Time Capsule (Portuguese : Cápsula do Tempo, Chinese :時間囊) is a time capsule that symbolizes the Portuguese government's witnessing and acknowledgement of China's promise to maintain Macau's level of autonomy for fifty years after the transfer of sovereignty. The Time Capsule was closed and covered on 18 December 1999 and it is scheduled to be opened in 2049. [1] Currently, the Time Capsule is located in the Praça do Centro Cultural de Macau, which was the venue for the transference of sovereignty ceremony.
The metallic Time Capsule, designed by Donato Moreno, [2] is a drum-type container measuring approximately 60 centimetres (24 in) in diameter by 90 centimetres (35 in) in height. Its cover carries the inscription "19.12.1999 MACAU 澳門 19.12.2049", representing the last date on which Portugal controlled Macau (19 December 1999), the city's name in Portuguese and Chinese and the date on which the time capsule is to be opened (19 December 2049). [1]
President of the Portuguese Republic Jorge Sampaio with the Governor of Macau Vasco Joaquim Rocha Vieira hosted the ceremony to seal the Time Capsule in front of Pavilhão da Cerimónia de Transferênciade Poderes, the venue of the ceremony for the transfer of sovereignty over Macau at noon on 18 December 1999 (the transfer itself occurred on the 20th). [2] At around 13:00, Sampaio and Vieira put the relevant documents with the transfer of sovereignty over Macau into the time capsule one by one. The capsule was then lowered by steel chains into the well to a depth of around 2 to 3 metres (6 ft 7 in to 9 ft 10 in) deep, buried and capped. [3] The capsule was ceremonially sealed by Sampaio who gave a speech just before midnight on the day of the transfer. [4]
The time capsule is expected to be opened on 19 December 2049 – 50 years from its burial, symbolizing the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China's promise of maintaining "one country, two systems", and guaranteeing a high level of autonomy of Macau ruled by their residents for 50 years after the transfer of sovereignty to People's Republic of China, as witnessed by the Portuguese Government. [1]
The Time Capsule contains the Joint Declaration of the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Portuguese Republic on the question of Macao, Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region. Moreover, documents, newspaper clippings and official press releases that related to the transfer of sovereignty during the transition period were also put into the capsule. [1] [2]
Sé is a southeast civil parish in the Macau Peninsula of Macau. It is the second largest peninsular district in Macau after the civil parish of Nossa Senhora de Fátima. The parish area is named for the Igreja da Sé.
The Monetary Authority of Macao is the currency board and the de facto central bank of Macau. The regulatory institution was established on December 20, 1999, upon the transfer of sovereignty over Macau from Portugal to the People's Republic of China as the Macau Special Administrative Region.
The Macau national football team represents the Chinese special administrative region of Macau in international association football. The team is supervised by the Macau Football Association. The Macau football team has a ranking that is one of the lowest among the FIFA members. Although usually known as simply Macau, the EAFF refers to the team as Macau, China.
The Regional Emblem of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China came into use on 20 December 1999, when the sovereignty of Macau was handed over from the Portuguese Republic to the People's Republic of China. The emblem is now referred to officially as the "Regional Emblem" (區徽).
Under the Basic Law, Macau's diplomatic relations and defence are the responsibility of the central government of China. Except diplomatic relations and defence, nonetheless, Macau has retained considerable autonomy in all aspects, including economic and commercial relations, customs control.
The Macau Special Administrative Region, commonly known as Macau or Macao is one of the two special administrative regions (SARs) of the China (PRC), along with Hong Kong.
Islam in Macau is a minority religion in the region. According to the Islamic Union of Hong Kong, together with all of the foreign Muslim workers combined, there are around 10,000 Muslims in Macau. Only around 400 are local Macanese people, and they are collective known as The Macau Islamic Society.
The handover of Macau from the Portuguese Republic to the People's Republic of China was at midnight on 20 December 1999. This event ended 442 years of Portuguese rule in the former settlement, which began in 1557.
The Joint Declaration on the Question of Macau, or Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration, was a treaty between Portugal and the People's Republic of China over the status of Macau. The full name of the treaty is Joint Declaration of the Government of the Portuguese Republic and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the question of Macau. Signed on 26 March 1987, the Declaration established the process and conditions of the transfer of the territory from Portuguese rule to the People's Republic of China. The Joint Declaration served also as the main source of fundamental rights that were implemented in the Basic Law of the Macau Special Administrative Region. The process was otherwise similar to the handover of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty by the United Kingdom in 1997.
The 12-3 incident was a series of political demonstrations and riots against Portuguese colonial rule in Macau which occurred on December 3, 1966. The incident, inspired by the Cultural Revolution in the People's Republic of China, occurred as a direct response to a violent police crackdown by colonial authorities against local Chinese protesters demonstrating against corruption and colonialism in Macau.
The Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking was a trade unequal treaty between the Kingdom of Portugal and the Qing dynasty of China, signed on 1 December 1887. It is counted by the Chinese as among the unequal treaties in the aftermath of the Second Opium War. The treaty gave Portugal perpetual colonial rights to Macau on the condition that Portugal would cooperate in efforts to end the smuggling of opium.
Liceu de Macau was a Portuguese-curriculum public secondary school in Sé, Macau. It was the territory's only public Lusophone secondary school.
The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao Special Administrative Region is the representative office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China in Macau.
The Macau Economic and Cultural Office is the representative office of Macau in the Republic of China. Its counterpart body in Macau is the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Macau.
The Office of the Macau Special Administrative Region in Beijing is the representative office of the government of Macau in Beijing, the capital of China.
The Macau Museum of Art is an art museum in Sé, Macau, China.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Macau was a part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The first known case of the disease in the special administrative region of China was confirmed on 22 January 2020. The city saw nine more cases by 4 February, but no more cases until 15 March, when imported cases began to appear. Stringent government measures have included the 15-day closure of all 81 casinos in the territory in February 2020; in addition, effective 25 March, the territory disallowed connecting flights at its airport as well as entry by all non-residents, and from 6 April, the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge was closed to public transport and most other traffic.
The Public Security Police Force Band is a police band of the Public Security Police Force of Macau used for public ceremonies in the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. It's composed of 44 police officers and supports all community events.
The Macau Red Cross is a branch of the Red Cross in Macau. The headquarters is in the China Civil Plaza (中土大廈) in Sé. It also has a Medical Transfer Centre (醫療輔助服務中心) in the Edificio Industrial Hap Si (合時工業大廈) in Areia Preta, Nossa Senhora de Fátima.
Ponto Final is a Portuguese-language newspaper published daily in Macau, founded on December 18, 1991. It was known for its critical stance against the Rocha Vieira administration.
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