Travel Notes to Macau

The full name of Macao is the Macao Special Administrative Region. After Macao's return, the system is currently implementing "one country, two systems." As of this month, Macao has celebrated the 21st anniversary of its return to the motherland.

I have always wanted to visit Macau in situ. After making up my mind, I began to study and formulate travel plans to Macau.

Decided to transfer from Shanghai to Guangzhou. On the evening of November 30, Dalian flew to Shanghai. He originally studied the plan to spend the whole day visiting Disney Park the next day, but gave up at the last moment. Because generally speaking, I am still more interested in cultural history and natural scenery.

Itinerary on December 1: Memorial Hall of Soong Ching Ling's Former Residence, Zhou Mansion, Memorial Hall of Sun Yat-sen's Former Residence, Mao Zedong's Former Residence, Shanghai Natural History Museum, Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, Bund.

After breakfast, stroll slowly along the street and arrive at the Memorial Hall of Soong Ching Ling's Former Residence at 9 a.m. The museum has high overall specifications, good services, and detailed explanations. After visiting, I feel a sense of awe. The large lawn in front of the main building is very famous. Soong Ching Ling once met many Chinese and foreign guests on this lawn.

After leaving the Soong Ching Ling Memorial Hall, we walked down the street for more than ten minutes to arrive at Zhou Mansion. This is the former site of the Shanghai office of the Communist Party of China delegation during the first cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China. Zhou Enlai, Dong Biwu and other party leaders once worked and fought here. Because Zhou Enlai was responsible for presiding over daily work, it was also called Zhou Mansion. The explanations in the museum are quite vivid and you can appreciate the tense atmosphere of that era.

The Memorial Hall of Sun Yat-sen's Former Residence is very close to the Zhou Mansion. This is the place where Sun Yat-sen lived for the last ten years of his life. He lived here with Soong Ching Ling for eight years and was the residence where they lived for the longest time. The museum houses exhibitions of some of Sun Yat-sen's life stories. Some of Sun Yat-sen's thoughts and writings that influenced the Chinese revolution were born here. Unfortunately, photos are not allowed in the museum.

Not far from the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall is Mao Zedong's former residence. This was the residence where Mao Zedong lived with Yang Kaihui when he was working in Shanghai in 1924. Mao Zedong had been to Shanghai more than ten times, and this was the place where Mao Zedong lived for the longest time. During this work period, Mao Zedong's leadership level and working ability were improved. At the same time, Mao Zedong had a new fundamental understanding of the Chinese revolution and realized that farmers and armed struggle were the two basic issues of the Chinese revolution. It is necessary to vigorously carry out the peasant movement, create a revolutionary path of rural encirclement of cities, and armed seizure of power. The formation of these ideas later affected the entire China.

After leaving Mao Zedong's former residence, take the subway to People's Square. There are Shanghai Museum and Shanghai Museum of Nature. Shanghai Museum has been visited before, so visit Shanghai Museum of Nature this time. It is a large area and has many exhibits. I slowly stroll around for more than an hour.

After leaving the Shanghai Museum of Natural History, it was still early. I looked at the map and chose to stroll in the direction of Nanjing Road. In the evening, along the Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, you slowly stroll all the way to the Bund. When you arrive at the Bund, the sky is getting dark and all kinds of ships come and go on the Huangpu River. It is a busy scene. Standing on the Bund and overlooking the scenery on both sides of the Huangpu River, you can feel the extraordinary charm of Magic City.

According to the scheduled plan, I flew from Shanghai to Guangzhou in the evening. When boarding the plane, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the plane I was flying on was a dual-channel wide-body passenger plane. This was the second time I had flown on a dual-channel wide-body passenger plane. I had flown on it more than 20 years ago. Time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, 20 years have passed. What a fleeting moment, I discovered that the most ruthless thing in the world is actually time.

After arriving in Guangzhou, for convenience, I chose to stay in the hotel opposite Yuexiu Park. The room allocated by the hotel was on the 15th floor. The room was very large with a large floor-to-ceiling window that overlooks the lush Yuexiu Park, giving a very broad view.

I got up early in the morning and checked the weather forecast. The highest temperature of the day was 25 degrees, which was neither cold nor hot, making it very suitable for traveling. Compared with Dalian, I heard that it had begun to snow.

Itinerary on December 2: Guangdong Province Museum, Guangzhou Tower, Sun Yat-sen's Grand Marshal's Mansion.

In the morning, take the subway to Huacheng Square. There are Guangdong Province Museum, Guangzhou City Grand Theater, and Guangzhou City Library. There are many high-rise buildings around them. Opposite the Guangzhou Tower, which is facing each other across the river. Looking at the Guangzhou Tower from afar, it is beautiful and dignified, and it is very beautiful.

