East Meets West in Relaxing Macau

 Macau is largely unchanged since being returned to China on December 20th 1999 after 112 years as a Portuguese1 colony and visitors appreciate it.

　　Macau inhabitants regarded the handover as a mere change of administration. Certainly， you see fewer Portuguese faces on the streets nowadays， but there remains the curious mixture of European flair 2 and Far Eastern tradition that make the city so special.

　　Like its larger neighbour Hong Kong， Macau is now a special administrative region of China， but its special capitalist status is guaranteed for the next 50 years.

　　When you first glimpse Macau on the ferry from Hong Kong， it looks less than impressive. The skyline is dull compared to the imposing3 glass skyscrapers of Hong Kong， and most people do not take the time to revise4 this first impression， devoting no more than a day trip to it. But this does not do justice to this city of two cultures， which hides plenty of interesting secrets.

　　The Macau Museum， which opened two years ago， offers an excellent introduction to the peninsula's5 past and present. Children love it because it is full of technical paraphernalia6. You can press buttons to light up trade routes on maps， or to hear the different typical cries of Macau's traders.

　　Just a few metres from the museum is the city's most photographed symbol： the ruins of Sao Paulo， the Jesuit7 church built in 1602， although today only its imposing stone facade remains.

　　While the majority of Macau's inhabitants are Buddhist8， some seven per cent are Catholic and the religious sites of Macau testify to the special mix of eastern and western cultures here. As well as the numerous churches inherited from Portuguese rule， there are very many different temples.

　　The largest is the Kun Iam Tong. In the main hall of this temple， giant spiral9 joss-sticks10 hang from the ceiling， raining small piles of ash on the heads of visitors. Along the sides are smaller ancestors rooms commemorating11 the dead. There is also a room of plants which includes a special bonsai12 tree， the trunk of which happens to be shaped like the Chinese sign meaning long life.

　　The contrast between the peace of these temples and the bustle13 of Macau city could hardly be more stark14. The lively pedestrian zone flanked15 by colonial buildings with their teeming16 side streets are not at all reminiscent of religious contemplation17. Locals and tourists saunter along with shopping bags.

　　Macau， on the southeast coast of China， consists of the Macau peninsula and the two offshore islands of Taipa and Coloane in the Pearl River delta18. Ninety-six per cent of the 450，000 inhabitants are of Chinese origin. Anyone who stays a few days， soon realises that the city is small but charming. You soon start to recognise a few faces， even the city tramps19 start to become familiar. Although the tourism industry would like to sell Macau as a racy20， modern city， its real appeal is that it offers a very quiet， relaxing contrast to Hong Kong.

　　But Macau is one of the richest regions in Asia， with an annual per capita21 gross national product of more than 17，000 U.S. dollars. This is mainly thanks to gambling. Forty per cent of all state income comes from the numerous casinos here， the only legally operating gambling halls on Chinese territory.

　　在经过112年葡萄牙殖民统治后，澳门于1999年12月20日回归中国，此后基本上保持原貌，游客们对此很欣赏。

　　澳门的居民认为这次移交仅仅是管理上的变化。的确，在今天澳门大街上你看不到多少葡萄牙人，但是这儿依然是欧洲风格与远东传统文化不同寻常的融合点，这使得它具有独特的城市风貌。

　　与较大的近邻香港一样，澳门现在是中国的一个特别行政区，它保持资本主义制度的特殊地位将50年不变。

　　当你从香港开来的渡船上第一次瞥一眼澳门时，它看起来并不起眼。同香港那雄伟壮丽的摩天大楼相比，澳门这个城市的轮廓显得并不鲜明，多数人不会去花费一天的时间到那儿去看一看以修正他们的第一印象。但是如此看待这座具有两种文化风格的城市是不公平的，这样很多有趣的东西就看不到了。

　　两年前开放的澳门博物馆极好地展示了半岛的过去和现在。孩子们都喜欢它是因为里面有各种各样科技含量高的东西。你按一下按钮就能将地图上的贸易航线照亮，还可以听一听澳门商贩那各具特征的叫卖声。

　　离博物馆不远就是这个城市最具标志性的建筑：圣保罗旧址，建于1602年的耶稣会教堂，尽管今天只有它那雄伟的石头砌成的正面仍保留下来。

　　大多数澳门居民是佛教徒，只有7％的居民是天主教徒，澳门的宗教故址就足以证明这里是东西方文化特殊的交汇点。除了葡萄牙人统治时期遗留下来的众多教堂之外，这里还有很多风格不一的寺庙。