapes who I am and

she has witnessed my growth and I have seen her changes. She is a dramatic lit-tle city with unique cultural and regional experiences, tranquil but prosperous.

our homeland more loving.

According to my Singaporean friends, besides appreciating the spectacular scenery and architecture, they also en-joyed shopping and different delicacies here in Largo de Senado.

Not far away from the plaza, walking into the alleys on the left hand side of

-other world of ancient Chinese cultural heritage and traditions. Sam Kai Vui Kun (Kuan Tai Temple) is located just on the left hand side in one alley near Lar-

1792 by local Chinese tradesmen, which was a precursor to the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in the city and is associ-ated with Chinese business associations.

-nese style with the green glazed tiles, the recessed entrance gateway and the grey brick façade, etc.

A few steps further from Sam Kai Vui

and the bazaar area. The market was al-ready there for more than a century. It was originally built in the hope to link up the northern and southern bazaar are-as nearby. Now, the modern seven-storey

-construction. The bazaar area has differ-ent types of hawkers and stores selling

Courtesy: Elaine Zhang

ing, were purchased by a large company and shut down.

shut down, it’s really a pity for these old shops to perish one by one,” Wong added.

Another well-known old store in the Senado Square, the Chi-nese Stationery Company, is now replaced by a cosmetic chain named Colourmix.

in the square, particularly the Chinese Stationery Company. I used to go there with my classmates and bought stationery for school. There were wide varieties to be chosen and the price was reasonable as well,” said Jancy Ng, a 25-year-old clerk who had once studied in a secondary school near the Senado Square.

The Chinese Stationery Company had once been one of the

nearby the Senado Square, lots of students loved to buy sta-tionery there for convenience. The shop had been in business for nearly 30 years and was forced to move out due to the extreme rent rise in recent years.

Though many people may feel pity for the fading of the old shops, inevitably, they have to go with the tide and be elimi-nated as prosperity grows. We should be thankful for their

of our collective memory.

trolling along the multicultural Senado Square, apart from lashings of pastel colored neo-classical buildings, you

-taurants and large-scale cosmetic chains. Yet, behind all the glamour and the glitz, have you got any impression of the landscape of this pedestrian paradise in the past decades?

Humane old restaurants and civilian stores, together with tra-ditional industries as well as folk handicrafts, had once made up an integral part of the square’s landscape; nevertheless, all these, could now only become an imprint of the past and pieces of our collective memory.

-cao’s economy has been prospering with the construction of new casinos as well as a sustaining growth of tourism from mainland China, resulting in a tremendous change in the ur-ban landscape of the territory.

The Senado Square is not an exception. Various typical old shops, buffeted by the rapid surge in rent, are gradually van-ishing in the square.

a regular customer who has patronized the restaurant since its opening.

was famous for its soup and wonton noodle. But in mid 2010, the restaurant, together with others stores in the same build-

S

ing, were purchased by a large company and shut down.

shut down, it’s really a pity for these old shops to perish one by one,” Wong added.

Another well-known old store in the Senado Square, the Chi-nese Stationery Company, is now replaced by a cosmetic chain named Colourmix.

in the square, particularly the Chinese Stationery Company. I used to go there with my classmates and bought stationery for school. There were wide varieties to be chosen and the price was reasonable as well,” said Jancy Ng, a 25-year-old clerk who had once studied in a secondary school near the Senado Square.

The Chinese Stationery Company had once been one of the

nearby the Senado Square, lots of students loved to buy sta-tionery there for convenience. The shop had been in business for nearly 30 years and was forced to move out due to the extreme rent rise in recent years.

Though many people may feel pity for the fading of the old shops, inevitably, they have to go with the tide and be elimi-nated as prosperity grows. We should be thankful for their

of our collective memory.

trolling along the multicultural Senado Square, apart from lashings of pastel colored neo-classical buildings, you

-taurants and large-scale cosmetic chains. Yet, behind all the glamour and the glitz, have you got any impression of the landscape of this pedestrian paradise in the past decades?

Humane old restaurants and civilian stores, together with tra-ditional industries as well as folk handicrafts, had once made up an integral part of the square’s landscape; nevertheless, all these, could now only become an imprint of the past and pieces of our collective memory.

-cao’s economy has been prospering with the construction of new casinos as well as a sustaining growth of tourism from mainland China, resulting in a tremendous change in the ur-ban landscape of the territory.

The Senado Square is not an exception. Various typical old shops, buffeted by the rapid surge in rent, are gradually van-ishing in the square.

a regular customer who has patronized the restaurant since its opening.

was famous for its soup and wonton noodle. But in mid 2010, the restaurant, together with others stores in the same build-

S

n a low-lying area named Rua da Praia do Manduco, there was a market providing local

residents with food and grocery items for dec-ades and was previously under reconstruction. It reopened again on November 26, 2009 and was named the Complexo Municipal do Mercado de S. Lourenço.

The new market is an eight-storey building. The ground floor is the wet market selling all kinds of seafood, vegetables and grocery; and a food court is located on the second floor. Moreover, other facilities like a car park, service depot, commu-nity centre, library and leisure park can be found inside the market.

The food court is a newly built area providing various types of food. Customers are served with tables and chairs in the indoor area with air-con-ditioning. The market is facilitated with brighter lights and comfortable space with better hygiene than before. Beside the indoor eating area, cus-tomers have another option. They can sit in the outdoor restaurant and next to it there is also a small park for kids to have fun.

Many stalls selling food in the food court were once running their business on both sides of the street named Rua da Praia do Manduco. It was a cramped street which served as a link for resi-dents and peddlers for many years.

Today, there are fewer roadside stalls selling cooked food on the street. Owing to the hygiene concerns, they have moved into shops or moved up to the food court of the new market. A stall which has been selling barbecue chicken for two decades is now running its business in the food court. Since Mrs. Ao, the stall owner of the bar-becue chicken has moved her stalls up to the food court, her business has dropped drastically. Ao sighed, “Fewer people come here and buy bar-becue chicken after the move, about a 30% loss of customers.” Change in place doesn’t benefit much indeed.

Apart from Ao, another owner couple, Mr. Lai and his wife who sell bean curd soup complained that the poor air-conditioning service is another reason for the loss of customers. Lai said, “It is too hot when you stay in the food court during summer. The air-conditioner is not well-installed, thus people will not stay there in such a burning-hot environment.”

No doubt the environment now has been im-proved with better hygiene. However, people find it inconvenient to get food in the food court be-cause of the inadequacy of elevators there. Mrs. Wong, a middle-aged housewife said, “It’s not as easy as before to buy food there. We used to take orders on our motorbike which was more con-venient,” When she was asked why she kept on buying the barbecue chicken, she replied, “I like the taste because the barbecue chicken is full of memory to me. I have been buying it since my childhood.”

The stall owner of the barbecue chicken added with a big smile, “Although moving up to the food court affects my profits, I won’t close down my stall. I enjoy seeing the face of my customers, chatting with them, which get me moving on to run it.” Change in place doesn’t impede a lot to regular customers. However, the food court op-erators hope that the government will give them a hand, building an escalator to facilitate the circu-lation of customers.

I

n a low-lying area named Rua da Praia do Manduco, there was a market providing local

residents with food and grocery items for dec-ades and was previously under reconstruction. It reopened again on November 26, 2009 and was named the Complexo Municipal do Mercado de S. Lourenço.

The new market is an eight-storey building. The ground floor is the wet market selling all kinds of seafood, vegetables and grocery; and a food court is located on the second floor. Moreover, other facilities like a car park, service depot, commu-nity centre, library and leisure park can be found inside the market.

The food court is a newly built area providing various types of food. Customers are served with tables and chairs in the indoor area with air-con-ditioning. The market is facilitated with brighter lights and comfortable space with better hygiene than before. Beside the indoor eating area, cus-tomers have another option. They can sit in the outdoor restaurant and next to it there is also a small park for kids to have fun.

Many stalls selling food in the food court were once running their business on both sides of the street named Rua da Praia do Manduco. It was a cramped street which served as a link for resi-dents and peddlers for many years.

Today, there are fewer roadside stalls selling cooked food on the street. Owing to the hygiene concerns, they have moved into shops or moved up to the food court of the new market. A stall which has been selling barbecue chicken for two decades is now running its business in the food court. Since Mrs. Ao, the stall owner of the bar-becue chicken has moved her stalls up to the food court, her business has dropped drastically. Ao sighed, “Fewer people come here and buy bar-becue chicken after the move, about a 30% loss of customers.” Change in place doesn’t benefit much indeed.

Apart from Ao, another owner couple, Mr. Lai and his wife who sell bean curd soup complained that the poor air-conditioning service is another reason for the loss of customers. Lai said, “It is too hot when you stay in the food court during summer. The air-conditioner is not well-installed, thus people will not stay there in such a burning-hot environment.”

No doubt the environment now has been im-proved with better hygiene. However, people find it inconvenient to get food in the food court be-cause of the inadequacy of elevators there. Mrs. Wong, a middle-aged housewife said, “It’s not as easy as before to buy food there. We used to take orders on our motorbike which was more con-venient,” When she was asked why she kept on buying the barbecue chicken, she replied, “I like the taste because the barbecue chicken is full of memory to me. I have been buying it since my childhood.”

The stall owner of the barbecue chicken added with a big smile, “Although moving up to the food court affects my profits, I won’t close down my stall. I enjoy seeing the face of my customers, chatting with them, which get me moving on to run it.” Change in place doesn’t impede a lot to regular customers. However, the food court op-erators hope that the government will give them a hand, building an escalator to facilitate the circu-lation of customers.

I

Stalls outside the A-Ma Temple are nice-ly decorated with pinwheels, stall own-ers are holding the most attractive pin-wheels, touting to the crowd of families and friends who pass by. Noise of crowds is all over the area, that’s the atmosphere at the foreground of A-Ma Temple every year during the Lunar New Year.

There are many other New Year stalls in the city, but they sell mostly food, dolls, and accessories. As this year is the Year of Rabbit, most of the stalls will sell hats or hair bands with the ears of rabbits. How-ever, stalls near the A-Ma temple only sell pinwheels. Therefore the most traditional and popular products are sold at the fore-ground of the A-Ma Temple.

The foreground of the A-Ma Temple is fa-mous for pinwheel stalls. During the Lu-nar New Year, people usually go to the temple or enjoy the pop and flash of fire-crackers and fireworks at official public zones in Macao. However, buying a pin-wheel during the Lunar New Year is also a tradition. The Chinese folklore says that the pinwheel can help people turn the ob-stacles into opportunities, it is believed to bring people good fortune.

“Kung Hey Fat Choy! Want to buy one lucky pinwheel?”

“Hey, little child! See, there are also some pinwheels with cartoon characters on it! Do you like it?”

People who sell pinwheels stand in front of the stalls, greeting as many people as possible when they pass by.

Vivi Cheung, one of the pinwheel sellers, said that this is the second year she sells pinwheels here. “People like to come with their family members to enjoy the atmosphere during the Lunar New Year here,” Cheung said. “There are also many foreign visitors, most of them are from mainland China.”

The most exciting time

A little boy is holding several pinwheels in his hands; his parents are taking photos for him. His sister, Sawsan Lee, said that they were from Taiwan and this was the second time she came during the Lunar New Year. She said that it was the most exciting time throughout the whole year to experience the festival atmosphere here in Macao, and her little brother was very happy when he was playing the pin-wheels.

The A-Ma Temple is the oldest temple in Macao, built during the period of Cheng-hua Reign in the middle age of the Ming Dynasty to commemorate Mazu, the sa-cred sea goddess who blesses the fish-ermen of Macao. It has a history of over 500 years.

Since people want to be the first to pre-sent their joss sticks to the revered God-dess of the Sea, they would usually rush to the A-Ma Temple during Lunar New Year’s Eve. Therefore, it helps pinwheel stalls in their business through those people who go to worship the Goddess for a good fortune in the new year.

Stalls outside the A-Ma Temple are nice-ly decorated with pinwheels, stall own-ers are holding the most attractive pin-wheels, touting to the crowd of families and friends who pass by. Noise of crowds is all over the area, that’s the atmosphere at the foreground of A-Ma Temple every year during the Lunar New Year.

There are many other New Year stalls in the city, but they sell mostly food, dolls, and accessories. As this year is the Year of Rabbit, most of the stalls will sell hats or hair bands with the ears of rabbits. How-ever, stalls near the A-Ma temple only sell pinwheels. Therefore the most traditional and popular products are sold at the fore-ground of the A-Ma Temple.

The foreground of the A-Ma Temple is fa-mous for pinwheel stalls. During the Lu-nar New Year, people usually go to the temple or enjoy the pop and flash of fire-crackers and fireworks at official public zones in Macao. However, buying a pin-wheel during the Lunar New Year is also a tradition. The Chinese folklore says that the pinwheel can help people turn the ob-stacles into opportunities, it is believed to bring people good fortune.

“Kung Hey Fat Choy! Want to buy one lucky pinwheel?”

“Hey, little child! See, there are also some pinwheels with cartoon characters on it! Do you like it?”

People who sell pinwheels stand in front of the stalls, greeting as many people as possible when they pass by.

Vivi Cheung, one of the pinwheel sellers, said that this is the second year she sells pinwheels here. “People like to come with their family members to enjoy the atmosphere during the Lunar New Year here,” Cheung said. “There are also many foreign visitors, most of them are from mainland China.”

The most exciting time

A little boy is holding several pinwheels in his hands; his parents are taking photos for him. His sister, Sawsan Lee, said that they were from Taiwan and this was the second time she came during the Lunar New Year. She said that it was the most exciting time throughout the whole year to experience the festival atmosphere here in Macao, and her little brother was very happy when he was playing the pin-wheels.

The A-Ma Temple is the oldest temple in Macao, built during the period of Cheng-hua Reign in the middle age of the Ming Dynasty to commemorate Mazu, the sa-cred sea goddess who blesses the fish-ermen of Macao. It has a history of over 500 years.

Since people want to be the first to pre-sent their joss sticks to the revered God-dess of the Sea, they would usually rush to the A-Ma Temple during Lunar New Year’s Eve. Therefore, it helps pinwheel stalls in their business through those people who go to worship the Goddess for a good fortune in the new year.

