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When Portugal returned his colony Macao that China In 1999, cafe owner Daniel Chao was a first grader living in another world.
Since then, his sleepy hometown has turned into a bustling gambling hub with glittering casinos. Its once peaceful streets are now jammed with tour buses. But the growing wealth of a city dubbed the “Las Vegas of the East” has not brought sustainable development qualities such as economic diversity and high citizen participation.
“What used to be a relaxed, free place in my childhood has become a place that is crowded and highly commercialized,” Chao said.
On Friday, Macau will mark the 25th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule. Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting the city for three days, and the city is decorated with celebratory banners and other decorations. Fireworks are planned for next week.
Since 1999, the city of 687,000 has transformed from a monopolistic gambling enclave into the world’s largest gambling center, packed with tourists from China. Its GDP per person more than quadrupled to $68,000, roughly on par with Denmark and Australia and exceeding Hong Kongis about $50,000.
China rules Macau under a “one country, two systems” arrangement similar to its governance of Hong Kong, a former British colony. Macau is the only Chinese city where casino gambling is legal and has resorts run by subsidiaries of US gaming giants MGM Resorts, Las Vegas Sands and Wynn Resorts.
Since Macau opened its casino market after the handover to Beijing, its economy has grown to $46 billion in 2023 from $6.5 billion in 1999, despite an economic downturn during the COVID-19 pandemic and a crackdown on jukeboxes that allowed visits by big names player. gamblers from other places.
Economic growth came at a price.
Chao’s mother worked in a casino, which brought better pay and a bigger apartment, but also stress and irregular working hours. She remembers doing homework at 5 a.m., after her night shift. When he worked as a teacher, his students often went to bed late or had to rely on paid tutors because their parents also worked in the casino.
The city’s tourism boom has brought years of easy money that has given its businesses little incentive to strive to improve their products or services and develop the resilience needed to weather the tough times of the pandemic and competition from mainland Chinese products, Chao and some other residents said.
Chao considered leaving the city, but decided to stay.
“Leaving has to come at a high price,” he said, adding that “Macau doesn’t seem quite unlivable yet.”
The ruling Communist Party’s program for Macau now has influence, and the city’s leaders often refer to national plans. That’s a significant shift from the past, when the city rarely felt any direct influence from Beijing, said Ieong Meng U, a professor at the University of Macau’s government and public administration department.
He expects Macau to become increasingly integrated with nearby Guangdong province in the next decade, following plans to promote tourism, Chinese medicine, finance, technology and exhibitions.
China has designated a special zone on Hengqin Island in the neighboring city of Zhuhai, jointly run by Guangdong and Macao, which is planned to have about 120,000 Macao residents by 2035.
Closer economic ties have coincided with more intrusive political controls, particularly after massive anti-government protests in Hong Kong in 2019 that prompted Beijing to crack down on almost all public dissent.
Vigils commemorating China’s bloody military crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989 have been banned. Pro-democracy figures are banned from running in Macau’s parliamentary elections in 2021. Last year, the city tightened its national security law. In November, the Macau Journalists Association expressed concern over signs of declining press freedom, saying some local media outlets had been asked to retract their articles due to political pressure.
Activist Jason Chao, who is not related to Daniel Chao, decided to leave.
After years of working to promote greater democracy, he has grown frustrated with officials’ lack of will to change and the tendency of Macau residents to rely on solving problems by seeking Beijing’s help or personal connections rather than civic participation, a habit he says stems in part from the city’s colonial heritage under Portuguese rule. by the government.
“I exhausted the tactics I learned at that time,” Chao said.
In 2017, Chao went to study abroad. He is now director of a civil society organization serving Hong Kong immigrants in Britain.
Some older residents believe life has improved over the past quarter century.
Ka Man Chun, a retiree, likes the annual cash distributions, funded by gaming tax reserves, that the government has given residents since 2008. This year, each permanent resident gets $1,240,
Ka says he feels safe because he stays away from politics.
“It’s been 25 years, there’s nothing wrong,” he said.
Macao’s public safety, economy and welfare have improved significantly since the colonial era, said Anna Ng, a flower shop owner in her 60s.
Although critics say Macau has failed to diversify its economy, Ng sees signs of progress in the city’s growing exhibition industry and says it has found new opportunities in cultural and creative activities.
Enid Ieong said she was fed up with the city’s limited choices for career and leisure activities and wanted to join her boyfriend in Hong Kong. She dreams of living in Sai Kung, Hong Kong, an area known for its scenic beauty and beaches.
Ieong derided the annual allowance as compensation for what she calls the psychological toll of living in a gaming center.
“I feel like I was born in a big mansion, but I’m only responsible for sweeping the floor,” she said.