Hong Kong – Macau – Life As Nomad

Hong Kong and Macau have a lot in common: Both places used to be European colonies. People in both regions speak Cantonese Chinese and write traditional Chinese characters. Both cities are special administrative regions of China adhering to the “one country, two systems” constitutional principle and have their own chief executives. Yet, Macau is much less demanding of democracy than Hong Kong. Why is this?

Wealth may be part of the answer: Macau is most famous for its gambling industry and its gambling revenue is seven times larger than that of Las Vegas. Half of Macau’s GDP comes from its gambling revenue, and Macau’s GDP per capita is almost twice as much as that of Hong Kong. There are still grumbles about high housing cost, but overall people are less vocal and more risk-averse. Because of this, Chinese officials regard Macau as a political model for what Hong Kong should be: Compliant with the Communist Party’s rules and unequivocally patriotic. Can Hong Kong be governed like Macau? Only time will tell.

香港和澳門有很多相似之處：兩地都是曾被歐洲人統治的殖民地，兩地人都說廣東話寫繁體字，兩個城市都是奉行 “一國兩制” 憲法原則的中國特別行政區，有各自的特首。然而，澳門對民主的需求似乎並沒有香港那麼強烈，為什麼呢？

財富可能是原因之一：澳門以賭博業聞名，其賭博收入是拉斯維加斯的七倍，澳門的國內生產總值一半來自賭博收入，人均生產總值幾乎是香港的兩倍。雖然澳門人仍會對高昂的住屋成本感到不滿，但總體而言澳門人對政府的聲音不太強烈，也不太願意為爭取訴求而冒險。因此中國官員將澳門視為香港應該成為的政治樣板：愛國和遵守共產黨的管治模式。香港可以像澳門一樣的方式被中國管治嗎？只有時間可以給出答案。

#HongKong香港

#Macau澳門

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Just got off the flight last night and today I am part of the groomsmen group! 昨晚才下機今天做兄弟! @HongKong香港

Macau’s best known landmark, the Ruins of Saint Paul’s is the facade of a Portuguese church destroyed by fire. As part of the European expansion, the Portuguese colonized Macau in the mid-1500s until it was transferred back to China in 1999. 澳門最著名地標，大三巴牌坊是一座被大火燒毀的葡萄牙教堂。作為歐洲人擴張的一部分，葡萄牙人在1500年代中期將澳門變成自己的殖民地，直到1999年將其回歸中國。 @Macau澳門

Every time I visit my aunt I get to eat amazing seafood. 每次去姑媽家都會吃到美味海鮮。 @Macau澳門

Home of Lou Kau, a prominent Chinese merchant, built with Portuguese decoration and Chinese architectural style. 中國著名商人盧九故居，採用葡萄牙裝飾和中國建築風格建造。 @Macau澳門

Cantonese-style home of the late Qing Dynasty reformist Zheng Guanying, a proponent of fighting economic dominance by Western countries of China. 晚清時期改革派人物鄭觀英的廣東式故居，他當時致力對抗西方國家在中國領土的經濟霸權。 @Macau澳門

A temple to the Chinese sea-goddess Mazu. When the Portuguese sailors landed at the coast just outside the temple in the Ming Dynasty, the natives replied “maa-gok”, which means “the Pavilion of the Mother”. The Portuguese then named the peninsula “Macau”. 中國海神媽祖的寺廟。明朝時當葡萄牙水手着陸在寺廟外面的海岸時，當地人回答 “媽閣” (Macau)，所以葡萄牙人隨後將半島命名為 Macau。 @Macau澳門

The official currency of Macau is the Macau pataca, which is pegged to the Hong Kong Dollar. Both currencies are widely accepted in Macau. 澳門的官方貨幣是澳門元，與港元掛鉤，兩種貨幣在澳門被廣泛接受。 @Macau澳門

Portuguese egg tarts, pork chop buns, steamed milk pudding, and almond cookies are some popular Macanese street snacks. 葡撻、豬排包、雙皮奶、和杏仁餅都是一些受歡迎的澳門街頭小吃。 @Macau澳門

