Macau is largely unchanged since being returned to China on December 20th 1999 after 112 years as a Portuguese1 colony and visitors appreciate it.
Macau inhabitants regarded the handover as a mere change of administration. Certainly， you see fewer Portuguese faces on the streets nowadays， but there remains the curious mixture of European flair 2 and Far Eastern tradition that make the city so special.
Like its larger neighbour Hong Kong， Macau is now a special administrative region of China， but its special capitalist status is guaranteed for the next 50 years.
When you first glimpse Macau on the ferry from Hong Kong， it looks less than impressive. The skyline is dull compared to the imposing3 glass skyscrapers of Hong Kong， and most people do not take the time to revise4 this first impression， devoting no more than a day trip to it. But this does not do justice to this city of two cultures， which hides plenty of interesting secrets.
The Macau Museum， which opened two years ago， offers an excellent introduction to the peninsula's5 past and present. Children love it because it is full of technical paraphernalia6. You can press buttons to light up trade routes on maps， or to hear the different typical cries of Macau's traders.
Just a few metres from the museum is the city's most photographed symbol： the ruins of Sao Paulo， the Jesuit7 church built in 1602， although today only its imposing stone facade remains.
While the majority of Macau's inhabitants are Buddhist8， some seven per cent are Catholic and the religious sites of Macau testify to the special mix of eastern and western cultures here. As well as the numerous churches inherited from Portuguese rule， there are very many different temples.
The largest is the Kun Iam Tong. In the main hall of this temple， giant spiral9 joss-sticks10 hang from the ceiling， raining small piles of ash on the heads of visitors. Along the sides are smaller ancestors rooms commemorating11 the dead. There is also a room of plants which includes a special bonsai12 tree， the trunk of which happens to be shaped like the Chinese sign meaning long life.
The contrast between the peace of these temples and the bustle13 of Macau city could hardly be more stark14. The lively pedestrian zone flanked15 by colonial buildings with their teeming16 side streets are not at all reminiscent of religious contemplation17. Locals and tourists saunter along with shopping bags.
Macau， on the southeast coast of China， consists of the Macau peninsula and the two offshore islands of Taipa and Coloane in the Pearl River delta18. Ninety-six per cent of the 450，000 inhabitants are of Chinese origin. Anyone who stays a few days， soon realises that the city is small but charming. You soon start to recognise a few faces， even the city tramps19 start to become familiar. Although the tourism industry would like to sell Macau as a racy20， modern city， its real appeal is that it offers a very quiet， relaxing contrast to Hong Kong.
But Macau is one of the richest regions in Asia， with an annual per capita21 gross national product of more than 17，000 U.S. dollars. This is mainly thanks to gambling. Forty per cent of all state income comes from the numerous casinos here， the only legally operating gambling halls on Chinese territory.
在经过112年葡萄牙殖民统治后，澳门于1999年12月20日回归中国，此后基本上保持原貌，游客们对此很欣赏。
澳门的居民认为这次移交仅仅是管理上的变化。的确，在今天澳门大街上你看不到多少葡萄牙人，但是这儿依然是欧洲风格与远东传统文化不同寻常的融合点，这使得它具有独特的城市风貌。
与较大的近邻香港一样，澳门现在是中国的一个特别行政区，它保持资本主义制度的特殊地位将50年不变。
当你从香港开来的渡船上第一次瞥一眼澳门时，它看起来并不起眼。同香港那雄伟壮丽的摩天大楼相比，澳门这个城市的轮廓显得并不鲜明，多数人不会去花费一天的时间到那儿去看一看以修正他们的第一印象。但是如此看待这座具有两种文化风格的城市是不公平的，这样很多有趣的东西就看不到了。
两年前开放的澳门博物馆极好地展示了半岛的过去和现在。孩子们都喜欢它是因为里面有各种各样科技含量高的东西。你按一下按钮就能将地图上的贸易航线照亮，还可以听一听澳门商贩那各具特征的叫卖声。
离博物馆不远就是这个城市最具标志性的建筑：圣保罗旧址，建于1602年的耶稣会教堂，尽管今天只有它那雄伟的石头砌成的正面仍保留下来。
大多数澳门居民是佛教徒，只有7％的居民是天主教徒，澳门的宗教故址就足以证明这里是东西方文化特殊的交汇点。除了葡萄牙人统治时期遗留下来的众多教堂之外，这里还有很多风格不一的寺庙。
最大的是观音堂。在这个观音堂的主厅内，巨大的螺旋形的香从天花板上垂吊着，它的灰烬落下来，一些落到了观光者的头上。堂的两厢是纪念已逝先祖的小房间。有一间房内放着盆景，其中有一棵树很特殊，这树的树干形状正像汉字的"寿".
这些寺庙的宁静与澳门城市的喧闹形成鲜明对比。行人区内十分热闹，四边都是殖民地风格的建筑，小街纵横交错，这里一点宗教气氛都没有。当地居民和旅游者都带着购物的袋子闲逛。
位于中国东南海岸的澳门，包括澳门半岛和两个位于珠江三角洲的凼仔岛和路环岛。45万澳门居民中96％的人祖籍是中国。无论是谁在这儿逗留几天便很快意识到这个城市不大但富有魅力。你很快就能够辨认出一些面孔，甚至对这个城市的流浪汉也变得熟悉起来。虽然观光业想要把澳门作为一个富有特色的现代化城市，但其真正令人喜欢的是，与香港相比，它显得特别宁静和让人放松。
但是澳门也是亚洲最富的地区之一，它每年每人的国民生产产值已经超过了1.7万美元。这主要得益于博彩业。40％的政府收入来自于这里众多的赌场，这里有中国版图上惟一合法经营的赌场。
注释：
1.Portuguese adj.葡萄牙的
2.flair n.鉴别力，眼光
3.imposing adj.壮观的，不凡的
4.revise vt.修正，改正
5.peninsula n.[地]半岛
6.paraphernalia n.设备，器材
7.Jesuit n.耶稣会会士
8.Buddhist n.佛教徒
9.spiral adj.螺旋形的
10.joss stick（祭祀祖先或神佛时点的）线香
11.commemorate vt.纪念
12.bonsai n.[单复同]盆景，盆景艺术
13.bustle n.忙乱，喧扰
14.stark adj.明显的，突出的
15.flank vt.位于…的侧面
16.teeming adj.拥挤的，热闹的
17.contemplation n.（宗教徒的）敛心默祷
18.delta n.（河流的）三角洲
19.tramp n.流浪者
20.racy adj.具特色的
21.per capita 人均
，East Meets West in Relaxing Macau