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Macao holds opportunity for future
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Today, our reporter visits two Macao residents. One is an activist from a local neighborhoods association. The other is the owner of a Portuguese restaurant. Our reporter met both of them 10 years ago, when he covered Macao's historic return. They say the past decade has been good for them and feel that the SAR will have more opportunities to develop in the future.
Getting ready for the Macao SAR's tenth birthday.
Supervising the program is Chan Kit Leng, Vice-Director of the Macao Neighborhoods Association. We last saw each other 10 years ago, when she was getting ready for the historic return.
Chan Kit Leng said, "I was so excited to make the preparations to welcome the PLA troops who were coming to Macao. Ten years have passed. When I look back, I feel so proud of what I, and my neighborhoods association, have done for this Special Administrative Region."
Back then, Chan Kit Leng's association was already the largest non-governmental organization in Macao. She was one of the driving forces behind public support for the PLA's presence. That day marked Macao's start as an SAR after centuries of Portuguese rule.
Today, Chan Kit Leng's job is even bigger.
She is helping to arrange dozens of celebration activities. She says people have felt the benefits of the return, yet she thinks there's a need for greater awareness of the Basic Law.
Chan Kit Leng said, "The government is now our own government. If we don't understand the "One Country Two Systems" policy, and the "Macao People Rule Macao" principle, how can we build a better Macao and have the people support the SAR government?"
Lou Chi Seng took me to his restaurant in the heart of the city. He says his life has not changed much over the past decade, like the signboard.
Ten years ago, it pointed the way. Ten years ago, the one-year-old restaurant was already popular. Most of the patrons were Portuguese, a sign of the food's authenticity.
Today, business is even better. Because it's not just the Portuguese who like the food. And the local tourism industry is booming.
Lou Chi Seng said, "Life is even better now, and I am planning to open another restaurant here in the future."
Lou's recipe for success is this: Stay true to the style and taste of Portuguese food. He cooked for the colonial governor for nine years. Rather than retire, he wanted to preserve the region's food culture after the hand over. He doesn't have to work, but he likes to keep his hand in. He hopes Macao won't lose its appetite for Portuguese food. And of course, there's one more person to revisit. You should recognize him.
That was me, right here, 10 years ago. Time has changed all of us in some way. But what has never changed is a common wish for a better life for the Macao SAR and its people.