A Testimony of loveby Jazz Cheong

“To love is to be suffering,” said Sister Caterina, who came from Milano, Italy. According to Statis-tics and Census Service Macao SAR Government (DSEC), the statistics of divorce is two times more in comparison to that of 2004. “People are just looking for pleasure, this is not love,” said Sister Caterina. The reason is most likely because the change of values in recent years. “Love is more like a transaction nowadays,” said Crystal Ho, a civil servant who works in an electrical firm.

Usually, there are almost five to six couples each day who go to Church Lourenço in order to take marriage pictures. They dress up floridly, having what people call “the most beautiful moment.” Unfortunately, a marriage is also said to be “the grave of love”.

“Marriage does not have any relationship with love, it is just like a transaction,” Ho in-sisted, arguing that if a girl gets married to a rich man, it helps to save 20 years striving for materialistic needs. Furthermore, a marriage seems like a ticket to be a wealthy person. In contrast, Patricia Wong, who is married to a mainlander, does believe that her marriage with her husband is the promise of love. It is in terms of spirit not money. “Marriage should not relate to money,” Wong said.

In Chinese values, marriage is the symbol of happiness. A Chinese character “喜” means a person’s happiness. After they get married, both persons’ happiness joins together which has the meaning of “double happiness”. Un-

fortunately, this dose not seem to be true in re-cent years. According to the Policy Address for the Fiscal Year 2011 presented by Macao SAR, the government has almost 1.2 billion Patakas in surplus, the real growth rate in 2008 was 13.5%, the highest rate in Asia. However, the economic growth does not declare that people are happier than before.

According to the Happy Index research by the Macao Polling Research Association (MPRA), when people stay with their family members, they seem to be the happiest. However, the statistics also indicate that when people feel sad, they will not talk to their family. “Love is more like a shelter for people as the city rapidly

changes,” said Ho, “...but they feel lonely af-terward.”

In the Catholic tenet, people cannot divorce. “God used man’s rib to create woman, this is the reason why people should be faithful to their companion,” said Sister Caterina. Con-trarily, in the perspective of Ho, a companion can help not in love but in terms of economic benefits. The concept of marriage has rapid-ly changed in recent years. Outside Church Lourenço, there are still a lot of people tak-ing their wedding photos. Unfortunately, how much happiness can be sustained?

A Testimony of loveby Jazz Cheong

“To love is to be suffering,” said Sister Caterina, who came from Milano, Italy. According to Statis-tics and Census Service Macao SAR Government (DSEC), the statistics of divorce is two times more in comparison to that of 2004. “People are just looking for pleasure, this is not love,” said Sister Caterina. The reason is most likely because the change of values in recent years. “Love is more like a transaction nowadays,” said Crystal Ho, a civil servant who works in an electrical firm.

Usually, there are almost five to six couples each day who go to Church Lourenço in order to take marriage pictures. They dress up floridly, having what people call “the most beautiful moment.” Unfortunately, a marriage is also said to be “the grave of love”.

“Marriage does not have any relationship with love, it is just like a transaction,” Ho in-sisted, arguing that if a girl gets married to a rich man, it helps to save 20 years striving for materialistic needs. Furthermore, a marriage seems like a ticket to be a wealthy person. In contrast, Patricia Wong, who is married to a mainlander, does believe that her marriage with her husband is the promise of love. It is in terms of spirit not money. “Marriage should not relate to money,” Wong said.

In Chinese values, marriage is the symbol of happiness. A Chinese character “喜” means a person’s happiness. After they get married, both persons’ happiness joins together which has the meaning of “double happiness”. Un-

fortunately, this dose not seem to be true in re-cent years. According to the Policy Address for the Fiscal Year 2011 presented by Macao SAR, the government has almost 1.2 billion Patakas in surplus, the real growth rate in 2008 was 13.5%, the highest rate in Asia. However, the economic growth does not declare that people are happier than before.

According to the Happy Index research by the Macao Polling Research Association (MPRA), when people stay with their family members, they seem to be the happiest. However, the statistics also indicate that when people feel sad, they will not talk to their family. “Love is more like a shelter for people as the city rapidly

changes,” said Ho, “...but they feel lonely af-terward.”

In the Catholic tenet, people cannot divorce. “God used man’s rib to create woman, this is the reason why people should be faithful to their companion,” said Sister Caterina. Con-trarily, in the perspective of Ho, a companion can help not in love but in terms of economic benefits. The concept of marriage has rapid-ly changed in recent years. Outside Church Lourenço, there are still a lot of people tak-ing their wedding photos. Unfortunately, how much happiness can be sustained?

Romantic lanes, solemn churches, Portuguese-style

architecture. They project a mesmerizing image and

constitute a glamorous portrait of Macao.

Stepping into the land of St. Lazarus Church District,

I can feel a complexion of romance and culture. The

holy land stands out not only because of the roman-

tic complexion and sacredness, but also because of

its cultural integration. It is not surprising to find a

Chinese-style garden standing next to blocks of an-

cient European architectures. This distinctive cultur-

al integration becomes an attraction in Macao. Local

Macao citizens are fond of this holy land.

Recently, the Macao government has approved the

proposal of setting up a drug rehabilitation center in

the St. Lazarus Church District. Despite the romantic

and cultural significance of the St. Lazarus Church

District and the opposition of a majority of residents,

the Social Welfare Bureau opened the temporary

Drug Rehabilitation Center in Rua de Sanches de

Miranda at the end of February.

This issue raises great social concern and attention.

“It definitely affects my safety. The center will gather

the drug addicts in this district,” Sue Tang, a resident

from the district claimed.

Chou Hoi Chu, Chairman of Macao Heritage Am-

bassadors Association expressed that the Macao SAR

Government should consider the development ori-

entation of each region before approving any pro-

posals for drug treatment services.

Chou also suggested that the Macao government

should make good use of the land resources in the

St. Lazarus Church District. For the use of land and

buildings, the government should consider the devel-

opment orientation of the region.

“The St. Lazarus Church District features a number

of buildings with Portuguese style. In recent years, it

has attracted many tourists and local citizens to shoot

wedding photos there, if the drug addicts gather in

the district, tourists’ image of the district will be af-

fected. Tourists will be driven away by the bad im-

age. Also, the shops and businesses there will also be

affected,” Susan So, a year 2 student from the Macao

Polytechnic Institute who lives in the St. Lazarus

Church District, said.

Wong Si Kuan, Chairman of the Chinese and Western

Cultural Creativity Industry Promoting Association

(Macao) said that residents contacted by them over-

whelmingly opposed the setting up of the Drug Re-

habilitation Center. He hoped that the government

could set up the center in another district. He said

that the orientation for the development of the La-

zarus District was just laid out, government depart-

ments should cooperate in carrying out the Policy

Address which plans to promote and develop cultural

and creative industries in that district.

According to this plan, gradually, there will be art

and cultural groups stationed in the district which

can enhance its cultural distinctiveness. The previous

government has already put forward the proposals

to promote cultural and creative industries in the St.

Lazarus Church District. The current Chief Executive

Chui Sai On has continued the previous government

policy to vigorously promote cultural and creative

industries.

The drug rehabilitation center is engaged to provide

drug abusers with a long term Methadone treatment

and counseling services.

Romantic lanes, solemn churches, Portuguese-style

architecture. They project a mesmerizing image and

constitute a glamorous portrait of Macao.

Stepping into the land of St. Lazarus Church District,

I can feel a complexion of romance and culture. The

holy land stands out not only because of the roman-

tic complexion and sacredness, but also because of

its cultural integration. It is not surprising to find a

Chinese-style garden standing next to blocks of an-

cient European architectures. This distinctive cultur-

al integration becomes an attraction in Macao. Local

Macao citizens are fond of this holy land.

Recently, the Macao government has approved the

proposal of setting up a drug rehabilitation center in

the St. Lazarus Church District. Despite the romantic

and cultural significance of the St. Lazarus Church

District and the opposition of a majority of residents,

the Social Welfare Bureau opened the temporary

Drug Rehabilitation Center in Rua de Sanches de

Miranda at the end of February.

This issue raises great social concern and attention.

“It definitely affects my safety. The center will gather

the drug addicts in this district,” Sue Tang, a resident

from the district claimed.

Chou Hoi Chu, Chairman of Macao Heritage Am-

bassadors Association expressed that the Macao SAR

Government should consider the development ori-

entation of each region before approving any pro-

posals for drug treatment services.

Chou also suggested that the Macao government

should make good use of the land resources in the

St. Lazarus Church District. For the use of land and

buildings, the government should consider the devel-

opment orientation of the region.

“The St. Lazarus Church District features a number

of buildings with Portuguese style. In recent years, it

has attracted many tourists and local citizens to shoot

wedding photos there, if the drug addicts gather in

the district, tourists’ image of the district will be af-

fected. Tourists will be driven away by the bad im-

age. Also, the shops and businesses there will also be

affected,” Susan So, a year 2 student from the Macao

Polytechnic Institute who lives in the St. Lazarus

Church District, said.

Wong Si Kuan, Chairman of the Chinese and Western

Cultural Creativity Industry Promoting Association

(Macao) said that residents contacted by them over-

whelmingly opposed the setting up of the Drug Re-

habilitation Center. He hoped that the government

could set up the center in another district. He said

that the orientation for the development of the La-

zarus District was just laid out, government depart-

ments should cooperate in carrying out the Policy

Address which plans to promote and develop cultural

and creative industries in that district.

According to this plan, gradually, there will be art

and cultural groups stationed in the district which

can enhance its cultural distinctiveness. The previous

government has already put forward the proposals

to promote cultural and creative industries in the St.

Lazarus Church District. The current Chief Executive

Chui Sai On has continued the previous government

policy to vigorously promote cultural and creative

industries.

The drug rehabilitation center is engaged to provide

drug abusers with a long term Methadone treatment

and counseling services.

“Every time when I was driving my motorbike along the lane (Calçada da Igreja de S. Lázaro), I recalled the sweet memories with my ex-girl friend (Kiki),” said Daniel Kou when he talked about his feeling towards St. Lazarus Church District in Macao.

St. Lazarus Church District is a prosperous neighborhood without breathless throngs and annoying noise, the roman-tic atmosphere permeates through the air especially when

are attracted to shoot their movies around there.

In recent years, the district has become a popular sce-nic spot in Macao by virtue of those scenes shown in the Hong Kong movie “Look for a Star” ( ). Released in January 2009, the movie starred famous actor and actress Andy Lau and Shu Qi , most of the romantic scenes were set in the St. Lazarus Church District, such as the neigh-boring lanes of the Old Lady House - Calçada da Igreja de S. Lázaro ( ) and the fountain in Largo da Sé (

).

According to Kou, he met Kiki when they worked as part-timers in an Italian restaurant. They started their relation-ship after Kiki drove him home one day when he got drunk

time when she was carrying me on her scooter along the lane (Calçada da Igreja de S. Lázaro), just like we were Andy Lau and Shu Qi in the movie,” said Kou. “I was able to drive myself home, but just afraid of being caught by the

he emphasized that he wasn’t drunk at that time.

Also, Kou mentioned that when they were dating, he found that they both had watched the movie before. They were

movie as well as the extraordinary romantic ambiance there. “It has been a year since we were over, yet memories are still beautiful,” Kou said with a smile from the heart. Although their love had already gone, the moment of romance will never fade. The St. Lazarus Church District, the picturesque land-

-chitectures, which is a very memorable place for Kou and many others who started their romance there. On the other hand, as an ancient but wonderful district with unique ro-mantic ambience, it is now gradually becoming a new dat-ing paradise for the younger generations.

The place also attracts millions of tourists to have a glimpse of its aroma every year. According to Vivian Lam, a recep-tionist of a local pre-wedding pictures company, “There are more than 30 non-local couples who join this plan (pre-wed-ding pictures at St. Lazarus Church District) every year, mainly from Hong Kong, followed by mainland couples, and the rest from Japan or Singapore.” In the St. Lazarus Church District, some people intend to seek the special ambience, while some are intoxicated by the mood of romance unwittingly. Though the district is too tiny to be mapped, the unique enchanting feature of the district has already been stamped in people’s minds.

Andy Lau and Shu Qi in “Look for a Star”

“Every time when I was driving my motorbike along the lane (Calçada da Igreja de S. Lázaro), I recalled the sweet memories with my ex-girl friend (Kiki),” said Daniel Kou when he talked about his feeling towards St. Lazarus Church District in Macao.

St. Lazarus Church District is a prosperous neighborhood without breathless throngs and annoying noise, the roman-tic atmosphere permeates through the air especially when

are attracted to shoot their movies around there.

In recent years, the district has become a popular sce-nic spot in Macao by virtue of those scenes shown in the Hong Kong movie “Look for a Star” ( ). Released in January 2009, the movie starred famous actor and actress Andy Lau and Shu Qi , most of the romantic scenes were set in the St. Lazarus Church District, such as the neigh-boring lanes of the Old Lady House - Calçada da Igreja de S. Lázaro ( ) and the fountain in Largo da Sé (

).

According to Kou, he met Kiki when they worked as part-timers in an Italian restaurant. They started their relation-ship after Kiki drove him home one day when he got drunk

time when she was carrying me on her scooter along the lane (Calçada da Igreja de S. Lázaro), just like we were Andy Lau and Shu Qi in the movie,” said Kou. “I was able to drive myself home, but just afraid of being caught by the

he emphasized that he wasn’t drunk at that time.

Also, Kou mentioned that when they were dating, he found that they both had watched the movie before. They were

movie as well as the extraordinary romantic ambiance there. “It has been a year since we were over, yet memories are still beautiful,” Kou said with a smile from the heart. Although their love had already gone, the moment of romance will never fade. The St. Lazarus Church District, the picturesque land-

-chitectures, which is a very memorable place for Kou and many others who started their romance there. On the other hand, as an ancient but wonderful district with unique ro-mantic ambience, it is now gradually becoming a new dat-ing paradise for the younger generations.

The place also attracts millions of tourists to have a glimpse of its aroma every year. According to Vivian Lam, a recep-tionist of a local pre-wedding pictures company, “There are more than 30 non-local couples who join this plan (pre-wed-ding pictures at St. Lazarus Church District) every year, mainly from Hong Kong, followed by mainland couples, and the rest from Japan or Singapore.” In the St. Lazarus Church District, some people intend to seek the special ambience, while some are intoxicated by the mood of romance unwittingly. Though the district is too tiny to be mapped, the unique enchanting feature of the district has already been stamped in people’s minds.