The Guangdong Province Museum has a square appearance and a large area. It seems to be nicknamed "Candy Box." It is a comprehensive exhibition hall integrating nature, human history, astronomy and geography. Among them, crinoid fossils are one of the treasures of the town museum and the second largest in the country.

Inside, I met a group of old ladies with southern accents. I followed the group while listening to the explanation and viewing the exhibits. The explanation was very detailed. At the end of the visit, when the tour guide said goodbye to everyone, an old lady wearing a floral mirror in the regiment began to teach everyone the way of life seriously and seriously. After talking for about 20 minutes, the tour guide was stunned and kept embarrassed and polite.

After leaving the Guangdong Province Museum, take the subway across the river to the Guangzhou Tower. The Guangzhou Tower is 600 meters high and is currently the first tourist tower in China and the third highest in the world. It is a new landmark in Guangzhou and commonly known as "Xiaomanyao". There are several kinds of ticket tickets for climbing the tower. I bought a ticket for climbing the tower for 150 yuan. After climbing the tower, the weather is sunny, and you can overlook both sides of the Pearl River and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Yangcheng. It is great.

After leaving Guangzhou Tower, take the bus to visit Dashuai Mansion. The Grand Marshal's Mansion was the location of the headquarters of the Grand Marshal of the Army and Navy when Sun Yat-sen established the revolutionary regime in Guangzhou. Through a visit, I learned in detail about the course of Sun Yat-sen launching the revolution.

Guangzhou is not only economically developed, but also a city of food. At night, we found a buffet restaurant and had a hot pot meal.

Itinerary on December 3: Monument to Premier Sun Yat-sen, Memorial Room of Sun Yat-sen, Memorial Hall of the Former Site of Whampoa Military Academy, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Guangzhou Liberation Monument, Museum of the Tomb of the King of Nanyue in the Western Han Dynasty, and Stone Statue of Five Rams.

Early the next morning, I went to the First People's Hospital of Guangzhou City, which is very close to the hotel, and walked for about 20 minutes. Because when going to Macau from the mainland, you must provide a nucleic acid test report within seven days. There are many people in the hospital, and the test fee is 70 yuan. I had a nucleic acid test at Dalian Central Hospital. I remember it was 105 yuan, which is a little more expensive than Guangzhou.

After leaving the hospital, go to the Memorial Hall of the Former Site of Whampoa Military Academy. The attraction is far away from the city center. Take the subway first and then the ferry, and then walk for more than ten minutes. Whampoa Military Academy is a very famous place in modern Chinese history. Many movies and television dramas during the Anti-Japanese War and Liberation periods will mention this place. Being able to study at Whampoa Military Academy was an honor for soldiers of that era.

The Whampoa Military Academy was jointly founded by the Kuomintang and the Communist Party during the first cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. It trained a large number of generals of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, such as Ye Jianying, Chen Yi, Chen Geng, Xu Xiangqian, and Lin Biao. Chiang Kai-shek served as president and Zhou Enlai served as director of the Political Department.

This is the principal's office. When Chiang Kai-shek was the principal, he worked here.

After visiting the Whampoa Military Academy, take the subway back to the city center and first visit the Sacred Heart Catholic Cathedral in Shishi Rock. This church is the largest church in Guangzhou. It is a scenic spot for Internet celebrities. It has a Gothic architectural style and is entirely built of marble. However, it has not been opened due to the epidemic.

Not far from the church is the Guangzhou Liberation Monument. After the visit, take the subway to the First People's Hospital of Guangzhou City to get the nucleic acid test report.

After leaving the hospital, walk for about 20 minutes to the Western Han Dynasty Nanyue King Tomb Museum.

This is the location of the tomb of the second generation of the Nanyue King. The tomb is open to the public and covers an area of about 100 square meters. This is also the first time in my life that I have visited the interior of the emperor's tomb.

What shocked me was that there were also fifteen martyrs accompanying the King of Nanyue. These martyrs did not have coffins, but were laid flat in various places in the tomb chamber. After more than 2000 years, except for the bones of the Right Lady, the rest of the martyrs had been turned into ashes. Only a trace of a human figure could be barely seen. As the saying goes,"dust returns to dust, soil returns to soil." Time can really destroy everything, no matter how much wealth you once had. Therefore, whatever money is not money, whatever officials are not officials will turn to dust in a hundred years. Eat if you need to eat, drink if you need to drink, and set off if you want to travel. This is the right path in the world!!