In the 1800s, British merchants smuggled opium into China in exchange for silver to purchase Chinese silk and tea. The skyrocketing of opium addicts worried Chinese officials and they decided to halt opium trade. The British responded by starting the First Opium War, defeated the Chinese, and took Hong Kong as a British colony for 99 years. Lin Zexu was an official during China’s last and declining Qing dynasty, best known for destroying opium in Humen. He was praised by some for banning drug trade, but was blamed by others for causing the First Opium War. 英國商人在1800年代將鴉片走私到中國，以換取白銀來購買中國的絲綢和茶。鴉片成癮者的飆升令中國官員感到擔憂，並決定停止鴉片貿易。英國因此發起了第一次鴉片戰爭，擊敗中國，並將香港變成英國殖民地 99年。林則徐是第一次鴉片戰爭中正在衰落清朝的官員，因禁毒在虎門銷煙而受到讚揚，但同時也因引發第一次鴉片戰爭而受到譴責。 @Macau澳門

The night watchmen in ancient China served to report time and remind people to take precautions against fire and theft. This community mutual assistance service gradually vanished following the modernization of the city. 中國古代的更夫負責報告時間，並提醒人們採取預防火災和盜竊的措施。隨著城市的現代化，這種社區互助服務逐漸消失。 @Macau澳門

The pawn business in Macau flourished when the Japanese invaded Hong Kong in 1941. As the residents of the Hong Kong fled to Macau, they pawned their belongings to make ends meet. Frequent visitors of brothels, gaming rooms, and opium dents were also pawnshop patrons, pledging their valuables to pay for their pleasures. 澳門的典當業在1941年日本入侵香港時發展至最高點：當時香港居民逃往澳門，典當財產以維持生計。黃賭毒者也是當舖的常客，典當貴重物品去娛樂一番。 @Macau澳門

Macau’s official language is Cantonese Chinese. Although the region used to be a Portuguese colony, Portuguese is no longer compulsory in schools and less than 3% of the population speaks it. Nonetheless, mostly street signs are still written in both Portuguese and traditional Chinese. 澳門的官方語言是廣東話，儘管曾是葡萄牙殖民地，但葡語不再是學校的必修課，只有不到3％的人口會說葡語。儘管如此，大多數路牌仍用葡語和繁體中文。 @Macau澳門

The Macau Pass is similar to the Hong Kong Octopus Card, which can be used for public transportation and grocery. 澳門通類似香港八達通，可用於乘車和在超市使用。 @Macau澳門

Located next to an old residential district, Grand Lisboa Hotel is the tallest building in Macau. 毗鄰一古老住宅區，新葡京酒店是澳門最高建築。 @Macau澳門

Like Hong Kong, Macau is a special administrative region of China. Macau has a police force but does not have its own army. Since Macau is protected by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, mandatory military enlistment similar to those in other Asian countries like Singapore and South Korea is not required in Macau. 和香港一樣，澳門是中國的特別行政區，有警察但沒有軍隊。由於受解放軍保護，澳門並不需要類似新加坡和韓國等亞洲國家的強制性入伍。 @Macau澳門

It has been 20 years since Macau was returned to China and the city is still filled with Portuguese colonial architecture. 澳門回歸中國二十年，仍然充滿著葡萄牙殖民時期的建築風格。 @Macau澳門

Flags of China and Macau. 中國國旗和澳門區旗。 @Macau澳門

Macau Museum showcasing writings that mark the beginning of ancient civilizations: The Rosetta Stone (Egypt), cuneiform (Mesopotamia), and oracle bone script (China). 澳門博物館展示著古代文明開始的文字：羅塞塔石碑 (埃及)、楔形文字 (美索不達米亞)、和甲骨文 (中國)。 @Macau澳門

Venetian Macau, the largest casino in the world. 澳門威尼斯人，世界上最大的賭場。 @Macau澳門

The land and sea routes of the ancient Silk Road, which the Belt and Road Initiative adopted by Chinese president Xi Jinping in 2013 resembles. The land routes connect Asia to Europe via Central Asia, while the sea routes connect Asia to Europe via the Arabian Peninsula. 古代絲綢之路的陸路線和海路線，是中國國家主席習近平於 2013年開始 “一帶一路” 倡議的原本。陸路通過中亞將亞洲連接到歐洲，而海路則通過阿拉伯半島將亞洲連接到歐洲。 @Macau澳門

Visiting and reminiscing the places where I spent most of my teenager years. 參觀和回憶我少年時代的地方。 @HongKong香港

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is the world’s longest sea-crossing bridge. The whopping 55km bridge-tunnel system takes 45 minutes to cross.
港珠澳大橋是世界上最長的跨海大橋，這條長達五十五公里的橋樑隧道系統需要四十五分鐘通過。
@HongKong香港

Rice noodle rolls.
腸粉。
@Macau澳門

Hong Kong – Macau

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