Andy Lau and Shu Qi in “Look for a Star”

“I would like to have one mango ice cream ball please.”

“Sorry, the ice cream in our store is calculated in pounds and they are in a shape of

came to Lai Kei Ice Cream.

Lai Kei Ice Cream is the oldest ice cream store in Macao with 60 years of history. The store we see today has already passed through three generations from its be-ginning. Although time has passed, its owners insisted on retaining the immemo-

retrospective decoration and the unadorned stuff they owned. Everything in Lai

The ice cream brick, adzuki beans ice and ice cream sandwich are the most famous items in Lai Kei. They use the traditional method to make the ice cream in order to retain the original taste of the ice cream.

My childhood memory casts back while staying for hours at the corner of Lai Kei. I remember my childhood time in Fujian, my grandmother always brought me and my cousin to buy a kind of ice cream which was in the shape of football. Every time we were very keen to go out with grandma during the weekend because it was ensured that we would pass by that store and be given a football ice-cream by grandma. Although I could hardly remember the decoration and even the exact items in that store, I could still remember the taste of that ice cream. In my deep memory, that ice cream is the sweetest dessert that I have had. The plain and origi-nal ice cream in Lai Kei brought back the memory of the sweet taste indeed. Nowadays, there are various kinds of attractive and delicious ice cream products

-ishing Avenida do Conselheiro Ferreira de Almeida. It is because it does not follow the trend, but insists on keeping the initial taste and packaging.

One of my Hong Kong friends, Bryan, is addicted to Lai Kei’s dessert. He insists on visiting Lai Kei every time he comes to Macao. He told me that the reason that he appreciates Lai Kei so much is the friendliness it offers. “This is the warmest restaurant I have ever been to. Although the package is not colorful and attractive enough, and the ice cream is not the most soft and tasty among other ice cream stores in Hong Kong, I enjoy the moment staying at Lai Kei. This is the taste that I

“I would like to have one mango ice cream ball please.”

“Sorry, the ice cream in our store is calculated in pounds and they are in a shape of

came to Lai Kei Ice Cream.

Lai Kei Ice Cream is the oldest ice cream store in Macao with 60 years of history. The store we see today has already passed through three generations from its be-ginning. Although time has passed, its owners insisted on retaining the immemo-

retrospective decoration and the unadorned stuff they owned. Everything in Lai

The ice cream brick, adzuki beans ice and ice cream sandwich are the most famous items in Lai Kei. They use the traditional method to make the ice cream in order to retain the original taste of the ice cream.

My childhood memory casts back while staying for hours at the corner of Lai Kei. I remember my childhood time in Fujian, my grandmother always brought me and my cousin to buy a kind of ice cream which was in the shape of football. Every time we were very keen to go out with grandma during the weekend because it was ensured that we would pass by that store and be given a football ice-cream by grandma. Although I could hardly remember the decoration and even the exact items in that store, I could still remember the taste of that ice cream. In my deep memory, that ice cream is the sweetest dessert that I have had. The plain and origi-nal ice cream in Lai Kei brought back the memory of the sweet taste indeed. Nowadays, there are various kinds of attractive and delicious ice cream products

-ishing Avenida do Conselheiro Ferreira de Almeida. It is because it does not follow the trend, but insists on keeping the initial taste and packaging.

One of my Hong Kong friends, Bryan, is addicted to Lai Kei’s dessert. He insists on visiting Lai Kei every time he comes to Macao. He told me that the reason that he appreciates Lai Kei so much is the friendliness it offers. “This is the warmest restaurant I have ever been to. Although the package is not colorful and attractive enough, and the ice cream is not the most soft and tasty among other ice cream stores in Hong Kong, I enjoy the moment staying at Lai Kei. This is the taste that I

“Everything starts from an idea. If you got the idea, then just go ahead and do it. We don’t know if it works or not. We just put all our e�orts in,” Gaby Ho, the founder of Macao Music Power, shared his success and great experience in the music �eld.

Ho graduated from the Macao Polytechnic Institute with a Higher Diploma in Mu-sic (Education) and Hong Kong Arts and Performing Academy with a certi�cate in Sound Design and Music Recording. In his secondary school years, he was already ac-tive in the music circle of Macao, including o� stage production, songwriting, music arrangement, recording and concert pro-duction as well as on stage performance. Since 1988, he has been collaborating with di�erent artists and musicians, writing and recording songs for them so as to develop the music of Macao. Moreover, he also formed a band named GAS, which had en-tered the music circle of Hong Kong.

In 1994, Ho set up Macao Music Power, which aims to promote the Macao local music, and cultivates youngsters and mu-sic-lovers by providing them more chances to understand Macao music culture. It has been helping to organize many di�erent cultural events and music activities, such as the Macao Original Song Writers Quest with University of Macau Music Society since 2004. One of the most well-known events they’ve been helping with is the Hush Full Band, the biggest rock music festival in the city, which was organized by the Macao Cultural Centre based on their original idea. In 2005, the Hush Full Band was held the �rst time in the Macao Cul-ture Centre.

“I’d say the Hush Full Band is the largest rock music festival in Macao right now,” Ho said.

At the end of every year, many di�erent bands from all over the world including Hong Kong, Taiwan, mainland China and Malaysia will perform in the Hush together with Macao local bands. It is the �rst inter-national rock music festival in Macao. Not only musicians go to this event, but also many Macao residents would love to enjoy the rock music atmosphere. Hush Full Band 2010 was held on Nov 13. �ere were totally 17 bands non-stop performing from 3 pm to 11 pm. All the audiences were rockin’ on the venue and screaming crazily throughout the whole day.

“�e Hush Full Band always makes me feel nervous and excited. It’s just so fantastic that we’ve got to perform in front of such a big crowd and we also can see so many great bands from all over the world. And we get a chance to learn from them,” said Fabio, the drummer of a Macao local band, O.T.O., which has participated in Hush for six years.

Having been working in the Macao enter-tainment industry for more than a decade, Ho revealed that it was a long and tough jour-ney. �ere were some people who worked with him in the beginning had already quit. �e only thing that keeps him in this is only his passion for the music. His success today all started from an idea. Similar as Hush, it was only an idea in the beginning. However, he tried his best to make this idea come true. “What you need is an idea, and you must be brave and try it out. Go ahead and strive for your goal,” Ho added.

“Everything starts from an idea. If you got the idea, then just go ahead and do it. We don’t know if it works or not. We just put all our e�orts in,” Gaby Ho, the founder of Macao Music Power, shared his success and great experience in the music �eld.

Ho graduated from the Macao Polytechnic Institute with a Higher Diploma in Mu-sic (Education) and Hong Kong Arts and Performing Academy with a certi�cate in Sound Design and Music Recording. In his secondary school years, he was already ac-tive in the music circle of Macao, including o� stage production, songwriting, music arrangement, recording and concert pro-duction as well as on stage performance. Since 1988, he has been collaborating with di�erent artists and musicians, writing and recording songs for them so as to develop the music of Macao. Moreover, he also formed a band named GAS, which had en-tered the music circle of Hong Kong.

In 1994, Ho set up Macao Music Power, which aims to promote the Macao local music, and cultivates youngsters and mu-sic-lovers by providing them more chances to understand Macao music culture. It has been helping to organize many di�erent cultural events and music activities, such as the Macao Original Song Writers Quest with University of Macau Music Society since 2004. One of the most well-known events they’ve been helping with is the Hush Full Band, the biggest rock music festival in the city, which was organized by the Macao Cultural Centre based on their original idea. In 2005, the Hush Full Band was held the �rst time in the Macao Cul-ture Centre.

“I’d say the Hush Full Band is the largest rock music festival in Macao right now,” Ho said.

At the end of every year, many di�erent bands from all over the world including Hong Kong, Taiwan, mainland China and Malaysia will perform in the Hush together with Macao local bands. It is the �rst inter-national rock music festival in Macao. Not only musicians go to this event, but also many Macao residents would love to enjoy the rock music atmosphere. Hush Full Band 2010 was held on Nov 13. �ere were totally 17 bands non-stop performing from 3 pm to 11 pm. All the audiences were rockin’ on the venue and screaming crazily throughout the whole day.

“�e Hush Full Band always makes me feel nervous and excited. It’s just so fantastic that we’ve got to perform in front of such a big crowd and we also can see so many great bands from all over the world. And we get a chance to learn from them,” said Fabio, the drummer of a Macao local band, O.T.O., which has participated in Hush for six years.

Having been working in the Macao enter-tainment industry for more than a decade, Ho revealed that it was a long and tough jour-ney. �ere were some people who worked with him in the beginning had already quit. �e only thing that keeps him in this is only his passion for the music. His success today all started from an idea. Similar as Hush, it was only an idea in the beginning. However, he tried his best to make this idea come true. “What you need is an idea, and you must be brave and try it out. Go ahead and strive for your goal,” Ho added.

Dragon beard candy and malt sugar are unique local sweets but you can hardly find them today, except in the Lotus Stream Temple Fair. During the fair, the street seems to go back years to the days of our parents or grandparents. It would be an amazing journey especially for the youth. They would see many traditional handicrafts they have never seen and will probably not see in other places. The temple fair is a success-ful promotion activity for Macao’s temple culture which aims to attract both the elderly and the youth.

How about others?

AssociaÁıes de Mutuo Auxilio dos Moradoresdo Bairro “San Kio” has been promoting Macao’s temple culture for years. This local association has organized temple journeys and promotion conferences in order to revitalize the temple tradi-tion.

“I know temple culture is valuable, but participating in rituals and conferences are not interesting. They are activities that should appear in newspapers, but not in my life,” said Kiwi Tam, a 21-year-old college student. They lack creativity in arousing young people’s interest.

Chi Jun Lei, the vice director of the association, admitted they had difficulties with teenagers. Growing up in Macao, Lei is a very traditional Macanese. He insisted that temple culture should be kept without any change.

“It’s hard to be creative and simultaneously be traditional,”said Tommy Leung, the director of a Macao cultural organization. “However, creativity is not just to create something new, but also something worth in communication. Even you are telling something old, you have to use a funny expression. The chan-nel, the format, the style of speech is also a kind of creativ-ity.”

Lei hesitated for a few seconds when the topic changed to the creativity in promotion methods. The elder members mainly participate in the tradition revitalization while the youths are responsible for giving new ideas, Lei commented. It is un-fortunate that young volunteers are in the minority in the as-sociation.

Dragon beard candy and malt sugar are admitted to be one of the traditional sweets that are being lost because of trouble involved in cooking and low salaries. The association is re-cording the making process of these sweets as part of Macao’s history. “We can do nothing except this,” Lei added.

Should the temple culture promotion continue with traditional strategies? Lei has no doubt in continuing his positive atti-tude. Does his strategy work in today’s Macao? We won’t know until years later.

Dragon beard candy and malt sugar are unique local sweets but you can hardly find them today, except in the Lotus Stream Temple Fair. During the fair, the street seems to go back years to the days of our parents or grandparents. It would be an amazing journey especially for the youth. They would see many traditional handicrafts they have never seen and will probably not see in other places. The temple fair is a success-ful promotion activity for Macao’s temple culture which aims to attract both the elderly and the youth.

How about others?

AssociaÁıes de Mutuo Auxilio dos Moradoresdo Bairro “San Kio” has been promoting Macao’s temple culture for years. This local association has organized temple journeys and promotion conferences in order to revitalize the temple tradi-tion.

“I know temple culture is valuable, but participating in rituals and conferences are not interesting. They are activities that should appear in newspapers, but not in my life,” said Kiwi Tam, a 21-year-old college student. They lack creativity in arousing young people’s interest.

Chi Jun Lei, the vice director of the association, admitted they had difficulties with teenagers. Growing up in Macao, Lei is a very traditional Macanese. He insisted that temple culture should be kept without any change.

“It’s hard to be creative and simultaneously be traditional,”said Tommy Leung, the director of a Macao cultural organization. “However, creativity is not just to create something new, but also something worth in communication. Even you are telling something old, you have to use a funny expression. The chan-nel, the format, the style of speech is also a kind of creativ-ity.”

Lei hesitated for a few seconds when the topic changed to the creativity in promotion methods. The elder members mainly participate in the tradition revitalization while the youths are responsible for giving new ideas, Lei commented. It is un-fortunate that young volunteers are in the minority in the as-sociation.

Dragon beard candy and malt sugar are admitted to be one of the traditional sweets that are being lost because of trouble involved in cooking and low salaries. The association is re-cording the making process of these sweets as part of Macao’s history. “We can do nothing except this,” Lei added.

Should the temple culture promotion continue with traditional strategies? Lei has no doubt in continuing his positive atti-tude. Does his strategy work in today’s Macao? We won’t know until years later.

Chinese Calligraphy is an art form which witnesses the evolution of Chinese culture. Every single Chinese char-acter has its meaning and its representation of style which shows a calligrapher’s personality and sense of apprecia-tion. It is, moreover, a part of creative experience and en-terprise that we should include in the development of the creative industry and pass on to our next generations.

“Chinese Calligraphy is a way to express our mind and it has a close relationship with our lives,” said Choi Chun Heng, who was the first prize winner of the Macao Chi-nese Calligraphy Competition in 1989. Retired in 1991, he is now enjoying his life teaching Chinese Calligraphy and holding individual exhibitions.

History of Chinese CalligraphyThere is no precise date for the origin of Chinese Callig-raphy, but it came after the invention of the Chinese lan-guage. It is an ancient art and has evolved during the de-velopment of Chinese civilization. There are roughly five types of calligraphy. They are seal script, clerical script, regular script, running script and cursive hand. Today, we mostly use the regular script and the running script.

The view of life“Chinese characters are composed of the structure of dashes and strokes. Practicing calligraphy is a way of pro-moting moral excellence,”said Choi. An aesthetic feeling is then generated when we know well how to control the amount of ink taken in the brush, pressure, inclination, and direction given to the brush. Finally, the final shape is influenced by the speed of the writer’s moves and turns. The arrangement of strokes gives the “spirit” to the char-acters. Practicing calligraphy, therefore, is basically the appreciation of beauty and style.

Chinese Calligraphy is recognized once we start learn-ing writing. It is the basic requirement to attempt a good hand-writing. Shapes of every character deliver our inner manner and thinking. We write to communicate every day and having good hand writing improves the interaction with others.