The museum displays the funerary objects of the tomb. The exhibits are rich and the unearthed objects are very exquisite. The treasure of the town hall is a silk jade garment, not the gold jade garment common to kings in the Han Dynasty.

After leaving the Nanyue King Museum, it was getting late and walked to Yuexiu Park opposite. The famous Five Rams Stone Statue is located in Yuexiu Park.

The stone statue of the Five Rams is a symbol of Guangzhou, symbolizing the spirit of Guangzhou people. It is said that more than 2,000 years ago, five immortals flew to Guangzhou on five sheep with ears of grain in their mouths and donated the ears of grain to the people. Later, the five sheep turned into Stone sheep. From then on, Guangzhou has become a rich place, and Guangzhou has been named "Yangcheng" and "Suicheng".

Itinerary on December 4: Qixingyan Scenic Area and Dinghu Mountain Scenic Area in Zhaoqing City.

Not far from Guangzhou, there is a Qixingyan Scenic Area, a 5A level. When I was a child, I knew that Qixingyan was a famous tourist attraction in Guangdong, so this time I came to Guangzhou and visited Qixingyan was also a planned trip. Looking at the map, it is located in Zhaoqing City, about an hour by intercity high-speed rail. The hotel I stayed in is very close to the train station, making it very convenient to travel.

Take the high-speed train to Zhaoqing Station in the morning, and then take the bus for about 5 minutes to reach Qixingyan Scenic Area. After reading the introduction, there are two 5A-level scenic spots in Zhaoqing City, namely Qixingyan Scenic Area and Dinghu Mountain Scenic Area, collectively referred to as Xinghu Scenic Area. The two scenic spots are 16 kilometers apart. There is a scenic spot bus pick up and drop off. The joint ticket is 120 yuan.

Qixingyan Scenic Area has been a famous tourist attraction since the Tang Dynasty. It is a typical karst landform, with peak forests, lakes, karst caves, inscriptions, etc. as the main landscapes. It is known as the first wonder in Lingnan.

After entering the scenic area, first take a cruise ship to visit several major attractions, and then take a bamboo raft to view the seven rocky peaks up close. It is very refreshing to enjoy the beautiful scenery on both sides of the strait by riding a bamboo raft!

This kind of tree grows in the water all day long and there are many in the scenic area. According to the tour guide, the color of the leaves is different all year round.

This is the reclining Buddha in the scenic area. According to the introduction, it is the second largest natural reclining Buddha in Asia. When you look carefully, it really looks like it.

This is a karst cave in the scenic area. It is not very long. It is quite interesting to enter the interior by boat and listen to the boatman's explanation along the way.

Then take the scenic shuttle bus at the entrance of the scenic area to arrive at Dinghu Mountain Scenic Area.

Dinghu Mountain Scenic Area was established in 1956. It is the first nature reserve in my country. Its biggest feature is the variety of vegetation and is called the "Natural Big Oxygen Bar". There is a large tripod weighing 16 tons and a Duan inkstone weighing 2 tons, both of which are Guinness World Records.

This is the central lake area. There is a "heart-shaped island in the lake. It is very beautiful from the top and overlooking it.

Downstream of the lake is Butterfly Valley, also known as Lovers Valley. The scenery is very beautiful, especially the air is particularly fresh and it is very comfortable to breathe. The content of negative ions here is also the highest level known to be measured in my country.

This is the Feishuitan Waterfall, which has a good scenery. Sun Yat-sen visited Dinghu Mountain three times and swam in this pool with Soong Ching Ling.

Walking along Feishuitan for about half an hour, we reached Qingyun Temple. Sun Yat-sen once visited this temple and wrote a memorial.

December 5: Gongbei Port, Macao Special Administrative Region Government Headquarters, Macao Historical Urban area Pedestrian Street, St. Paul's Arch (Macau's landmark attraction).

After visiting Zhaoqing, I took the high-speed train to Zhuhai early the next morning. After leaving Zhuhai Railway Station, there was Gongbei Port next to it. It was a 2 - 3 minute walk. It was really convenient.

Before leaving the country, I first bought a three-day data package (27 yuan). Because I couldn't use the plan when I went to Macau, I could only use overseas roaming, and the data fee would be very expensive. After buying the data package, I would connect to the local communication provider CTM in Macau. You can just set it up on your mobile phone, which can save a lot of Internet access fees. After setting it up, the phone screen changed immediately.

The second is to prepare the Aokang code. I converted from the Yuekang code to the Aokang code, and automatically attached the negative nucleic acid test information to the Aokang code, so that there is no need to provide a paper nucleic acid certificate when passing the customs.

