To discuss culture one is bound to first make clear what one means by that term, thereby avoiding some unnecessary misunderstandings. As a layman, I want to concentrate my topic mainly on the customs and beliefs of the people I have been familiar with, or acquainted with, or heard of.  This topic should be a serious one which entails planning or research of data, a task now beyond me, so I can only make it a mediocre piece, satisfying my practice needs and sharing my experience with my friends.

As many friends who have not lived in Macau often have difficulty in telling its difference from Hong Kong, so the first part I want to spend on discussing these two Specialized Administrative Regions( SARs), despite the fact that I have only visited Hong Kong several times and not empowered to elaborate on it. Unlike Hong Kong, profoundly influenced by and immensely benefited from British culture, Macau remains to be a typified Canton town even after over four hundred years of Portugal governing. English has almost become as common as Cantonese in Hong Kong, but Portuguese is not as esteemed, even though it is an official language. Many Macau residents can speak some Portuguese, but only a few really have a good command, which is weird for outsiders. How on earth is such a phenomenon coming into existence? The riddle was solved after I had lived there for one year. A majority of the senior citizens here have little education; finishing a secondary education is considered a privilege, some never formally schooled. It is said that only within the recent decades, especially after the return of sovereignty, the authorities have implemented a series of measures to boost education. It seems the Portuguese is lenient on the education policy, with no intention of homogenizing this small town. The only university of note is Macau University, which is also growing and catching up with the first-rate universities of the world. One thing must be borne in mind: Hong Kong is a metropolitan city while Macau is a cozy town. A friend from Canada said that the relationship of Macau to Hong Kong is comparable to that of New Zealand to Australia. The comparison is over simplistic but it helps to clarify the relationship.

 I was born in the northern part of China and have never had an opportunity of either traveling to or living in Guangdong province, so it was good news to me when I was chosen by the Ministry of Health to work in Macau for some time. Before departure, some friends told me to study Cantonese which might be helpful in acclimatizing myself to the new environment, and I did as they suggested. When I came to Macau, what surprised me most was that not only I couldn’t understand what they were talking about, but they, as Chinese, knew no Mandarin at all, which made communication rather difficult. Anyway after immersing in the environment for over a year, my listening comprehension improved a lot, winning praise from my colleagues. When I related to several friends about their not knowing Mandarin, they were equally surprised.  Cantonese is a unique Chinese language system, having its own pronunciation, spelling and idioms. Only after learning some Cantonese did I know that many of the translations in English were originated from Canton. Words like Peking, Chiang Kai Sheik, Sun Yat-sen, etc. etc., are all directly translated into English from Cantonese pronunciation. Seeing the world is indeed a necessary step in counteracting biases and prejudices. I once read a blog complaining why the Hong Kong and Macau tabloids made different translation versions, its author obviously having no experience of living in these regions. I am lucky that I self corrected my misconceptions on this mission.

The second thing making an impression on me is their interests in cuisine. Their passion for foods is genuine. Several of my colleagues are gourmet, knowing perfectly well how to eat and where to find the delicacy. What’s more, they are constantly updating their knowledge of culinary arts. Really admirable! Those who are not experts went into raptures at the mention of any mouthwatering foods, or the opening of a new restaurant. I have learned a lot from them and am really grateful.

   The third thing is their temperate and contented attitude towards life. Though they buy stocks, invest on estates, enjoy gossiping, they spend a handsome portion of their earnings on recreations. Traveling to different countries becomes their routine; a majority of my colleagues have been to dozens of countries, though Taiwan and Japan are among their favorites due to their relative proximity. Under their influence I was raring to go abroad, but the mind was willing, the body was tardy, I have only travelled to Malaysia last year, which served as an eye-opener. The doctors there are not interested in writing papers or doing research; they care only about clinical practice, which is not a bad thing at all. In mainland China the rage for academic success is incredibly deep-rooted, the pursuit of which seems sometimes to become the single hallmark of a man’s character. While we praise those students who are academically successful, those under-achievers are simultaneously stigmatized with no fault at all. For the world to run well, variety is best: each one is unique and deserves his special place in the world; homogeneity is a curse to the development of our lovely land. Their view of life has impacted on me and I am not prepared to be a social climber any more. This doesn’t mean that we should be slothful, but rather we should know how to make rational and reasonable decisions on spending time on family, individual pursuit and work.

   The last but not the least important is about religion and family values. Macau residents enjoy their freedom of religion. Catholics, Protestant, The Baptist, Buddhism, and Taoism thrive side by side. I have attended several times to a Christian church, where my boss is a devout member. They were very kind and generous, but the ceremony of saying Amen and saying prayers were embarrassing to me. I like reading the Bible and daily grow confident that I am conversant with their doctrines, but after joining the group and regularly watching the Christian voice on TV, I come to know that I am still a neophyte and there is a long way to go to fathom the quintessence of this holy book. The family ties are not as closely knitted as in mainland China. I only give two examples to support my view. When the old gets ill, it is customary for children to accompany them to hospital and stay there to look after them; this is not so in Macau, one reason being that the hospital doesn’t allow relations to stay in ward. When Dr. Ng’s father was ill and being hospitalized, he didn’t bother to see the old man himself, even if he worked in the same hospital. This is unusual in mainland China. Attitudes towards marriage and rearing of child are similar in both places; both holding fast to the old Confucius tradition, though the percentage of women choosing celibacy is higher in Macau. Homos seem to enjoy more leeway in Macau. I have met one at a feast, who was so audacious as to force a kiss on my neck, which was really annoying. Another ludicrous case is that a doctor was charged with molestation when he examined a male patient. It was an oversight of the doctor who should have first confirmed the identity of his patient. To raise overall awareness, a separate lavatory should be set aside for homos in public toilet facilities, which might be a hedge against further trespasses. One can enjoy one’s freedom as long as it doesn’t militate against the welfare of others. I have read a blog on this web which discusses about homos and which have received warm responses from readers, most of whom have adopted an understanding and liberal attitudes. My view is similar. Homos will enjoy greater freedom and receive more publicity in the future.

    Those scenes are quickly fading away if not recorded in time. I thought I had a lot to dwell on, but now my pen seems to come to a standstill. In summary, Macau is a very nice place, its people are tolerant and friendly, the services are first-class, and the goods are bona fide. I hope to work there a second time if opportunity arises.