The view of art“Chinese Calligraphy is being inspirited by lives and it should be above lives,” Choi emphasized. Starting from ancient times, the idea of Chinese Calligraphy is highly regarded as a form of art, personal virtue, ethics, and natural, styling and emotional expressions. They are the composition of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism teachings. “Therefore, the basic morality of Chinese Calligraphy is to express our inner beauty, to uphold the goodness of nature and to esteem the cre-ativity of hand-writing,” Choi added.

The presentation of Chinese Calligraphy tends to change from time to time and it is regarded as a visual art. From now on, we should consider it to possess the same value as other forms of visual art. Thus, the style of expression will not be bounded only to the tradi-tional art.

Chinese Calligraphy in MacaoChinese Calligraphy is a form of visual art and it is entering its contemporary period. The development of this traditional culture, Chinese Calligraphy, is greatly influenced by its own foundation, social environment and the condition of mass media. Chinese Calligraphy has room to be promoted in Macao, but, there are new challenges coming up with it, said Choi.

“I’m glad that the Macao government has paid great at-tention to the creative industry now, but somehow, they are neglecting the existence and importance of Chinese Calligraphy,” said Choi. The culture of calligraphy will be lost with the advent of computers and smart phones. People do not write any more. In the past, there was at least one class of Chinese Calligraphy a week during our primary and secondary school. However, it has been cancelled time after time. In order to keep on promoting Chinese Calligraphy, education in it should start when we are small.

Chinese Calligraphy is an art form which witnesses the evolution of Chinese culture. Every single Chinese char-acter has its meaning and its representation of style which shows a calligrapher’s personality and sense of apprecia-tion. It is, moreover, a part of creative experience and en-terprise that we should include in the development of the creative industry and pass on to our next generations.

“Chinese Calligraphy is a way to express our mind and it has a close relationship with our lives,” said Choi Chun Heng, who was the first prize winner of the Macao Chi-nese Calligraphy Competition in 1989. Retired in 1991, he is now enjoying his life teaching Chinese Calligraphy and holding individual exhibitions.

History of Chinese CalligraphyThere is no precise date for the origin of Chinese Callig-raphy, but it came after the invention of the Chinese lan-guage. It is an ancient art and has evolved during the de-velopment of Chinese civilization. There are roughly five types of calligraphy. They are seal script, clerical script, regular script, running script and cursive hand. Today, we mostly use the regular script and the running script.

The view of life“Chinese characters are composed of the structure of dashes and strokes. Practicing calligraphy is a way of pro-moting moral excellence,”said Choi. An aesthetic feeling is then generated when we know well how to control the amount of ink taken in the brush, pressure, inclination, and direction given to the brush. Finally, the final shape is influenced by the speed of the writer’s moves and turns. The arrangement of strokes gives the “spirit” to the char-acters. Practicing calligraphy, therefore, is basically the appreciation of beauty and style.

Chinese Calligraphy is recognized once we start learn-ing writing. It is the basic requirement to attempt a good hand-writing. Shapes of every character deliver our inner manner and thinking. We write to communicate every day and having good hand writing improves the interaction with others.

The view of art“Chinese Calligraphy is being inspirited by lives and it should be above lives,” Choi emphasized. Starting from ancient times, the idea of Chinese Calligraphy is highly regarded as a form of art, personal virtue, ethics, and natural, styling and emotional expressions. They are the composition of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism teachings. “Therefore, the basic morality of Chinese Calligraphy is to express our inner beauty, to uphold the goodness of nature and to esteem the cre-ativity of hand-writing,” Choi added.

The presentation of Chinese Calligraphy tends to change from time to time and it is regarded as a visual art. From now on, we should consider it to possess the same value as other forms of visual art. Thus, the style of expression will not be bounded only to the tradi-tional art.

Chinese Calligraphy in MacaoChinese Calligraphy is a form of visual art and it is entering its contemporary period. The development of this traditional culture, Chinese Calligraphy, is greatly influenced by its own foundation, social environment and the condition of mass media. Chinese Calligraphy has room to be promoted in Macao, but, there are new challenges coming up with it, said Choi.

“I’m glad that the Macao government has paid great at-tention to the creative industry now, but somehow, they are neglecting the existence and importance of Chinese Calligraphy,” said Choi. The culture of calligraphy will be lost with the advent of computers and smart phones. People do not write any more. In the past, there was at least one class of Chinese Calligraphy a week during our primary and secondary school. However, it has been cancelled time after time. In order to keep on promoting Chinese Calligraphy, education in it should start when we are small.

It was nine o’clock in the morning. Chao was driving his car around the northern part in Ma-cao. He has been looking for a parking space for more than 15 minutes; he would be late for work again.

Macao is a crowded city. According to the Statis-tics and Census Service (DSEC), the total land area of Macao is 29.5 km2 in 2009. In Decem-ber of 2010, the number of licensed vehicles is 90,214 and that of motorcycle is 106,420. �e population of Macao in late 2010 is 549,500. Yet, according to the statistics, in June of 2007, there were just 54,000 legal parking spaces. �e situ-ation has not been improved by 2011. Macao is still lacking parking space. �e northern part is worse than most of the places in Macao for park-ing spaces. It is the only place that motorcycle parking payment has been set.

“Every day it takes me around 15-20 minutes to �nd a parking space, it is di�cult for me to go to work by bus,” said Chao, who lives near the Red Market and works in Areia Preta. “I can just take bus number six to my work place. But normally it takes me more than 30 minutes, sometimes even longer if I miss the bus.”

“I do not want to buy a parking space in the northern part!” said Chao. “It is too expensive, around MOP400, 000 for a parking space and it costs MOP1,700 per month if I want to rent a parking space.”

According to the statistics, there are 201,000 residents in the Northern Area, accounting for 40% of the total population. From the informa-tion provided by the DSEC, Macao has the high-

est density of population in the world, and in 2006, the population density reached 17,556 people per square kilometer. Also, in Macao, Santo António is the district with the highest density of population where there are more than 100,000 people per kil-ometer.

�e public transportation problem in the north-ern part is most serious because of high density. “Normally it takes me more than one hour to go to school, sometimes even more if the bus is too crowded to get on,” said Lam, a Form 3 student in Pui Va high school, Taipa.

One of the reasons that makes the northern part so crowded is that it is the most inhabited area for non-local workers. Non-local workers accounted for 23% of the whole work force in Macao and con-stituted 24% of the employed population according to a 2006 statistical report. One out of four workers in Macao is an imported laborer. In 2006, the num-ber of non-local workers as well as new immigrants reached 103,871. Because the northern part o�ers the lowest rent apartments, many foreign workers choose to live there and it is very near the border gate. It is convenient for non-local workers, who mainly came from China, to go back to the main-land and buy necessities for daily use as it is much cheaper there than in Macao.

In solving this problem, �e Macao SAR Govern-ment announced in 2007 the plans for the new pub-lic transportation system - the Macao Light Rail Transit System (LRT). According to the plan, the total length of the �rst phase is 20 km, with 23 sta-tions, at a cost of MOP4.2 billion. �e construction of the LRT system is believed to meet the increas-ing demand for public transportation services and improve the sustainable development in Macao. On the other hand, a new public bus corporation - Reolian Public Transport Company Ltd (Sociedade de Transportes Púlicos Reolian) is going to begin its service on August 1, 2011 as well. �ere will be 24 more routes served by the new bus company. With these projects, the Macao government plans to encourage citizens to use more public transpor-tation instead of driving personally.

It was nine o’clock in the morning. Chao was driving his car around the northern part in Ma-cao. He has been looking for a parking space for more than 15 minutes; he would be late for work again.

Macao is a crowded city. According to the Statis-tics and Census Service (DSEC), the total land area of Macao is 29.5 km2 in 2009. In Decem-ber of 2010, the number of licensed vehicles is 90,214 and that of motorcycle is 106,420. �e population of Macao in late 2010 is 549,500. Yet, according to the statistics, in June of 2007, there were just 54,000 legal parking spaces. �e situ-ation has not been improved by 2011. Macao is still lacking parking space. �e northern part is worse than most of the places in Macao for park-ing spaces. It is the only place that motorcycle parking payment has been set.

“Every day it takes me around 15-20 minutes to �nd a parking space, it is di�cult for me to go to work by bus,” said Chao, who lives near the Red Market and works in Areia Preta. “I can just take bus number six to my work place. But normally it takes me more than 30 minutes, sometimes even longer if I miss the bus.”

“I do not want to buy a parking space in the northern part!” said Chao. “It is too expensive, around MOP400, 000 for a parking space and it costs MOP1,700 per month if I want to rent a parking space.”

According to the statistics, there are 201,000 residents in the Northern Area, accounting for 40% of the total population. From the informa-tion provided by the DSEC, Macao has the high-

est density of population in the world, and in 2006, the population density reached 17,556 people per square kilometer. Also, in Macao, Santo António is the district with the highest density of population where there are more than 100,000 people per kil-ometer.

�e public transportation problem in the north-ern part is most serious because of high density. “Normally it takes me more than one hour to go to school, sometimes even more if the bus is too crowded to get on,” said Lam, a Form 3 student in Pui Va high school, Taipa.

One of the reasons that makes the northern part so crowded is that it is the most inhabited area for non-local workers. Non-local workers accounted for 23% of the whole work force in Macao and con-stituted 24% of the employed population according to a 2006 statistical report. One out of four workers in Macao is an imported laborer. In 2006, the num-ber of non-local workers as well as new immigrants reached 103,871. Because the northern part o�ers the lowest rent apartments, many foreign workers choose to live there and it is very near the border gate. It is convenient for non-local workers, who mainly came from China, to go back to the main-land and buy necessities for daily use as it is much cheaper there than in Macao.

In solving this problem, �e Macao SAR Govern-ment announced in 2007 the plans for the new pub-lic transportation system - the Macao Light Rail Transit System (LRT). According to the plan, the total length of the �rst phase is 20 km, with 23 sta-tions, at a cost of MOP4.2 billion. �e construction of the LRT system is believed to meet the increas-ing demand for public transportation services and improve the sustainable development in Macao. On the other hand, a new public bus corporation - Reolian Public Transport Company Ltd (Sociedade de Transportes Púlicos Reolian) is going to begin its service on August 1, 2011 as well. �ere will be 24 more routes served by the new bus company. With these projects, the Macao government plans to encourage citizens to use more public transpor-tation instead of driving personally.

“Excuse me, can I have shrimp dumplings?”

“Here is barbecue pork, please!”

“And please gimme the cabbages!”

Guess what time is it now? It’s just 4 o’clock in the morning and the place is always so crowded - some people gather in this tiny Chinese restaurant every early morning while most people are sleeping soundly in their beds. Wu Lo Restaurant, running for nearly 10 years since 2001, is only open at 3:30 early morning for 3-4 hours every day. Near the Iao Han Market in Areia Preta, it is not a big res-taurant and simply capable of containing about 7-8 tables, each can seat 4-5 people together. However, it is always full of people every time you come in, and you even need to be arranged to sit outside of the restaurant though it is quite early in the morning. How could this restaurant be so popular that it attracts people to patronize constantly in the early morning?

“Because of this particular period of time, I suppose. Only few Chinese restaurants open so early like us every morning at around 3:30 and can provide customers the traditional steamed Chinese food,” the shop owner, Mui Chao said. She starts preparing all the food three hours before Wu Lo opens every day. Although she cannot have the normal daily schedule like others, she is accustomed to working during the early morning and loves to see customers crowded in her restaurant. �at scene and noisy atmosphere are always a joy of her day. Interestingly, instead of many old people gathering in this restaurant to drink tea, you can �nd numerous people who are in their 20’s or 30’s here. You can also observe that more and more young people like drinking tea and having a meal so early in the morning! “I think our generation love eating so much as well as gath-ering with others!” James Cheong, a Year 4 university stu-dent said. “Wu Lo can provide us some hot steamed food and those are not expensive when we are starving a�er a late-night party. I have been gathering with friends some-times in early morning here for several years!” Steven Chiu, 27 years old, who works as a dealer in a casino, stated, “Although some McDonald’s now open for 24 hours, it is much healthier for those people like me who need to work overnight to have hot steamed food and vegetables rather than the fried food and so� drinks!”

It is near 4:00 am, more and more people keep coming into this crowded restaurant, and Chao is getting busier to o�er food to the customers.

“Excuse me, can I have shrimp dumplings?”

“Here is barbecue pork, please!”

“And please gimme the cabbages!”

Guess what time is it now? It’s just 4 o’clock in the morning and the place is always so crowded - some people gather in this tiny Chinese restaurant every early morning while most people are sleeping soundly in their beds. Wu Lo Restaurant, running for nearly 10 years since 2001, is only open at 3:30 early morning for 3-4 hours every day. Near the Iao Han Market in Areia Preta, it is not a big res-taurant and simply capable of containing about 7-8 tables, each can seat 4-5 people together. However, it is always full of people every time you come in, and you even need to be arranged to sit outside of the restaurant though it is quite early in the morning. How could this restaurant be so popular that it attracts people to patronize constantly in the early morning?

“Because of this particular period of time, I suppose. Only few Chinese restaurants open so early like us every morning at around 3:30 and can provide customers the traditional steamed Chinese food,” the shop owner, Mui Chao said. She starts preparing all the food three hours before Wu Lo opens every day. Although she cannot have the normal daily schedule like others, she is accustomed to working during the early morning and loves to see customers crowded in her restaurant. �at scene and noisy atmosphere are always a joy of her day. Interestingly, instead of many old people gathering in this restaurant to drink tea, you can �nd numerous people who are in their 20’s or 30’s here. You can also observe that more and more young people like drinking tea and having a meal so early in the morning! “I think our generation love eating so much as well as gath-ering with others!” James Cheong, a Year 4 university stu-dent said. “Wu Lo can provide us some hot steamed food and those are not expensive when we are starving a�er a late-night party. I have been gathering with friends some-times in early morning here for several years!” Steven Chiu, 27 years old, who works as a dealer in a casino, stated, “Although some McDonald’s now open for 24 hours, it is much healthier for those people like me who need to work overnight to have hot steamed food and vegetables rather than the fried food and so� drinks!”

It is near 4:00 am, more and more people keep coming into this crowded restaurant, and Chao is getting busier to o�er food to the customers.

