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 Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China is the constitutional document of Macau, replacing the Estatuto Orgânico de Macau. It was adopted on 31 March 1993 by China's National People's Congress and promulgated by President Jiang Zemin; it came into effect on 20 December 1999, following the transfer of sovereignty over Macau from Portugal to China.
The current devised 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 (Macao) was transferred from Portugal 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.
The transfer of sovereignty of Macau from Portugal to the People's Republic of China (PRC) occurred on 20 December 1999.
Macau Standard Time is the time in Macau. The time is UTC+8 all year round, and daylight saving time has not been applied since 1980.
Macau Post and Telecommunications is an entity under the Government of Macao responsible for postal services and telecommunications regulation.
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 People's Republic of China and the Government of the Portuguese Republic on the question of Macao. 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 Macau Special Administrative Region Basic Law. The process was otherwise similar to the handover of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty by the United Kingdom in 1997.
The 12-3 incident refers to political demonstrations and rioting against Portuguese rule in Macau that occurred on 3 December 1966. The incident, inspired by the Cultural Revolution in the People's Republic of China, occurred in direct response to a violent police crackdown by the Portuguese colonial authorities against local Chinese protestors demonstrating against corruption and colonialism in Macau. The incident is known as "12-3", in reference to the date of the riots.
The Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking was a trade 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.
The Macau Liaison Office, officially known as 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 (CPG) in Macau. Its counterpart body in Mainland China is the Office of the Macau Special Administrative Region in Beijing. It is one of the three agencies of the Central People's Government in the Macao Special Administrative Region. The other two are the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Macao Special Administrative Region and the People's Liberation Army Macau Garrison.
Macau sent a delegation to participate in the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, United Kingdom, from 29 August to 9 September 2012. This was the seventh appearance at a Summer Paralympic Games for the territory since its debut at the 1988 Summer Paralympics. A high jumper and a wheelchair fencer were chosen to represent Macau in London after the nation qualified one athlete by merit and the other by invitation. Wheelchair fencer In I Lao was nominated to be the territory's flag bearer for the opening ceremony. At the Paralympics, Lao came ninth in the group rounds of both the women's individual foil A and the women's individual épée A tournaments while high jumper Hio Sam Tong also finished in ninth in the men's long jump F20 event.
The pro-democracy camp or pan-democracy camp (泛民主派) is a political alignment of politicians and social activists in Macau who support increased democracy and may work together in areas of common interest or by not fielding candidates against one another in elections.
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 3rd Macau International Movie Festival ceremony, organized by the Macau Film and Television Media Association and China International Cultural Communication Center, honored the best films of 2011 in the Greater China Region and took place on December 7, 2011, at the Venetian Macao, in Macau.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Macau is 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.
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