When people think of Macao, they often envision it as a "casino hub" — characterized by uniquely glamorous luxury hotel buildings equipped with casinos — because gambling industry serves as its pillar sector. However, what is Macao like in the eyes of its local residents?
With this question in mind, during a week of interviews in Macao last month, we randomly encountered local residents with a question: what is the image that best represents the city on their phones? They provided a variety of answers.
At a night market selling handicrafts and local delicacies, we met a stall owner from Portugal working in Macao, selling Portuguese dolls handmade by herself. This lady showed a photo of a small temple of Chinese folk belief on the street of Macao, as she felt it represents China. Living in Macao for about 20 years, the lady said both Portugal and Macao are her homes.
Not far from this Portuguese lady's stall, a young local from Macao gave a counterpart answer, showing us a colorful photo he took of Portugal-style Macao buildings, recommending that we must visit these places.
Sam Hou-fai, Macao's incoming chief executive, also responded to the question, saying, "One must take a photo at the Ruins of St Paul's, located next to the Na Tcha Temple, where Eastern and Western cultures blend."
Their answers complemented each other. The Ruins of St Paul's, designed in the 1600s by Western priests traveling to the east, now stands as a famous landmark of Macao. Besides it, the worship of Na Tcha, also spelled as Nezha, is one of Macao's most distinctive traditional customs, listed as a national intangible cultural heritage.
In the hearts of the people of Macao, Na Tcha is seen as a hero who is fearless, capable of defeating evil spirits and protecting the people.
In Macao, the fusion of Chinese and Western cultures, including religion, architecture and cuisine, in this small yet beautiful city is evident, just as it is in its residents.
Jose Chan Rodrigues, a host and livestreaming blogger from Macao, has a quarter of Portuguese heritage as his grandfather hails from Portugal. One of his most unforgettable photos is of his father with the renowned singer Leslie Cheung. At that time, his father assisted in bringing the singer to Macao for his first concert in the city.
As Macao aims to develop itself into a city of concerts in recent years, Jose himself has hosted numerous events this year and taken photos with artists from around the world.
Becoming a sports city is also one of the focuses of Macao's recent development initiatives. A local entrepreneur shared a photo from a marathon event this year to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to China.
The picture shows him participating in a running event with his children. To his surprise, the famous diving champion Quan Hongchan was also captured in the photo. He mentioned that the Macao children were thrilled to run alongside Quan and even gave her many turtle plush toys that she likes.
This year, many Olympic athletes visited Macao on various occasions. During the summer, the mainland Olympic delegation for the Paris Olympics came to Macao to interact with local residents, share inspirational stories and even play friendly matches together.
All of these developments are inseparable from the support and care that the motherland provides to Macao. Many elderly individuals who experienced Macao's return to China recall that the most unforgettable moment or picture in their lives was the tearful night of Macao's return and the moment when the national flag was raised in the city.
With the support of the central government, Macao, with its mere 33.3 square kilometers of land, now has a broader scope for development. This year marks the third anniversary of the establishment of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, a place in Guangdong province but very close to Macao.
Hengqin has attracted Macao residents and mainland people for employment and business opportunities. A young woman who frequently travels between Macao and Hengqin shared a photo she took standing in Hengqin featuring the city of Macao.
The photos and stories shared by these individuals display that Macao is not just a "casino city"; it boasts a diverse culture, developing and diversified industries, and a promising future.
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