In the Hac Sa Wan Park of the North Dis-trict, there are many people doing differ-ent kinds of exercises such as jogging, dancing, playing badminton and foot-ball. Some spend their time alone, while others gather in groups.

“I love dancing here, because it is free and people here are very nice,” Mrs. Sou, one of the residents in the North District who dances in the Hac Sa Wan Park four times a week, said. “Sometimes we would bring food to share with each other, it is just like a small party after dinner.”

Located closely to the Hac Sa Wan Park, the Hac Sa Wan seashore is also one of the hottest nightlife spots. For people who don’t like exercises, they can also have fun. Sitting here with friends, en-joying the pleasure of chatting and hav-ing some snacks are nice enough, and why not have a bottle of beer? The sea-shore is also a place where you can en-joy a wonderful moment of viewing the glittering Zhuhai night scene across the river bank.

Tommy Chu, a 15-year-old high school student, likes to hang out with friends after school, said, “We stay here because we have nothing to do after school, and it is too expensive for us to go to bars and

karaoke frequently. Though sometimes we like to stay in the cyber café and video arcade, we can’t afford it every day.”

Not only Macao locals can have fun, people from other places can also en-joy their happy moments here. Sally Lin, a foreign laborer from Hubei, has been working in Macao for almost three years, and her parents live in her hometown. “My dormitory is very close to here, when I don’t need to work at night, I like to sit in the park and give my mother a call. Sometimes I go to the seashore for a walk,” Lin said. And she joked that maybe she will meet a boy-friend on the seashore someday.

The North District is the largest fregue-sia in Macao Peninsula. It constitutes one-third of the population in Macao. People who live in the North District are mostly residents with lower income and foreign laborers from mainland China. They would not spend much on their nightlife here. Every night you can see people from different places and different generations doing differ-ent things, but there is one thing they have in common: enjoying the nightlife there is the most wonderful moment in their whole day.

What would immediately come to your mind when we talk about Macao nightlife? Probably casinos, karaoke and bars, right? Yes, you are right. All of them are parts of Macao nightlife, but there is more to discover in Macao. In Freguesia de Nossa Senhora de Fátima, also known as the North District, you can see something different.

The nightlife in the North District is low consumption. People here won’t ask for a luxurious place for a drink, a grand ballroom for dancing and a comfort-able café for chatting. What they enjoy is simply a place with fresh air.

In the Hac Sa Wan Park of the North Dis-trict, there are many people doing differ-ent kinds of exercises such as jogging, dancing, playing badminton and foot-ball. Some spend their time alone, while others gather in groups.

“I love dancing here, because it is free and people here are very nice,” Mrs. Sou, one of the residents in the North District who dances in the Hac Sa Wan Park four times a week, said. “Sometimes we would bring food to share with each other, it is just like a small party after dinner.”

Located closely to the Hac Sa Wan Park, the Hac Sa Wan seashore is also one of the hottest nightlife spots. For people who don’t like exercises, they can also have fun. Sitting here with friends, en-joying the pleasure of chatting and hav-ing some snacks are nice enough, and why not have a bottle of beer? The sea-shore is also a place where you can en-joy a wonderful moment of viewing the glittering Zhuhai night scene across the river bank.

Tommy Chu, a 15-year-old high school student, likes to hang out with friends after school, said, “We stay here because we have nothing to do after school, and it is too expensive for us to go to bars and

karaoke frequently. Though sometimes we like to stay in the cyber café and video arcade, we can’t afford it every day.”

Not only Macao locals can have fun, people from other places can also en-joy their happy moments here. Sally Lin, a foreign laborer from Hubei, has been working in Macao for almost three years, and her parents live in her hometown. “My dormitory is very close to here, when I don’t need to work at night, I like to sit in the park and give my mother a call. Sometimes I go to the seashore for a walk,” Lin said. And she joked that maybe she will meet a boy-friend on the seashore someday.

The North District is the largest fregue-sia in Macao Peninsula. It constitutes one-third of the population in Macao. People who live in the North District are mostly residents with lower income and foreign laborers from mainland China. They would not spend much on their nightlife here. Every night you can see people from different places and different generations doing differ-ent things, but there is one thing they have in common: enjoying the nightlife there is the most wonderful moment in their whole day.

What would immediately come to your mind when we talk about Macao nightlife? Probably casinos, karaoke and bars, right? Yes, you are right. All of them are parts of Macao nightlife, but there is more to discover in Macao. In Freguesia de Nossa Senhora de Fátima, also known as the North District, you can see something different.

The nightlife in the North District is low consumption. People here won’t ask for a luxurious place for a drink, a grand ballroom for dancing and a comfort-able café for chatting. What they enjoy is simply a place with fresh air.

acao, as an international tour-ism city, is famous for its cuisine

and for the quality of the food. Behind the scenes, however, restaurants, hotels and households of the territory gener-ate hundreds of tons of food waste that troubles the environment and hygiene of Macao. To promote food waste recycling, the Macao Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) plans to build a facility for food waste treatment and conduct a pilot test in schools and hotels.

Food waste refers to the foods that are thrown away, either because they are not needed, or because they must be thrown away by regulations. It includes the foods

sent to the waste burning factory,” Ac-cording to DSPA. “Food waste contains a high proportion of water but low quantity of heat in burning process. �erefore, it is not a good way to handle the food waste by burning.” With its rich organic component, on the other hand, food waste is reported to be ideal for recycling, which will reduce the amount of waste for land�ll and help tackle the causes and e�ects of climate change.

For the recycling of food waste, DSPA announced a plan reported by Macao Daily in early February. In the �rst stage of the plan, DSPA will cooperate with schools and hotels to set up experimental

that are le� over, exceed the best date and unused part of ingredients. According to the statistics of DSPA, there are about 100 tons of food waste produced every-day in Macao, which is one third of the living waste, through the process of food production, food processing and retail.

Handling food waste is an environmen-tal problem for every country around the world. It is forbidden to discard it in refuse dumps in Macao because of its bad smell, fast decay rate and production of methane. Methane is a toxic, highly �ammable greenhouse gas produced in the decay process of organic waste. “�e food waste is discarded in wet form and

spots for food waste collection and share the knowledge of food waste reduction and management. Meanwhile, a treat-ment facility will be built. It turns food waste into methane and composts using an anaerobic digestion process. �e digestion process involves microorgan-isms breaking down the food waste in reactors in the absence of oxygen. �e digested food waste can be used as compost for planting and methane produced will be collected and burnt to generate energy.

A�er the �rst stage, promotional and publicity activities will be held. “Semi-nars, workshops and site visits would

also be organized to share knowledge in food waste reduction and recycling,” DSPA quoted as saying.

�e cities and countries nearby are also handling the same issue with various solutions. In Hong Kong, the Food Waste Recycling Partnership Scheme was conducted by inviting institutions and private sectors to promote food waste re-duction in their organizations and carry out source separation of their food waste.

In Singapore, 570,000 tons of food waste was generated in 2008 and the recy-cling rate is 12%. Food waste is usually processed to make animal feed, and un-

dergoes digestion to produce compost or energy.To deal with the problem of food waste, according to the website of DSPA, the best solution is not recycling but reduc-ing waste which begins from every one of us. We should only order how much we can �nish in a restaurant. Extra foods should be packed and taken away.

Moreover, we have to ensure to �nishthe food before the best served date. To do all the measures mentioned above, we could enjoy the famous and high cuisine in Macao in an environmental friendly way. Bon appétit!

M

acao, as an international tour-ism city, is famous for its cuisine

and for the quality of the food. Behind the scenes, however, restaurants, hotels and households of the territory gener-ate hundreds of tons of food waste that troubles the environment and hygiene of Macao. To promote food waste recycling, the Macao Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) plans to build a facility for food waste treatment and conduct a pilot test in schools and hotels.

Food waste refers to the foods that are thrown away, either because they are not needed, or because they must be thrown away by regulations. It includes the foods

sent to the waste burning factory,” Ac-cording to DSPA. “Food waste contains a high proportion of water but low quantity of heat in burning process. �erefore, it is not a good way to handle the food waste by burning.” With its rich organic component, on the other hand, food waste is reported to be ideal for recycling, which will reduce the amount of waste for land�ll and help tackle the causes and e�ects of climate change.

For the recycling of food waste, DSPA announced a plan reported by Macao Daily in early February. In the �rst stage of the plan, DSPA will cooperate with schools and hotels to set up experimental

that are le� over, exceed the best date and unused part of ingredients. According to the statistics of DSPA, there are about 100 tons of food waste produced every-day in Macao, which is one third of the living waste, through the process of food production, food processing and retail.

Handling food waste is an environmen-tal problem for every country around the world. It is forbidden to discard it in refuse dumps in Macao because of its bad smell, fast decay rate and production of methane. Methane is a toxic, highly �ammable greenhouse gas produced in the decay process of organic waste. “�e food waste is discarded in wet form and

spots for food waste collection and share the knowledge of food waste reduction and management. Meanwhile, a treat-ment facility will be built. It turns food waste into methane and composts using an anaerobic digestion process. �e digestion process involves microorgan-isms breaking down the food waste in reactors in the absence of oxygen. �e digested food waste can be used as compost for planting and methane produced will be collected and burnt to generate energy.

A�er the �rst stage, promotional and publicity activities will be held. “Semi-nars, workshops and site visits would

also be organized to share knowledge in food waste reduction and recycling,” DSPA quoted as saying.

�e cities and countries nearby are also handling the same issue with various solutions. In Hong Kong, the Food Waste Recycling Partnership Scheme was conducted by inviting institutions and private sectors to promote food waste re-duction in their organizations and carry out source separation of their food waste.

In Singapore, 570,000 tons of food waste was generated in 2008 and the recy-cling rate is 12%. Food waste is usually processed to make animal feed, and un-

dergoes digestion to produce compost or energy.To deal with the problem of food waste, according to the website of DSPA, the best solution is not recycling but reduc-ing waste which begins from every one of us. We should only order how much we can �nish in a restaurant. Extra foods should be packed and taken away.

Moreover, we have to ensure to �nishthe food before the best served date. To do all the measures mentioned above, we could enjoy the famous and high cuisine in Macao in an environmental friendly way. Bon appétit!

M

aipa, an island situated between the Macao Peninsu-la and Coloane Island, is a great place for relaxation.

�ere are lots of spots with a long historical background and beautiful scenery, making Taipa a great place for photogra-phy.

“Comparing with Macao, Taipa is much less crowded and relaxing. I like taking photos here, because there are so many beautiful heritage sites with attractive scenery. With the great atmosphere there, I can always take good photos,” Cheong Iao Chong, a 23-year-old big fan of photography, said. He goes to Taipa for photography about twice a month.

�e Taipa Houses is one of the most famous spots for pho-tographers. Many tourists come here to take photos as well. �e landscape is one of the eight magni�cent views of Ma-cao, which merges the classi�ed area composed of the Taipa Houses-Museum, the Carmo Church, the Carmo Library and the two little gardens. �e Taipa Houses Museum, which includes �ve typical green houses with Macanese ar-chitectural characteristics of Portuguese Matrix, is consid-ered one of the cultural relics and heritages of the island. �e beautiful and romantic Portuguese-style buildings also attract many couples to take wedding photos.

Yi Long, a former �recracker factory, is also a famous spot which once �ourished in Taipa. �e place, with a history of more than eight decades, becomes a hot site for war game players now. �e factory covers an area of about 30,000 square meters, with more than 30 workshops inside. �e factory features a tidy, neat and simple architectural struc-ture. Trapezoidal walls of four meters high are built around each workshop. Many photographers like taking photos and exploring the history of �recrackers in ruins.

�e Ferris Wheel of the Golden Crown China Hotel is an-other popular spot for photographers. Many photographers like to photograph there at nighttime when green or some-

times multicolored lighting is on. �is Ferris Wheel neither functions nor is open to people. It is said that it was built due to the fengshui reason as it is intended to be used by ghosts instead of human beings. �e hotel is built near a large cem-etery, it is believed that the Ferris Wheel was built so that the ghosts would not disturb hotel occupants. At night, it then adds a mysterious touch to the Ferris Wheel and attracts many photographers.

Apart from beautiful sceneries, some photographers are en-gaged in portraits. Rua da Cunha, which is popularly known as “Food Street” in Taipa, is very famous and o�en crowded. �ere are many restaurants located here and also in nearby streets, serving Portuguese, Macanese, Indian, Italian, and di�erent kinds of Chinese cuisine and even African food. It is a perfect place to capture people’s acts and expressions easily, such as hungry faces, big smiling, leisurely posture and so on. “A�er the shooting, I always enjoy myself in those restaurants,” Cheong added.

Taipa is really a great place for relaxation. It is an attractive place for almost everyone, photographers, visitors, locals, and so on. Get your cameras ready, and take a wonderful journey to Taipa this weekend!

T

aipa, an island situated between the Macao Peninsu-la and Coloane Island, is a great place for relaxation.

�ere are lots of spots with a long historical background and beautiful scenery, making Taipa a great place for photogra-phy.

“Comparing with Macao, Taipa is much less crowded and relaxing. I like taking photos here, because there are so many beautiful heritage sites with attractive scenery. With the great atmosphere there, I can always take good photos,” Cheong Iao Chong, a 23-year-old big fan of photography, said. He goes to Taipa for photography about twice a month.

�e Taipa Houses is one of the most famous spots for pho-tographers. Many tourists come here to take photos as well. �e landscape is one of the eight magni�cent views of Ma-cao, which merges the classi�ed area composed of the Taipa Houses-Museum, the Carmo Church, the Carmo Library and the two little gardens. �e Taipa Houses Museum, which includes �ve typical green houses with Macanese ar-chitectural characteristics of Portuguese Matrix, is consid-ered one of the cultural relics and heritages of the island. �e beautiful and romantic Portuguese-style buildings also attract many couples to take wedding photos.

Yi Long, a former �recracker factory, is also a famous spot which once �ourished in Taipa. �e place, with a history of more than eight decades, becomes a hot site for war game players now. �e factory covers an area of about 30,000 square meters, with more than 30 workshops inside. �e factory features a tidy, neat and simple architectural struc-ture. Trapezoidal walls of four meters high are built around each workshop. Many photographers like taking photos and exploring the history of �recrackers in ruins.

