Downtown visitors doubled as CNY closes in

One week prior to the Chinese New Year, downtown Macau has seen an increasing influx of tourists. Many visitors from nearby cities are visiting to shop for goods and gifts, while some are attracted by the festive ambience and well-preserved traditions.
“Since last Thursday, the crowd has obviously increased. The number of pedestrians is double the usual amount. Around three and four o’clock, the walkways here are congested,” a Public Security Police officer told the Times at the busy commercial street of San Ma Lo.
Ms Tang is one of the New Year shoppers who are coming from neighboring cities. In front of a pharmacy in Senado Square at nightfall, the Times found her organizing several packages of new clothes, toiletries and milk powders. “We spent thousands of yuan today,” she said.
By her side was Mr Tang, who was urging the family to hurry up and set off for the backhaul. “We drove with ten family members from Jiangmen city. It’s only about one hour’s driving. By the time we arrived at the border, it was eight in the morning and it was not crowded,” he said.
Because of the proximity, Ms Tang’s family often comes to Macau for shopping, especially for bringing back canned milk formula. “We feel more assured by the quality here. So, this time, we bought more than a dozen of cans, using up the Customs’ quota of each adult bringing in two cans,” she explained. “It is, indeed, too crowded during this time,” she added.
Coming specially for the Chinese New Year, a young Syrian man, Mr Orwa, found Macau “completely different” from the nearby city of Guangzhou where he resides. “But both cities are perfect. If only people here also spoke Mandarin, we could talk,” he said with excitement.
“We didn’t expect so many people and so many lights. But we don’t feel crowded; we are used to it in Guangzhou,” he said, pointing to the lighting decorations surrounding the square.
On different festival occasions, the Senado Square will be dressed up with lanterns and seasonal flowers. By tradition, Lunar New Year displays tend to showcase the most warmth and festivity.
“The ambience for Chinese New Year here is very rich, more than what we feel in Shanghai and other mainland cities. The street lanterns in the Cantonese regions are the best; some traditions are also preserved better here,” said Winston Wei from Shanghai, when stopping to take a family photo in front of the lantern display.
Surrounded by flows of visitors, Mr Wei said that the crowd doesn’t bother him. “The crowd is how a New Year crowd should be. It’s not that much; any tourism attractions in China could be this crowded,” he stressed.
However, the family of four spent more than two hours yesterday passing through the border gate. “The government should take measures to make the border crossing more efficient under this circumstance. Also, we find it’s not convenient for families with young children to travel here,” he added.
“It’s ok to have this influx of tourists if the public security can be maintained well. The government should better control and regulate the flow of entries, as well as traffic, so that we can wait less and move more smoothly,” another visitor, Ms Jiang, suggested.

‘Fortune comes with flowers’

A Chinese saying has it that “Fortune comes with blooming flowers.” With the Lunar New Year approaching, many families are decorating their homes with seasonal flowers and potted tangerines in anticipation of an auspicious year. In order to facilitate local florists delivering more potted plants and bouquets from the mainland, the Macau Customs Service (SA) has doubled the entry quota at the Inner Harbor Ferry Terminal.
According to a Customs supervisor, Lei Hoi Heng, the entry quota at the Inner Harbor Terminal will be increased from 450 to 1000 people for the period between February 13 and 18.
“The increased quota is mainly for florists with potted plants to land; other importers will land at the South Sampan Pier (Cais De Sampanas Sul),” he told the TDM. He added that the SA has deployed personnel to maintain order, while Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau officers are carrying out quarantine work on site.
Boats and boats of fresh flowers and potted tangerines are being delivered from Zhuhai’s Wanzai Port to Inner Harbor during the early mornings. A Wanchai crop company representative, Mr Chan Kit Keong, said that his three boats could fit a thousand and some hundreds of plant pots. “The flower prices this New Year have climbed by ten percent compared to last year, due to the warm weather,” he said.
Some flower farmers have seen good business, thanks to the good harvest. Because of a warm winter, several kinds of flowers, such as chrysanthemums and orchids, are blossoming earlier than usual, just in time for the festivities.