Macau in my eyes

On July 28, 2003, mainland China implemented a pilot policy for individual free travel to Hong Kong and Macao. Because I have two aunts who have settled there when they were young, so every summer vacation since then, I will go to Macau with my family for a few days to meet them. However, due to policy restrictions, it will not exceed seven days at most.

In total, it has been 12 years. Every time I go to Macau, I will have new understanding and feelings about it. Therefore, I would like to talk about my views on Macau, compare it with the mainland, and talk about what real life in Macau is like.

Macau’s official currency unit is the Macau pataca (PATACA), which the locals are accustomed to calling the Portuguese dollar (Portuguese colonial history). There are six denominations of banknotes: 10 yuan, 20 yuan, 50 yuan, 100 yuan, 500 yuan and 1,000 yuan; there are six types of coins: 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents, 1 yuan, 2 yuan and 5 yuan. Unlike our mainland, they are also very popular in using coins, and their circulation is almost the same as banknotes. When you buy things in Macau, the change (less than 10 yuan) given to you is basically coins. I think this is very inconvenient because it is too heavy!

Macao’s income and consumption levels are basically higher than those in mainland China. My feeling is that a job with a monthly salary of 5,000 yuan in mainland China is equivalent to about 10,000 yuan in Macau. As for the consumption level, it is not twice as expensive as in mainland China, maybe one-third more expensive. However, due to tariffs, imported things are usually cheaper in Macau than in the mainland. How much more expensive depends on the item, and it can range from a few yuan to dozens of yuan cheaper. If you think about it, wouldn’t it be a good deal to live in Macau? If you mean things that are worn, eaten, or used, then I think you can say that. But...

I'm going to give you a little blow next. The first is housing. Because Macau is not a big place, the housing problem is quite tense. A couple can apply for a public housing unit, but they have to wait several months for approval. Most of the houses are only 50 to 60 square meters, and the whole family is squeezed together, so the use of space is very particular. With two rooms in one living room, it is common for people to sleep on the floor or sofa when there are many people. The price is about RMB 100,000/㎡.

As for cars, Macau families prefer Japanese cars. Because the family size is larger (usually they have two children), seven-seater ones are also preferred. At this time, the problem arises. Parking space is more important than housing! A parking space now costs 200,000 Portuguese dollars, which when converted back to RMB (100 RMB ≈ 120 Portuguese dollars) is about 170,000. You can buy a small car at this price!

The roads in Macau are not wide to begin with. Sometimes there are motorcycles on both sides, and the remaining spaces are just big enough for a small car to pass, so many of them can only go one way. In addition, due to terrain reasons, Macau has many slopes, many of which are quite steep, which tests the driver's driving skills. I heard that it is very difficult to take the license plate test in Macau. One test costs thousands of dollars. If you fail to pass one test, you will have to start over and pay extra money. So if you have passed all the exams, that is quite a blessing.

Unlike mainland China, cars in Macau drive on the left, so the main driving seat of the car is on the right. Macau residents are used to driving very fast, and slamming on the gas and brakes is commonplace. But you don’t have to worry about bumping into people easily. Because they basically abide by traffic rules. It can be said that it is completely opposite to our mainland. They actually let people drive cars instead of letting people drive cars. In front of a crosswalk, as long as you see someone crossing the road, or stopping on the side of the road intending to cross, or walking over to cross the zebra crossing, as long as you see this tendency to cross the road, the vehicle must stop and wait until the person has completely crossed before proceeding. My cousin-in-law was once caught by sir and fined several hundred yuan because she didn't let a pedestrian cross the road, but the pedestrian didn't even step into the zebra crossing!

I have to say that I really appreciate Macau’s public facilities! Because the place is small, there are very few parks similar to those on the mainland, but they came up with a good idea: under overpasses or on the side of the road, you will often see large and small basketball courts or football courts surrounded by iron frames. There may be some fitness equipment next to it for residents to use for free. There is no time limit, usually until 12pm. At night, the entire venue is brightly lit, as bright as during the day. I really have to like this.

As we all know, Macau has many casinos, so the government makes a lot of money every year, and it also gives back to the society, sending money to every resident every year. Like last year, each person had 9,000 Portuguese coins, which is still a lot of money! However, due to restrictions in mainland China this year, it is said that VIP rooms in some casinos have been closed, so it is estimated that the government will send much less money today.

My opinion is that although casinos have brought good benefits to residents, gambling is not good after all. If you lose more than you win, it is better to play less. Macau relies too much on the gaming industry, which is not a good choice from a long-term perspective. If there are any gambling restrictions, the blow will be fatal. It would be better to develop other industries, such as tourism.

In other aspects, it is not much different from mainland China, so I have nothing to say. The above discussion may not be comprehensive enough, but it is the real side of Macao. In fact, weighing all aspects, Macau has good and bad aspects, but overall, I still like Macau quite a lot.

Maybe I don’t live there after all, and I can’t personally understand the hardships of living there. Coupled with the family ties, I really can’t hate Macau. Every time I go to Macau, I love Macau even more.