�e Ferris Wheel of the Golden Crown China Hotel is an-other popular spot for photographers. Many photographers like to photograph there at nighttime when green or some-

times multicolored lighting is on. �is Ferris Wheel neither functions nor is open to people. It is said that it was built due to the fengshui reason as it is intended to be used by ghosts instead of human beings. �e hotel is built near a large cem-etery, it is believed that the Ferris Wheel was built so that the ghosts would not disturb hotel occupants. At night, it then adds a mysterious touch to the Ferris Wheel and attracts many photographers.

Apart from beautiful sceneries, some photographers are en-gaged in portraits. Rua da Cunha, which is popularly known as “Food Street” in Taipa, is very famous and o�en crowded. �ere are many restaurants located here and also in nearby streets, serving Portuguese, Macanese, Indian, Italian, and di�erent kinds of Chinese cuisine and even African food. It is a perfect place to capture people’s acts and expressions easily, such as hungry faces, big smiling, leisurely posture and so on. “A�er the shooting, I always enjoy myself in those restaurants,” Cheong added.

Taipa is really a great place for relaxation. It is an attractive place for almost everyone, photographers, visitors, locals, and so on. Get your cameras ready, and take a wonderful journey to Taipa this weekend!

T

Do you want to learn more about the basic knowledge of your camera?

Do you want to acquire professional skills in using your camera?

Do you want to attract others’ eyes on your photos?

In our busy daily life, there are many things which are treasured by us. �us, we would like to capture those images, keeping them in our eyes, our hearts, and our cameras.

Macao is a wonderful tourist attrac-tion. You can �nd great enjoyment in this “tiny” place. One place that is valued for recommendation is Taipa which is the best choice of a “Leisure Centre”.

Maunel Cardoso is a retired Maca-nese professional photo-journalist. He held an art photography exhibi-tion at the Camo fair, near Taipa Mar-ket, between January 22-30.

Images of “�e Circle of Lotus” and “Cantonese Opera” were featured in his exhibition. “I feel that it is relax-ing and comfortable for people to enjoy my exhibition at the Camo fair, because this place is open to the pub-lic. Everyone can feel free to enjoy,” he expressed.

Cardoso started to photograph when he was in high school. In 1976, he worked at the Government Infor-mation Bureau as a photo-journalist. A�erward, he studied the TV Direc-tor Program in Portugal. In 1990,

�e birth of digital cameras attracts people’s attention. “More and more people are willing to learn photography, so they would buy a digital camera �rst. But, I think to be a good photographer, a person should also improve personal qualities,” he said.

he retired. In 2010, he got the Fleet Program Support Material (FPSM) Award from the Photographic Society of Macao.

He held many photography exhibi-tions since the 80s. Cardoso believed that the importance of photography was composition. “I pay much atten-tion to the composition in photogra-phy, which is the importance of pho-tography and painting. And, I rely on the composition setting to decide my subject’s post.” Cardoso said.

“�e Circle of Lotus” and “Canton-ese Opera” were taken by his so-called “midget” camera. Cardoso was proud of his great job, and pleased to express this delight. “It was di�cult and yet meaningful for me to take these pho-tos. Because, I used my “midget” cam-era to make the 17 to 36-inch images,” he added.

“I choose Lotus as one of the themes, because it is very beautiful. And the Cantonese Opera attracts me with its make-up, the artists...,” Cardoso said.

Nowadays, more and more people start to play with cameras. Cardoso believed that the future development of photography will be diversi�cation.

When you want to take photos for sports, you should…Turn to High Shutter Speed, High ISO

When you want to take photos for night scenes, you should…Prepare a Tripod, turn to High ISO

When you want to take photos by using “PAN” skills, you should…Turn to Medium/Low ISO, and camera lens follows the subject.

Courtesy: Maunel Cardoso

Do you want to learn more about the basic knowledge of your camera?

Do you want to acquire professional skills in using your camera?

Do you want to attract others’ eyes on your photos?

In our busy daily life, there are many things which are treasured by us. �us, we would like to capture those images, keeping them in our eyes, our hearts, and our cameras.

Macao is a wonderful tourist attrac-tion. You can �nd great enjoyment in this “tiny” place. One place that is valued for recommendation is Taipa which is the best choice of a “Leisure Centre”.

Maunel Cardoso is a retired Maca-nese professional photo-journalist. He held an art photography exhibi-tion at the Camo fair, near Taipa Mar-ket, between January 22-30.

Images of “�e Circle of Lotus” and “Cantonese Opera” were featured in his exhibition. “I feel that it is relax-ing and comfortable for people to enjoy my exhibition at the Camo fair, because this place is open to the pub-lic. Everyone can feel free to enjoy,” he expressed.

Cardoso started to photograph when he was in high school. In 1976, he worked at the Government Infor-mation Bureau as a photo-journalist. A�erward, he studied the TV Direc-tor Program in Portugal. In 1990,

�e birth of digital cameras attracts people’s attention. “More and more people are willing to learn photography, so they would buy a digital camera �rst. But, I think to be a good photographer, a person should also improve personal qualities,” he said.

he retired. In 2010, he got the Fleet Program Support Material (FPSM) Award from the Photographic Society of Macao.

He held many photography exhibi-tions since the 80s. Cardoso believed that the importance of photography was composition. “I pay much atten-tion to the composition in photogra-phy, which is the importance of pho-tography and painting. And, I rely on the composition setting to decide my subject’s post.” Cardoso said.

“�e Circle of Lotus” and “Canton-ese Opera” were taken by his so-called “midget” camera. Cardoso was proud of his great job, and pleased to express this delight. “It was di�cult and yet meaningful for me to take these pho-tos. Because, I used my “midget” cam-era to make the 17 to 36-inch images,” he added.

“I choose Lotus as one of the themes, because it is very beautiful. And the Cantonese Opera attracts me with its make-up, the artists...,” Cardoso said.

Nowadays, more and more people start to play with cameras. Cardoso believed that the future development of photography will be diversi�cation.

When you want to take photos for sports, you should…Turn to High Shutter Speed, High ISO

When you want to take photos for night scenes, you should…Prepare a Tripod, turn to High ISO

When you want to take photos by using “PAN” skills, you should…Turn to Medium/Low ISO, and camera lens follows the subject.

Courtesy: Maunel Cardoso

It was a very cold day with the golden sun shining in the sky; Tom Che was wait-ing nearby the wetland in Coloane, holding his professional camera tightly. His eyes had never moved away from them, his shutter followed every movement of them. What intoxicated Che so much? They are Platalea minor.

Platalea minor, is one of the endangered migratory birds which are usually found in Southeast Asia. The length of the body is about 71-83 cm, its whole body is white with only its long mouth in black, hence it is called black-faced spoonbill as well.

Black-faced spoonbills come to Macao for wintering at the end of October every year. They usually stay in the wetland protection area, the Cotai ecological pro-tection zone for six months, then fly back to the north for breeding.

“There are not many black-faced spoonbills left in the world,” said Che, “so I would like to use my camera to record all their beauty. But I hope they will not disappear. “

The black-faced spoonbill was classified as “critically endangered” by the Inter-national Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Taiwan government

black-faced spoonbills that come to Macao has been quite stable in recent years. They feel comfortable in staying in the protection zone,” Mr Guo said.

However, threats to black-faced spoonbills still exist. With the reclamation of land and prosperous development of the econo-my, there is less and less space for them to stay. Gou hoped that the government can provide more resources to keep a comfort-able home for the black-faced spoonbills. “There are lots of things the government can do,” Gou said, “I think the most important thing is to educate the public about the dangerous situation of the black-faced spoonbill and the things they can do to protect them.”

in 1992. So far there are over 2,300 all around the world, of which Taiwan has the largest number, more than 1,200 winter-ing, while Macao has over 50.

Although Macao has a protection area, but the construction around the area has been going constantly in recent years. Most of the bird lovers like Che are afraid that the noise and other pollution would cause a reduction in the quantity of black-faced spoonbills for wintering in Macao.

“The casino does not have many effects on the black-faced spoonbill,” said Mr Gou, the manager of the protection zone who has been working there for more than six years. “In the period of the reclamation of the Venetian, dust and sand were flying everywhere, but the black-faced spoonbills still ate and played as usual.”

Gou explained that the black-faced spoonbills are highly pro-tected in the first class protection zone, this area is completely closed and nobody can come near them. “The quantity of the

It was a very cold day with the golden sun shining in the sky; Tom Che was wait-ing nearby the wetland in Coloane, holding his professional camera tightly. His eyes had never moved away from them, his shutter followed every movement of them. What intoxicated Che so much? They are Platalea minor.

Platalea minor, is one of the endangered migratory birds which are usually found in Southeast Asia. The length of the body is about 71-83 cm, its whole body is white with only its long mouth in black, hence it is called black-faced spoonbill as well.

Black-faced spoonbills come to Macao for wintering at the end of October every year. They usually stay in the wetland protection area, the Cotai ecological pro-tection zone for six months, then fly back to the north for breeding.

“There are not many black-faced spoonbills left in the world,” said Che, “so I would like to use my camera to record all their beauty. But I hope they will not disappear. “

The black-faced spoonbill was classified as “critically endangered” by the Inter-national Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Taiwan government

black-faced spoonbills that come to Macao has been quite stable in recent years. They feel comfortable in staying in the protection zone,” Mr Guo said.

However, threats to black-faced spoonbills still exist. With the reclamation of land and prosperous development of the econo-my, there is less and less space for them to stay. Gou hoped that the government can provide more resources to keep a comfort-able home for the black-faced spoonbills. “There are lots of things the government can do,” Gou said, “I think the most important thing is to educate the public about the dangerous situation of the black-faced spoonbill and the things they can do to protect them.”

in 1992. So far there are over 2,300 all around the world, of which Taiwan has the largest number, more than 1,200 winter-ing, while Macao has over 50.

Although Macao has a protection area, but the construction around the area has been going constantly in recent years. Most of the bird lovers like Che are afraid that the noise and other pollution would cause a reduction in the quantity of black-faced spoonbills for wintering in Macao.

“The casino does not have many effects on the black-faced spoonbill,” said Mr Gou, the manager of the protection zone who has been working there for more than six years. “In the period of the reclamation of the Venetian, dust and sand were flying everywhere, but the black-faced spoonbills still ate and played as usual.”

Gou explained that the black-faced spoonbills are highly pro-tected in the first class protection zone, this area is completely closed and nobody can come near them. “The quantity of the

n my exploration of Coloane, what attracts me the most is the squatter. �e squatter is a typical style of dwellings in Ilha Verde which can hardly be seen again due to the government’s clearance last year. In Coloane, this “lost” style of dwellings ap-pears. Viewing these water squatters from a far distance gives a sense of exoticism.

�ere are two types of squatters. �e �rst one is similar to those in Ilha Verde which is built in the form of iron sheet; while the second one is built in the form of wood on stilts above shallow water. Around 10 water squatters are built along the seaside in Coloane. All of them are painted in di�erent colors, blue, green, yellow, etc. �is colorful combination easily make tourists stop by and take pictures of them. Most of the water squatters are divided into two separate parts. �e inner part is located at the edge of the road while the outer part is situated above the sand or sea. Residents tend to take the inner part as their living rooms and bedrooms while the outer part serves as a kitchen and balcony. �ey can enlarge their squatters by extending the outer part towards the sea and enjoy a better sea view.

In the past, a large number of �shermen chose to deliver their �sh catch in Coloane and sold it to the locals. During their several months’ settlement on land, it would generate a large demand for food and basic necessities which increased the economic activities in this little town. �is made Coloane a prosperous �shing village. Some of the �shermen built squat-ters along the sea side and settled here. In the later years, �shermen moved their �sh delivery to Hong Kong, therefore Coloane’s prosperity was gone with these �shermen. Some of them remained and started their lives in Coloane. �ese squatters became their residence.

Nowadays some of the squatters have changed their former function and are used for business. One of the best salty �sh shops in Macau, Tong Kei is situated in one of the squatters. Another squatter has been even renovated into a water chalet and serves as a restaurant for visitors. Nowadays most squat-

ter residents are elderly people. Ms Lei inherited the squatter from her parents-in-law. She said, “I insist to live in the squat-ter for my entire life because I enjoy the quiet environment and friendly neighbors. Some of the residents have turned part of their squatters into a shop for business and maintain part of it for residential usage.”

�ese squatters are very vulnerable to typhoons and �oods. Ms Lei mentioned that her roof was blown away in a typhoon last year, much has been spent on rebuilding. �e large expenses have deterred many of the owners from rebuilding their squat-ters a�er they collapsed in typhoons or �ooding. So there are several squatters which have only their framework remaining.

�ese squatters are diminishing in numbers and the land own-ership raises public attention. Ms Lai, the spokesperson of As-sociation of Development of Lai Chi Wun Village of Coloane, said that the government considers legal ownership for the residents in the water squatters. However they are not allowed to renovate the existing squatters which should be le� to de-preciate naturally. �en their ownership will be returned back to the government.

According to the Macao Daily, the government is currently planning to optimize Coloane and transform it into a new tourism spot. �e unique feature of the water squatters will still be preserved, one of the squatters will be transformed into a dragon boat museum to increase Coloane’s cultural ele-ments, while other ones will be rebuilt or renovated into water chalets. �ese water chalets will be turned into cafés, restau-rants, galleries and viewing platforms to welcome both Macao citizens and visitors.

Macao and Taipa are developing into prosperous communi-ties, everyday people need to strive hard in coping with the fast moving environment. Coloane’s unique environment be-comes a perfect place for urban people to take a rest and re-fresh themselves for new challenges.

n my exploration of Coloane, what attracts me the most is the squatter. �e squatter is a typical style of dwellings in Ilha Verde which can hardly be seen again due to the government’s clearance last year. In Coloane, this “lost” style of dwellings ap-pears. Viewing these water squatters from a far distance gives a sense of exoticism.

�ere are two types of squatters. �e �rst one is similar to those in Ilha Verde which is built in the form of iron sheet; while the second one is built in the form of wood on stilts above shallow water. Around 10 water squatters are built along the seaside in Coloane. All of them are painted in di�erent colors, blue, green, yellow, etc. �is colorful combination easily make tourists stop by and take pictures of them. Most of the water squatters are divided into two separate parts. �e inner part is located at the edge of the road while the outer part is situated above the sand or sea. Residents tend to take the inner part as their living rooms and bedrooms while the outer part serves as a kitchen and balcony. �ey can enlarge their squatters by extending the outer part towards the sea and enjoy a better sea view.