In the end, I exchanged 350 patacas (formerly called Portuguese currency) for spare use. There are many exchange points on both sides of Gongbei Port. It feels more formal here in the inland. The exchange rate on that day is 100 RMB for 116 patacas and 113 yuan Hong Kong dollars. There are also many exchange points in Macau, but they are all street shops, where 100 RMB is exchanged for 118 patacas.

I transited through Macau from Zhuhai at noon that day. Maybe it was the peak transit period at that time, and the crowd was surging, and the flow of people was really like a tide. When crossing the border, leaving the country is a self-service method. When I go to Macau, since this is my first time entering the country, I can only enter the country manually. However, unlike what I imagined the immigration officer would ask you questions, the immigration officer would just look up and look at you and it will be over, which takes about 3 seconds. Due to the large number of people queuing, the entire entry and exit process takes about 20 minutes.

After entering Macau, take a bus to the hotel. All routes in Macau are 6 patacas. When I took the bus along the street to the hotel, I found that because Macau is not large in area and limited land resources, the streets in Laocheng District are very narrow. Even the buses are small and crowded inside. I am used to riding inland buses, so I am really uncomfortable.

In addition, all vehicles in Macau drive on the right hand, and all roads are on the left hand. In complete contrast to inland areas, it took me a while to gradually adapt to it.

Macau is mainly composed of three parts: the Macau Peninsula, Taipa Island, and Coloane Island. Research on the map found that the city center and most historical and cultural attractions are on the Macau Peninsula, Guanye Street and several famous hotels are on Taipa Island, and Coloane Island is mainly Beach and other scenery.

For convenience of travel, I chose the hotel on the Macau Peninsula. It is about 5 minutes 'walk from the city center, about 10 minutes from the historical district, and about 15 minutes from St. Paul. It faces the Macau Tower across the lake. Next to it is the official residence of the Portugal Consul in Macau and a Portuguese-style villa area. The environment is particularly good.

Especially since this is an outbound trip after all and I wanted to see how good Macau is, so I booked a five-star hotel this time. This is the second time I have stayed in a five-star hotel. When I entered the room, I saw that the room also had a miniature courtyard. The room facilities are all very good, definitely exceeding my expectations. It's great. I really want to stay a few more days.

This is the headquarters building of the Macao Special Administrative Region. It is small and really has a completely different style from the government buildings in the mainland.

After exiting the hotel, you can walk down the street for about 10 minutes to the historical district. There are many famous historical attractions and various tourist shops.

I have always heard that pork chop buns in Hong Kong and Macao are quite famous. When I was wandering in the historical district, I bought one to try it. It was 20 patacas. It was quite big. I would be full after eating one.

Garbage cans in Macau look like this.

This is Macau's iconic attraction: St. Paul's Archway. It was originally the front wall of St. Paul's Church, which was built in 1604. Due to the fire, the church was destroyed, leaving only the front wall preserved.

On the way back to the hotel, I saw a street road show and enjoyed it for more than 20 minutes. The singing was in Portuguese and was in a very affectionate and cheerful playing style.

This is a casual photo of the night view of Macau. Although it is not as good as the night view of the Bund, it is still very beautiful.

Itinerary on December 6: Maritime Museum, Port Authority Building, Zhengjia House, Gangding Theater, St. Austin's Church, City Council Building, Rose Church, Macau Tower.

This is the Port Authority Building. During the original Portuguese occupation period, the Portuguese government hired many Indians as police officers. This was the camp of the original Indian police at that time, and it was in an Islamic architectural style.

This is Gangding Theater. It was built in 1860 and is the first Western-style theater in China.

This is St. Austin's Church. It was built in 1591. It belongs to the European Renaissance style building and is the largest gathering place in the area.

When I arrived at the church, I saw that there were about 300 members in the church, so I quickly found the only empty seat in the last row and sat down. Although there were a large number of people in the church, it seemed extremely quiet, even quieter than when the company held a department-level cadre meeting. The congregation was quietly listening to the choir's chanting hymns one after another, and heard "Hallelujah" sung several times.

Not long after the singing was over, everyone suddenly stood up (I hurriedly followed suit), lowered their heads solemnly, and quietly listened to a person speaking in front of them. It was not English or Cantonese, I guess it was Portuguese. Suddenly everyone crossed their chests again and shouted Amen in unison. Suddenly everyone spoke together and sang a hymn. After singing one song, they quietly listened to another person, and then suddenly they sang together and kept singing "Hallelujah", the melody is very beautiful.

After that, there were also holy water ceremonies to the congregation, several kneeling and praying ceremonies, etc. The whole process was about an hour. I participated in the entire experience, listened and prayed with everyone. I felt that the atmosphere was very good, and my heart became peaceful. A lot, great.

