INTRODUCTION

Located on the west bank of the Pearl River Delta, the humble dwellings of the once small fishing village have long given way to an exuberant landscape of high-rise buildings and a myriad of colourful neon. Yet its historical centre has been preserved until today and was named a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). Elsewhere in the city, old chinese temples squeeze between apartment blocks and from there the smell of burning incense wafts onto the streets; Portuguese churches and fortresses sit on hilltops overlooking the bustling movement of the city; colonial architecture stands side by side with modern office tower blocks and facilities, and incoming aircraft climb down from the sky above to land on the city's International Airport while old Chinese junks cut through the copper waters in much the same way they did five hundred years ago.

The former Portuguese enclave, turned into a Special Administrative Region of The PRC on December 1999, is experiencing a trend of rapid economic growth, following the liberalization of gambling, and is attracting investment from all corners of the world. Macau has been the site of big international sports events such as the 2005 East Asian Games and the 2007 Asian Indoor Games, and holds the world famous Macau Grand Prix every year. Famous hotel chains are building their projects in Macau and exclusive global brands are bringing in their retail store operations to the territory. It is now not infrequent to find faces from all continents living in Macau, bringing with them their businesses and foodstuffs,speaking their own languages and idioms, and making Macau a truly international city.

MACAU SAR