In the past, a large number of �shermen chose to deliver their �sh catch in Coloane and sold it to the locals. During their several months’ settlement on land, it would generate a large demand for food and basic necessities which increased the economic activities in this little town. �is made Coloane a prosperous �shing village. Some of the �shermen built squat-ters along the sea side and settled here. In the later years, �shermen moved their �sh delivery to Hong Kong, therefore Coloane’s prosperity was gone with these �shermen. Some of them remained and started their lives in Coloane. �ese squatters became their residence.

Nowadays some of the squatters have changed their former function and are used for business. One of the best salty �sh shops in Macau, Tong Kei is situated in one of the squatters. Another squatter has been even renovated into a water chalet and serves as a restaurant for visitors. Nowadays most squat-

ter residents are elderly people. Ms Lei inherited the squatter from her parents-in-law. She said, “I insist to live in the squat-ter for my entire life because I enjoy the quiet environment and friendly neighbors. Some of the residents have turned part of their squatters into a shop for business and maintain part of it for residential usage.”

�ese squatters are very vulnerable to typhoons and �oods. Ms Lei mentioned that her roof was blown away in a typhoon last year, much has been spent on rebuilding. �e large expenses have deterred many of the owners from rebuilding their squat-ters a�er they collapsed in typhoons or �ooding. So there are several squatters which have only their framework remaining.

�ese squatters are diminishing in numbers and the land own-ership raises public attention. Ms Lai, the spokesperson of As-sociation of Development of Lai Chi Wun Village of Coloane, said that the government considers legal ownership for the residents in the water squatters. However they are not allowed to renovate the existing squatters which should be le� to de-preciate naturally. �en their ownership will be returned back to the government.

According to the Macao Daily, the government is currently planning to optimize Coloane and transform it into a new tourism spot. �e unique feature of the water squatters will still be preserved, one of the squatters will be transformed into a dragon boat museum to increase Coloane’s cultural ele-ments, while other ones will be rebuilt or renovated into water chalets. �ese water chalets will be turned into cafés, restau-rants, galleries and viewing platforms to welcome both Macao citizens and visitors.

Macao and Taipa are developing into prosperous communi-ties, everyday people need to strive hard in coping with the fast moving environment. Coloane’s unique environment be-comes a perfect place for urban people to take a rest and re-fresh themselves for new challenges.

The Giant Pandas have lived more than 8 million years on Earth. De-spite the fact that there is no lack of records on them, but today, their “true colors” are still mysterious, the world still knows very little about the panda’s world.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Macao Special Administra-tive Region (SAR), The Central Government gave two giant pandas named Hoi Hoi and Sam Sam as gifts to the SAR. With the arrival of Hoi Hoi and Sam Sam, Macao citizens are gradually increasing public awareness of conservation, but how much do we really know about this fluffy pair?

The chosen names of the two pandas are meaningful to Macao. Hoi and Sum combined means “happy”. According to the “Evaluation Committee of Names of Pandas Offered by the Central Government to Macao SAR”, the names highlight the cheerful personality of Hoi Hoi and Sam Sam and express the joy of Macao residents to the Cen-tral Government for giving the two “national treasures” as presents. The names also include a meaning of blessing the two pandas living happily in Macao. However, the government has opted to use Pu-tonghua spelling for the two pandas’ names - Kai Kai and Xin Xin, despite the fact that Cantonese is the mother tongue of about 90% of the local population.

The births of Hoi Hoi and Sam Sam are also very meaningful. Hoi Hoi was born on August 4, 2008 which is right after the arrival of the Olympic torch “Lucky Cloud” of the Beijing Olympic Games at Chengdu. That is why he has an infant name called “Shu Xiang”, meaning “Sichuan’s prosperity”. Similarly Sam Sam was born on July 26, 2008 and she was one of the first twin pandas born in Chengdu after the devastating May 12 Earthquake. She was previously dubbed “Qimiao” meaning “amazing”. People believe that the birth of them would bring fortune and happiness to Sichuan people who had suf-fered from natural disasters.

At the present stage, the pandas can only understand their names in Mandarin, but the keepers believe that after Hoi Hoi and Sam Sam get familiar with the environment, they can start calling their names in Cantonese.

Hoi Hoi and Sam Sam demonstrated their amazing charm during the Chinese New Year. Many Macao residents and visitors surged into the newly-completed pavilion on the first day of the Chinese New Year to see the lovely pandas. According to Macao Daily, the tem-porary parking lot with 300 car-park spaces was completely full, and the Pavilion had to add additional tickets in order to meet demand. Many residents felt disappointed for not being able to get the tickets, but were willing to come again.

The Panda Pavilion is tightly protected by a large number of secu-rity guards, showing that the government is very concerned about the safety of the pandas. The staff working inside the Pavilion is very nice too. Having seen the lovely panda pair for the first time, visitors must have so many questions in their minds, but the staff is always very patient to answer them. According to the staff, although Hoi Hoi and Sam Sam are only two years old (equal to an eight or nine years old child), they weigh 70 kg, which is similar to the weight of a hu-man adult. As visitors are only given 10 minutes to see the pandas, not everyone is able to see Hoi Hoi and Sam Sam eating and playing in each session. Sometimes it is really disappointing when the fluffy pair is sleeping.

“It is quite disappointing to spend MOP10 to see the pandas sleep-ing,” said Mr Cheong, a local resident who went to the Pavilion in the afternoon on February 15 with his family. “But we would come again earlier next time,” he added. According to the staff, the panda pair spends more time sleeping than in eating, so they suggested that the

best sessions to visit the pandas are 10 am and 2 pm sharp because Hoi Hoi and Sam Sam will be having breakfast and lunch. However, the panda pair worked particularly hard during the Chinese New Year. Staff said that Hoi Hoi and Sam Sam took turns to entertain visitors. Hoi Hoi would be enjoying his bamboo shoots while Sam Sam was sleep-ing, and when Hoi Hoi was sleep-ing, Sam Sam would be stretching and posing. All the visitors were entertained and happy just like the names of the panda pair.

Raising the panda pair is not easy. It requires a lot of money to take care of them. According to Ms Hong, a senior staff working in the Pa-vilion, the pandas’ main food is mainly bamboo coming from Sichuan. However, since it is expensive and troublesome to get Sichuan bam-boos, the Pavilion is now gradually feeding them with the bamboos coming from Guangdong. “They don’t mind eating local bamboo, al-though they still prefer Sichuan bamboo when given the choice,” Hong said. “If the panda pair performs well, we may give them more food and snacks as a reward for them to exercise more,” she added. How-ever, the monthly expenditure needed to take care of the panda pair is still unknown. “Since the two pandas are now eating both Guangdong bamboo and Sichuan bamboo, we have not calculated the correct fig-ure, but the amount will be released soon,” Hong said.

Chinese New Year holidays have finished. There are obviously fewer visitors going to the Panda Pavilion. Only two to three sessions are full each day. According to Hong, as the Chinese New Year holidays ended, the number of tourists coming from Hong Kong and mainland China has noticeably been reduced. However, she added that since the opening of the Pavilion, the number of local visitors is essentially more than that of foreign visitors as many local schools and associations will make visit appointments. This shows that building the Panda Pavilion is not mainly to attract tourists, but mostly for local visitors. So, how can Macao compete with other panda pavilions in neighboring places such as Hong Kong, Taiwan and the mainland?

Dr. Ho Wai Tim, Chairman of Macao Ecological Society was quoted in a local magazine as saying, “In order to attract more visitors, the Ma-cao Panda Pavilion must strengthen its competitiveness with creativ-ity, and should not be a place only for displaying animals.” Inside the park there are acrobatic performances, live music shows, clown and magic tricks to entertain visitors, however, in order to create an enjoy-able park for everyone, Dr. Ho pointed out that Macao should package the park with various aspects and enrich the tour content which suit the actual needs of Macao. It should also cooperate with other local industries to help develop local businesses together in order to achieve a win-win goal for both local residents and tourism development.

The Giant Pandas have lived more than 8 million years on Earth. De-spite the fact that there is no lack of records on them, but today, their “true colors” are still mysterious, the world still knows very little about the panda’s world.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Macao Special Administra-tive Region (SAR), The Central Government gave two giant pandas named Hoi Hoi and Sam Sam as gifts to the SAR. With the arrival of Hoi Hoi and Sam Sam, Macao citizens are gradually increasing public awareness of conservation, but how much do we really know about this fluffy pair?

The chosen names of the two pandas are meaningful to Macao. Hoi and Sum combined means “happy”. According to the “Evaluation Committee of Names of Pandas Offered by the Central Government to Macao SAR”, the names highlight the cheerful personality of Hoi Hoi and Sam Sam and express the joy of Macao residents to the Cen-tral Government for giving the two “national treasures” as presents. The names also include a meaning of blessing the two pandas living happily in Macao. However, the government has opted to use Pu-tonghua spelling for the two pandas’ names - Kai Kai and Xin Xin, despite the fact that Cantonese is the mother tongue of about 90% of the local population.

The births of Hoi Hoi and Sam Sam are also very meaningful. Hoi Hoi was born on August 4, 2008 which is right after the arrival of the Olympic torch “Lucky Cloud” of the Beijing Olympic Games at Chengdu. That is why he has an infant name called “Shu Xiang”, meaning “Sichuan’s prosperity”. Similarly Sam Sam was born on July 26, 2008 and she was one of the first twin pandas born in Chengdu after the devastating May 12 Earthquake. She was previously dubbed “Qimiao” meaning “amazing”. People believe that the birth of them would bring fortune and happiness to Sichuan people who had suf-fered from natural disasters.

At the present stage, the pandas can only understand their names in Mandarin, but the keepers believe that after Hoi Hoi and Sam Sam get familiar with the environment, they can start calling their names in Cantonese.

Hoi Hoi and Sam Sam demonstrated their amazing charm during the Chinese New Year. Many Macao residents and visitors surged into the newly-completed pavilion on the first day of the Chinese New Year to see the lovely pandas. According to Macao Daily, the tem-porary parking lot with 300 car-park spaces was completely full, and the Pavilion had to add additional tickets in order to meet demand. Many residents felt disappointed for not being able to get the tickets, but were willing to come again.

The Panda Pavilion is tightly protected by a large number of secu-rity guards, showing that the government is very concerned about the safety of the pandas. The staff working inside the Pavilion is very nice too. Having seen the lovely panda pair for the first time, visitors must have so many questions in their minds, but the staff is always very patient to answer them. According to the staff, although Hoi Hoi and Sam Sam are only two years old (equal to an eight or nine years old child), they weigh 70 kg, which is similar to the weight of a hu-man adult. As visitors are only given 10 minutes to see the pandas, not everyone is able to see Hoi Hoi and Sam Sam eating and playing in each session. Sometimes it is really disappointing when the fluffy pair is sleeping.

“It is quite disappointing to spend MOP10 to see the pandas sleep-ing,” said Mr Cheong, a local resident who went to the Pavilion in the afternoon on February 15 with his family. “But we would come again earlier next time,” he added. According to the staff, the panda pair spends more time sleeping than in eating, so they suggested that the

best sessions to visit the pandas are 10 am and 2 pm sharp because Hoi Hoi and Sam Sam will be having breakfast and lunch. However, the panda pair worked particularly hard during the Chinese New Year. Staff said that Hoi Hoi and Sam Sam took turns to entertain visitors. Hoi Hoi would be enjoying his bamboo shoots while Sam Sam was sleep-ing, and when Hoi Hoi was sleep-ing, Sam Sam would be stretching and posing. All the visitors were entertained and happy just like the names of the panda pair.

Raising the panda pair is not easy. It requires a lot of money to take care of them. According to Ms Hong, a senior staff working in the Pa-vilion, the pandas’ main food is mainly bamboo coming from Sichuan. However, since it is expensive and troublesome to get Sichuan bam-boos, the Pavilion is now gradually feeding them with the bamboos coming from Guangdong. “They don’t mind eating local bamboo, al-though they still prefer Sichuan bamboo when given the choice,” Hong said. “If the panda pair performs well, we may give them more food and snacks as a reward for them to exercise more,” she added. How-ever, the monthly expenditure needed to take care of the panda pair is still unknown. “Since the two pandas are now eating both Guangdong bamboo and Sichuan bamboo, we have not calculated the correct fig-ure, but the amount will be released soon,” Hong said.

Chinese New Year holidays have finished. There are obviously fewer visitors going to the Panda Pavilion. Only two to three sessions are full each day. According to Hong, as the Chinese New Year holidays ended, the number of tourists coming from Hong Kong and mainland China has noticeably been reduced. However, she added that since the opening of the Pavilion, the number of local visitors is essentially more than that of foreign visitors as many local schools and associations will make visit appointments. This shows that building the Panda Pavilion is not mainly to attract tourists, but mostly for local visitors. So, how can Macao compete with other panda pavilions in neighboring places such as Hong Kong, Taiwan and the mainland?

Dr. Ho Wai Tim, Chairman of Macao Ecological Society was quoted in a local magazine as saying, “In order to attract more visitors, the Ma-cao Panda Pavilion must strengthen its competitiveness with creativ-ity, and should not be a place only for displaying animals.” Inside the park there are acrobatic performances, live music shows, clown and magic tricks to entertain visitors, however, in order to create an enjoy-able park for everyone, Dr. Ho pointed out that Macao should package the park with various aspects and enrich the tour content which suit the actual needs of Macao. It should also cooperate with other local industries to help develop local businesses together in order to achieve a win-win goal for both local residents and tourism development.

he piercing wind swiftly blew into my trousers to the pores of my skin. Merciless it was, it struck a chill into my bones

and I found it hard not to keep the goose bumps from forming... My lips were shivering and my teeth were chattering , it was 10°C on a Sunday afternoon. In such a freezing cold day, it was no doubt, the best moment for a cup of hot cappuccino to warm up my stiff hands. While I was waiting, noises of kitchen work kept striking my ears, surprisingly making series of great beats with my trembles. Mr. Leong was smashingly stirring a cup of coffee. Many customers who come a long way to the Han Kei Teahouse, located in the Lai Chi Vun Village of Coloane, are attracted to this coffee of a reputation.

