On the third day of his four-day working visit to Macau, Xia Baolong, the director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO), yesterday visited two museums, a care home for senior citizens and show flats for the local government’s new public housing projects, apart from meeting with representatives from the city’s business sector, according to a statement by the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS) last night.
Xia arrived in Macau on Tuesday for a fact-finding visit that ends today.
The GCS statement said that Xia had breakfast with “the older generation of patriots”, where they exchanged views on Macau’s patriotic education. In addition, Xia also asked them about their lives after retiring.
According to local media reports, Xia had the breakfast meeting at The Plaza Restaurant in Zape, a Cantonese restaurant.
After his breakfast with the elderly patriots, the GCS statement said, Xia visited the nearby Macau Grand Prix Museum, with the aim of gaining a better understanding of the local government’s ongoing work on developing the city into a World Tourism and Leisure Centre.
Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes briefed Xia about the museum’s operation. After Xia’s visit to the museum, Senna Fernandes told reporters that Xia had been briefed on the 70-year-history of the Macau Grand Prix. Xia praised the museum’s interactive devices, such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) devices, which he said enable children to learn more about the Macau Grand Prix’s history, according to the tourism chief.
Senna Fernandes also said that Xia encouraged the museum to constantly make use of the latest technologies with the aim of offering visitors a better experience.
After visiting the Macau Grand Prix Museum, the GCS statement said, Xia visited a social service centre for senior citizens, where he “engaged in exchanges and interactions” with the senior citizens.
According to a statement by the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) and local media reports yesterday, Xia visited a care home for senior citizens run by the Macau General Union of Neighbourhood Associations (commonly known as Kai Fong in Cantonese), which is located on the first and second floors of its headquarters in Toi San district.
According to the IAS statement and media reports, Xia was briefed by IAS President Wilson Hon Wai and Kai Fong Chairwoman Ng Siu Lai on the care home’s operation.
Xia was singing with the senior citizens at the care home, the IAS statement said.
During his visit to the care home, Xia enquired about the new technologies that are being used by the city’s care homes with the aim of improving senior citizens’ health and living.
After visiting the social service centre for senior citizens, the GCS statement said, Xia visited the Macau Museum on Fortress Hill, with the aim of having a better understanding of Macau’s history and culture.
During his visit to the Macau Museum, according to a statement by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) yesterday, Xia was briefed by Cheang Kai Meng, a vice-president of the bureau, and Lou Ho Ian, who heads the museum, about the museum’s operation and development.
According to the IC statement, Xia acknowledged Macau’s role as a hub for Sino-Western cultural exchanges. In addition, Xia also encouraged Macau to continue to strengthen its heritage protection of traditional cultures with its own characteristics.
After visiting the Macau Museum, according to local media reports, Xia visited Macau Tower before lunch.
In the afternoon, according to the GCS statement, Xia visited show flats for three kinds of the local government’s housing projects, namely subsidised home-ownership scheme (HOS) flats that are being built in the Zone A land reclamation area, temporary housing towers on Plot P in Areia Preta district, and a rental housing project for senior citizens, also on Plot P.
The show flats for the three kinds of housing projects are located on the on the third floor of the second phase of the Mong Ha social housing estate, officially named Mong Tak Building, which is located on the corner of Rua de Francisco Xavier Pereira and Avenida de Venceslau de Morais.
During his visit to the show flats, Xia was briefed by Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosário about Macau’s urban master plan and the local government’s ongoing development of public housing projects.
After Xia’s visit to the show flats, Rosário told reporters that Xia was “satisfied” with the local government’s work on the matters.
Rosário also said that Xia had already had a good understanding of the latest situation of Macau’s urban developments before listening to his briefing.
After visiting the show flats, according to the GCS statement, Xia visited the Services Platform Complex for Commercial and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (PSCs) in Nam Van Lake district, also known as Forum Macao complex, with the aim of gaining a better understanding of Macau’s role as a China-PSCs business services platform.
The GCS statement said that Xia also held a meeting with representatives from the city’s business sector, including representatives from the city’s gaming operators.
Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong briefed reporters about Xia’s meeting with the local business representatives. According to Lei, Xia underlined during the meeting that the local government’s drive to appropriately diversify Macau’s economy is important for the city’s sustainable development.
Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) President Vincent U U Sang (front, left) yesterday shows State Council Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO) Director Xia Baolong (front, second from right) a bottle of wine at a hall showcasing food products from Portuguese-speaking countries (PSCs), at the Forum Macao complex in Nam Van. – Photo: GCS
A staff member of the Macau Museum (left) yesterday briefs State Council Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO) Director Xia Baolong (front) about an exhibit.
