Sun Liji, Cheng Long
Since Macao returned to China twenty years ago, it has witnessed improving social welfare and constantly renewing urban construction.
Macaois a city where Chinese culture is integrating with the western culture, and its residents are living in harmony with an increasing sense of happiness, gain and security.
An average senior citizen aged above 65 in Macao receives 3,630 patacas ($452) of pension each month, as well as 29,630 patacas of other kinds of subsidies on a yearly basis, which makes a monthly total of 6,099 patacas.
After returning to the motherland, Macao has strived to improve people’s wellbeing and build a long-term mechanism that ensures social security, housing, education, medical care, personnel training and disasters prevention and reduction.
For the past five years, Macao’s public, private and non-profit medical service systems, as well as a comprehensive primary medical service network, have extended their services to every citizen in the city, which is hailed as a role model in the Pacific region by the World Health Organization.
The life expectancy in Macao has reached 84 years, and is keeping rising. Besides, the region’s infant mortality rate is also one of the lowest in the world.
According to Hon Wai, deputy director of Macao’s Social Welfare Bureau, every newborn in Macao can receive an allowance of 5,260 patacas and get free vaccines against 13 diseases.
Starting from 2007, Macao has enacted 15-year free compulsory education for students from kindergarten to high school. In the same year, it started providing subsidies for students on school necessities, food and tuition every semester.
For college students, Macao is also helping them take out student loans with preferential terms apart from offering subsidies.
Like in many cities, the housing price in Macao has soared along with economic development. To address this issue, the Macao government has built a number of public houses and provided shelters for 24,000 households in the past twenty years.
Since 2008, the Macao government has introduced an annually Wealth Partaking Scheme to give out subsidies to qualified residents in the region. This September, it gave over 7 billion patacas to about 670,000 permanent residents and 49,000 non-permanent residents.
“Walk for a Million”, the biggest charity event in Macao, falls on the second Sunday of each December, participated by many people from government departments, companies, civil societies and schools. Some have taken part in it for over 20 years and some have joined it with their families.
More than 40,000 people have participated in this year’s activity, raising a fund of nearly 19 million patacas.
Though Macao is a small city, but it is people-oriented, as hundreds of public service organizations have been established there.
The General Union of Neighborhood Associations of Macao is one of them. It has 28 branches and over 30 activity centers that provide services for seniors, children and families.
Yu Zhiyun, a film worker in Macao is one of the many who see the beauty of Macao, a city that covers only 32.9 square kilometers. “Photos taken at random places here show magnificent sceneries,” he commented.
In July 2005, 25 historic buildings in Macao were listed on the World Heritage List, such as the A-Ma Temple, the Senado Square and the Ruins of St. Paul’s.
The inclusiveness of Macao is not only reflected in its architectures that integrate both Chinese and western cultures, but also in the harmonious relations among the people.
Chinese people and foreigners have lived together there since Macao opened ports for foreign trade over 400 years ago. In the past twenty years, people from different nations and cultures have further integrated in the region.
Both Chinese and Portuguese languages can be found on the streets of Macao. The city has always served as a bridge between China and Lusophone countries because of its particular history.
As the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area says, Macao is aiming to develop into a base for exchange and cooperation where Chinese culture is the mainstream and diverse cultures coexist.
宜居宜业，澳门打造幸福城市
人民日报记者 孙立极 程 龙
回归祖国20年，澳门各项社会福利日益完善，城市建设不断更新，居民融洽和谐，中西文化交汇，人们幸福感、获得感、安全感日益提升。
有人算过一笔账，一位65岁以上的澳门老人每月养老金3630元（澳门元，下同），每年敬老金9000元、现金分享1万元、公积金7000元、养老补贴3630元，算下来平均每月可达6099元。
回归祖国20年，澳门努力改善民生福利，全力建设社会保障、住房、教育、医疗、人才培养、防灾减灾六大民生长效机制。近5年来，公营、私营、非营利3类医疗服务体系，以及完善的初级医疗服务网络，已经实现“全民健康覆盖”，被世界卫生组织评为“太平洋地区典范”。澳门的平均预期寿命在不断增长，最新数据已经达到84岁，居世界前列；新生儿死亡率也处于较低水平，居世界前列。
在澳门，养小孩也不难。澳门社会工作局副局长韩卫介绍，婴幼儿可享受5260元出生津贴、涵盖13种疾病的免费疫苗。自2007年起，澳门实施从幼儿园到高中的15年免费教育，同时按学年发放“学习用品津贴”“膳食津贴”“学费补助”等。如果读大学，还有大专助学金计划、利息补助贷款计划等多种资助。
和很多城市类似，随着经济发展，澳门的房价也水涨船高。特区政府推出以“社屋为主、经屋为辅”的公共房屋政策，一栋栋公屋拔地而起。回归祖国20年，已有2.4万户居民入住。
从2008年起，澳门特区政府连续12年推出现金分享计划。今年9月，2019年度现金分享发放完成，向约67万永久性居民和约4.9万非永久性居民共发放超过70亿元。
伴随着欢快的锣鼓，澳门民众的嘉年华——“公益金百万行”在每年12月的第二个星期日盛大登场。这堪称澳门最大型的公益活动，政府部门、公司商号、民间社团、各级学校都有人自发参加。步行队伍汇聚成一片欢乐的海洋。有市民连续参加20多年，有的扶老携幼举家同行。2019年超过4万人参加，共募集善款近1900万元。
澳门是一个人情味很浓的小城，以公益为宗旨的社团就有几百个。澳门街坊会联合总会就是其中之一。目前街坊总会28个分会、30多个中心，视场地需要，均设有为老人、孩子、家庭提供服务的活动中心。
澳门电影工作者余志云最喜欢这座城市的美景，只有32.9平方公里的澳门，“随便在哪里摆上摄像机，都可以拍出好风景。”
2005年7月，澳门25处历史建筑被列入《世界遗产名录》。妈阁庙、议事亭前地、大三巴……“历史城区”五步一楼，十步一阁，游客可以用双脚漫步小城历史。
澳门的包容体现在中西文化尽显的建筑，更体现在人与人之间的和谐共处。澳门自400多年前开埠，便华洋共处。回归祖国20年来，不同族群、多元文化更在融合中展现新光彩。
在澳门街头，中葡双语是标配。凭借着独特的历史渊源，澳门一直是中国与葡语国家联系沟通的桥梁。《粤港澳大湾区发展规划纲要》提出，澳门要“打造以中华文化为主流、多元文化共存的交流合作基地”。