Leong’s coffee, some people say is a legend of Macao, is made with intensive stirring of 400 times for each cup and costs just MOP10. Watching the strengthened movement of his right hand as I came close to the open kitchen, he works proficiently well as he holds the cup with another scarred handicapped arm which looks like three dismembered parts being stitched to-gether. He recalls, “My left hand was cut in an accident when I was a worker in a ship factory of the village. The doctor advised me to amputate the arm but I rejected. I cannot live without my left arm.” After he recovered from his injury, he opened the Han Kei Teahouse to earn a living; customers were mainly workers from the ship factories who came for lunch af-ter work. Although the ship industry has gradually disappeared in Coloane, Leong still continues to run this teahouse. Instead of losing customers, many tourists and locals are attracted by the charm of this little teahouse.

Leong reveals to me that the recipe of his coffee was taught by a motorcar racer who came to his teahouse six years ago. He says, “Using the most common brands of ingredients, it is not difficult to make good coffee if you know how to balance the right proportion of water, sugar, coffee powder and stirring strength. This is the secret to create a hand-made smooth and rich cream for an aromatic coffee.” To many customers, his coffee is more surprisingly tasty because of all the hand-made

efforts involved in making the most ordinary cup of coffee being served to every single customer, such efforts are priceless.

Seats are often full during weekends. Leong says that more people are coming because of curiosity and rising publicity. His teahouse became well-known when a celebrity from Hong Kong praised that his coffee tasted better than a grand hotel in Macao. There are customers coming from Hong Kong, mainland and locals, some men chat with him like an old friend. During the busiest weekend afternoons, his son helps him to stir the coffee while he works on three stoves at the same time, finishing food orders for custom-ers.

Though Coloane is far from major prosperous areas, Leong still runs his business there, he says, “It is expensive to move out from Coloane. I simply cannot afford it and I choose to stay here.” His teahouse has two floors where he and his family live upstairs. Sitting in a teahouse which is built up of metals and woods, the taste of emulsified bubbles is such a satisfaction; it is different from normal teahouses with the identical taste and food. His cof-fee is served hot and is most famous for its hand-made stirring cream which tastes so smooth, and in order to taste the best flavor of the coffee, I need to drink it before it cools down to warm tem-perature. His coffee, sandwiches and noodles will not disappoint either; they all have a home-made taste. The pork chop sandwich is a hot order and a favorite of mine!

Without luxurious decoration, I already find myself feeling con-tented. There are lots of dogs joining as customers’ companions if they see you are eating, Leong says that those dogs are his neigh-bors’ and to me it seems that the dogs are actually raised by their own. When I sit near the curtain, some dogs are standing on the top chair, wanting to jump down onto the floor. Some girls are scared, Leong just simply clasps his hands and the dogs go away. Actually the dogs are adorable, they are not afraid of people. A friend of mine recalls, “There is a little dog cutely looking at you with its adorable eyes, when you give them food, they will not

leave until you have none. How clever they are!” I see people giving them bones of chicken wings and pork chops, the dogs chew them well. I do the same to entice and capture them with my camera.

TPeople who are trying to reach this little teahouse need to walk down on the Estrada de Lai Chi Vun, which is locat-ed next to the Coloane Customs, leading to where the ship industry in Macao used to be prosperous. Lots of abandoned ship factories are still there. The Han Kei Teahouse just stands in the Lai Chi Vun Village after these factories.

It sounds mysterious for people as they first heard about the existence of the village. “I have never thought of walking down this road, and I could not have imagined that there is a teahouse,” said Mr. Cheong, a mainland tourist who has visited Coloane for the second time. Phoebe Wong, a fresh graduate from the Culture and Heritage major in the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT), says, “Lai Chi Vun is a place of surprise to me and I do really appreciate that the old town atmosphere has not vanished after so many years. Surely, I will visit Han Kei again and I am ac-tually interested in living here when I retire, if luckily, this village can still exist as what I am seeing now.”

The day turns dark and the clock is striking six. The tea-house closes at 6 pm every day, but customers are still com-ing. Leong’s business seems always to have a good time. When I arrived here, there were not enough waiters to serve the bulk of customers, so I could not demand for quick or-ders. Though, the Han Kei Teahouse presents an old town atmosphere and creates a mystery of attraction for me to come again. If you have been bored with the hectic life in a busy city, it is a good idea to swap it for a moment of silence in this rural area of Coloane, indulging yourself for some time going back to the old Macao life. I think you will love it.

he piercing wind swiftly blew into my trousers to the pores of my skin. Merciless it was, it struck a chill into my bones

and I found it hard not to keep the goose bumps from forming... My lips were shivering and my teeth were chattering , it was 10°C on a Sunday afternoon. In such a freezing cold day, it was no doubt, the best moment for a cup of hot cappuccino to warm up my stiff hands. While I was waiting, noises of kitchen work kept striking my ears, surprisingly making series of great beats with my trembles. Mr. Leong was smashingly stirring a cup of coffee. Many customers who come a long way to the Han Kei Teahouse, located in the Lai Chi Vun Village of Coloane, are attracted to this coffee of a reputation.

Leong’s coffee, some people say is a legend of Macao, is made with intensive stirring of 400 times for each cup and costs just MOP10. Watching the strengthened movement of his right hand as I came close to the open kitchen, he works proficiently well as he holds the cup with another scarred handicapped arm which looks like three dismembered parts being stitched to-gether. He recalls, “My left hand was cut in an accident when I was a worker in a ship factory of the village. The doctor advised me to amputate the arm but I rejected. I cannot live without my left arm.” After he recovered from his injury, he opened the Han Kei Teahouse to earn a living; customers were mainly workers from the ship factories who came for lunch af-ter work. Although the ship industry has gradually disappeared in Coloane, Leong still continues to run this teahouse. Instead of losing customers, many tourists and locals are attracted by the charm of this little teahouse.

Leong reveals to me that the recipe of his coffee was taught by a motorcar racer who came to his teahouse six years ago. He says, “Using the most common brands of ingredients, it is not difficult to make good coffee if you know how to balance the right proportion of water, sugar, coffee powder and stirring strength. This is the secret to create a hand-made smooth and rich cream for an aromatic coffee.” To many customers, his coffee is more surprisingly tasty because of all the hand-made

efforts involved in making the most ordinary cup of coffee being served to every single customer, such efforts are priceless.

Seats are often full during weekends. Leong says that more people are coming because of curiosity and rising publicity. His teahouse became well-known when a celebrity from Hong Kong praised that his coffee tasted better than a grand hotel in Macao. There are customers coming from Hong Kong, mainland and locals, some men chat with him like an old friend. During the busiest weekend afternoons, his son helps him to stir the coffee while he works on three stoves at the same time, finishing food orders for custom-ers.

Though Coloane is far from major prosperous areas, Leong still runs his business there, he says, “It is expensive to move out from Coloane. I simply cannot afford it and I choose to stay here.” His teahouse has two floors where he and his family live upstairs. Sitting in a teahouse which is built up of metals and woods, the taste of emulsified bubbles is such a satisfaction; it is different from normal teahouses with the identical taste and food. His cof-fee is served hot and is most famous for its hand-made stirring cream which tastes so smooth, and in order to taste the best flavor of the coffee, I need to drink it before it cools down to warm tem-perature. His coffee, sandwiches and noodles will not disappoint either; they all have a home-made taste. The pork chop sandwich is a hot order and a favorite of mine!

Without luxurious decoration, I already find myself feeling con-tented. There are lots of dogs joining as customers’ companions if they see you are eating, Leong says that those dogs are his neigh-bors’ and to me it seems that the dogs are actually raised by their own. When I sit near the curtain, some dogs are standing on the top chair, wanting to jump down onto the floor. Some girls are scared, Leong just simply clasps his hands and the dogs go away. Actually the dogs are adorable, they are not afraid of people. A friend of mine recalls, “There is a little dog cutely looking at you with its adorable eyes, when you give them food, they will not

leave until you have none. How clever they are!” I see people giving them bones of chicken wings and pork chops, the dogs chew them well. I do the same to entice and capture them with my camera.

TPeople who are trying to reach this little teahouse need to walk down on the Estrada de Lai Chi Vun, which is locat-ed next to the Coloane Customs, leading to where the ship industry in Macao used to be prosperous. Lots of abandoned ship factories are still there. The Han Kei Teahouse just stands in the Lai Chi Vun Village after these factories.

It sounds mysterious for people as they first heard about the existence of the village. “I have never thought of walking down this road, and I could not have imagined that there is a teahouse,” said Mr. Cheong, a mainland tourist who has visited Coloane for the second time. Phoebe Wong, a fresh graduate from the Culture and Heritage major in the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT), says, “Lai Chi Vun is a place of surprise to me and I do really appreciate that the old town atmosphere has not vanished after so many years. Surely, I will visit Han Kei again and I am ac-tually interested in living here when I retire, if luckily, this village can still exist as what I am seeing now.”

The day turns dark and the clock is striking six. The tea-house closes at 6 pm every day, but customers are still com-ing. Leong’s business seems always to have a good time. When I arrived here, there were not enough waiters to serve the bulk of customers, so I could not demand for quick or-ders. Though, the Han Kei Teahouse presents an old town atmosphere and creates a mystery of attraction for me to come again. If you have been bored with the hectic life in a busy city, it is a good idea to swap it for a moment of silence in this rural area of Coloane, indulging yourself for some time going back to the old Macao life. I think you will love it.

by Jazz Cheong

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

a)

b)c)

d)

e)

f)

g) h)

Crosswords Puzzles

Answer

Here is my poem which is about a friend who passed away.

biscuit tin

under the longan tree broken nails lifting the lid on ten years gone memories flood back

cicadas whirr under the longan tree?we used a shovel to plant our hope

be gentle with the dust the slip of yellow paper untidy writing of friendship forever

the ten years’ moisture have blurred the words but your voice is still clear

now the longan tree is fruitful I’m there alone

put the lid back on the biscuit tin shovel back the soil

make a deeper sleep for you

Down

a) A cinematographic term refer-ring to a moving shot in which the perspective of a subject and back-ground is changed.b) Those who feel hatred toward, in-tend injury to, or oppose the inter-ests of others.c) A process of revising a manu-script or selecting, assembling, ar-ranging, collating, trimming, struc-turing separate camera takes into a complete, determined sequence.d) A U.S. award for achievements in various fields of American journal-ism, literature and musical compo-sition.e) A regular newspaper or magazine article giving opinions or perspec-tives often on a specific topic or by a particular author.f) A principle or outlook that em-phasizes the interdependence of members a group and prioritizeas group goals over individual ones.g) To make worldwide in scope or application.h) Relating to, involving, or repre-senting different cultures.

Across

1) Opening paragraph of a news story.2) A person who is in charge of supervising actors and control-ling all phases of the production of a film or show. 3) One of the news values.4) A French word literally mean-ing “editing”, “putting together” or “assembling shots”.5) The exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, signals, writing, or be-havior.6) A broadcaster or writer who is a specialist in a specific area, and describes and analyzes events.

Just imagine, if Doomsday is coming tomorrow, who will be the one that you can’t wait for a single second to tell him/her about your love?

Nowadays, we are all living in a quality life, having vari-ous means of communication, yet people in our genera-tion prefer hiding their emotions - actually they are all eager to love and to be loved, but somehow they act in the opposite way.

“Never give up on someone you can’t go a day without.” I came across this impressive line once from somewhere, that is to say, it is not easy to let it be for certain unes-sential reasons, be honest to ourselves and it is not so cool to say “I don’t care” indeed.

“Love, to say it aloud!” is the theme of “Bridges of Love”. We are glad to be the messenger of your love messages and pleased that we have received dozens of quotations from the participants. All of them are so great that they touched my heart while I was reading them. Many thanks to everyone who has participated!

Congratulations, on behalf of the M Square team, to our winners of the Most Creative message and Most Touch-ing message: Mr. Black Ma and Ms. Candy Wong!

Cravina ChongProject Manager

Candy Wong

Black Ma

by Jazz Cheong

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

a)

b)c)

d)

e)

f)

g) h)

Crosswords Puzzles

Answer

Here is my poem which is about a friend who passed away.

biscuit tin

under the longan tree broken nails lifting the lid on ten years gone memories flood back

cicadas whirr under the longan tree?we used a shovel to plant our hope

be gentle with the dust the slip of yellow paper untidy writing of friendship forever

the ten years’ moisture have blurred the words but your voice is still clear

now the longan tree is fruitful I’m there alone

put the lid back on the biscuit tin shovel back the soil

make a deeper sleep for you

Down

a) A cinematographic term refer-ring to a moving shot in which the perspective of a subject and back-ground is changed.b) Those who feel hatred toward, in-tend injury to, or oppose the inter-ests of others.c) A process of revising a manu-script or selecting, assembling, ar-ranging, collating, trimming, struc-turing separate camera takes into a complete, determined sequence.d) A U.S. award for achievements in various fields of American journal-ism, literature and musical compo-sition.e) A regular newspaper or magazine article giving opinions or perspec-tives often on a specific topic or by a particular author.f) A principle or outlook that em-phasizes the interdependence of members a group and prioritizeas group goals over individual ones.g) To make worldwide in scope or application.h) Relating to, involving, or repre-senting different cultures.

Across

1) Opening paragraph of a news story.2) A person who is in charge of supervising actors and control-ling all phases of the production of a film or show. 3) One of the news values.4) A French word literally mean-ing “editing”, “putting together” or “assembling shots”.5) The exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, signals, writing, or be-havior.6) A broadcaster or writer who is a specialist in a specific area, and describes and analyzes events.

Just imagine, if Doomsday is coming tomorrow, who will be the one that you can’t wait for a single second to tell him/her about your love?

Nowadays, we are all living in a quality life, having vari-ous means of communication, yet people in our genera-tion prefer hiding their emotions - actually they are all eager to love and to be loved, but somehow they act in the opposite way.

“Never give up on someone you can’t go a day without.” I came across this impressive line once from somewhere, that is to say, it is not easy to let it be for certain unes-sential reasons, be honest to ourselves and it is not so cool to say “I don’t care” indeed.

“Love, to say it aloud!” is the theme of “Bridges of Love”. We are glad to be the messenger of your love messages and pleased that we have received dozens of quotations from the participants. All of them are so great that they touched my heart while I was reading them. Many thanks to everyone who has participated!

Congratulations, on behalf of the M Square team, to our winners of the Most Creative message and Most Touch-ing message: Mr. Black Ma and Ms. Candy Wong!

Cravina ChongProject Manager

Candy Wong

Black Ma