This is the City Council Building, the former City Hall. It was built in 1784 and has a Baroque architectural style.

This is the Rose Church. It was built in 1587 and has a Baroque architectural style. It contains more than 300 precious cultural relics.

A ceremony is also being held in the church. The bishop who is guiding the congregation to pray is a foreigner. There are about a hundred congregation in the church. After observation, most of them are foreigners and speak English throughout the entire process.

During the ceremony, there was also a hymns section. The lead singer was a woman singing English. When singing the hymns, it sounded like bel canto, which was very nice. The ethereal hymns echoed constantly in the church, solemn and sacred.

At noon, I went to a five-star hotel to taste Macau cuisine. The service was very good, with a lot of dishes and more exquisite. I ate a lot and felt a little overwhelmed.

In the afternoon, I walked slowly along the lake to digest the excessive food I had eaten at noon. After walking around the lake for half a time, I came to the Macau Tower by the lake. I climbed the tower and went to the revolving restaurant on the top of the tower. I enjoyed afternoon tea and enjoyed the scenery of Macau. The weather was very sunny and the beautiful scenery of Macau was in full view.

Itinerary on December 7: Guanye Street, Military Exhibition Hall of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Garrison in Macao, Venetian, Parisian, San Ho Film Fair, Mage Temple, Wynn Fortune Tree, Grand Fort, Macau Museum.

When I got up in the morning, I took a bus to Taipa Island. The first thing I came to was Guanye Street. This is Macau's Shouxin Pedestrian Street. There are various tourist commodities with Macau characteristics for sale. Due to the arrival too early, most shops were not open.

After walking more than 10 minutes from Guanye Street, I arrived at the famous Venetian Hotel. This hotel has a replica of the Venice Grand Canal inside, which is a check-in spot for Internet celebrities for Macau tourists. When I came in and took a look, there were almost no people due to my arrival too early. People, Gondola, were quietly waiting for the boatman's call.

This is the famous Parisian hotel. In front of the hotel, there is an exactly scaled Paris Tower, which is very eye-catching.

This is the Studio Mall Hotel. In the center of the hotel is an eight-shaped Ferris wheel, which is very unique.

After visiting several famous hotels, I took a bus back to the Macau Peninsula. This is the Mage Temple. It was built in the Ming Dynasty and is the earliest temple in Macau.

After leaving the Ma 'ge Temple, I went to the Wynn Hotel in the city center. There is a famous Wynn Fortune Tree here. It is inside this big ball. It will rise from the ball at the hour. According to the introduction, the rising scene is quite shocking, gorgeous and dazzling.

However, I kept waiting for the whole time, but the tree of wealth did not rise. I wonder if it was due to the epidemic.

After leaving Wynn Hotel, walk for more than 20 minutes to the Grand Fort Scenic Spot. The Grand Fort was built in 1617 and was the center of Macau's defense system at that time. There were about 30 copper cannons.

It was originally planned to fly back to Dalian from Zhuhai after visiting Macau, but later received a notice from the airline that the flight was changed and had to transfer through Nanjing and fly back to Dalian.

On the afternoon of December 7, I returned to the mainland through Gongbei Port. Compared with noon, there was less flow of people in the afternoon. It only took about 10 minutes to cross the border. Before entering the mainland, I went to the duty-free shop to check it. China 320 Hong Kong dollars per ticket, still very cheap.

Itinerary on December 8: Nanjing Six Dynasties Museum, Jiangsu Province Art Museum, Pilu Temple, Confucius Temple Scenic Area.

I have been to Nanjing many times. After flying to Nanjing, I first take the subway to visit the Six Dynasties Museum. The exhibition hall is not very large and mainly introduces and displays the history of the six dynasties.

Adjacent to the Six Dynasties Museum is the Jiangsu Province Art Museum, which has many paintings inside. I went in and visited it.

After leaving the art museum, we walked for more than 10 minutes to Pilu Temple. The ginkgo trees here are very famous. I arrived a little late. Most of the ginkgo leaves have fallen off, a withered and incomplete scenery.

In the afternoon, I received another notice from the airline that the flight to Dalian was delayed until evening. Since there was still plenty of time, I slowly strolled along the street to the Confucius Temple Scenic Area.

In the middle of the night, the plane arrived in Dalian safely. As soon as I left the airport, I felt cold. I looked at the temperature and found that it was already below zero. Good luck, I experienced the feeling of going directly from summer to winter again!!

This is the story of my trip to Macau this time. I feel that Macau is still very good and I should be able to go again.

Thanks for watching!!