Residents brim with joy, hope during anniversary
China DailyTourists take photos in front of the Ruins of St. Paul's in Macao on Tuesday. FENG YONGBIN/CHINA DAILY MACAO — Normally busy managing her restaurant, Macao resident Ana Maria Manhao Sou is lately occupied with an important task: choreographing a Portuguese folk dance for a gala celebrating the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to China. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will attend a gathering celebrating the 25th anniversary of Macao's return and the inauguration ceremony of the sixth-term government of the Macao Special Administrative Region on Friday. Anniversary-themed posters and floral decorations adorn popular sites such as the Ruins of St. Paul's, while national flags and Macao SAR flags flutter along the streets. A key driver of Macao's economic diversification, the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone on Hengqin Island, located near Macao, was established in 2021 to expand living options and work opportunities for Macao residents.