"Do you know Macao was never my real name? I have been away from you for too long, mother…"
Song of the Seven Sons-Macao, written by Wen Yiduo in 1925, is still in the hearts of Macao's teenagers today. The Basic Law of Macao Special Administrative Region (《中华人民共和国澳门特别行政区基本法》) came out in 1993 and started to work on Dec. 20, 1999, as Macao returned to China. From then on, it has become much easier for young people to build a closer relationship with their motherland.
Chan U, an 18-year-old, is studying at the University of Macao. She said "Traveling to the Chinese mainland (大陆) has become easier. Visits to Zhuhai have become a part of the daily life of some people. " Kun Lot U, 25, studies at the South China University of Technology. She said "Many local people go to Zhuhai to buy vegetables as they are fresher and cheaper than those in local markets. Young people often go to Zhuhai to play jubensha, a role-playing game. "
The number of trips out of Macao in January was 2. 23 million, and most of them went to the Chinese mainland. Cities like Chongqing, Changsha and Hangzhou are popular places for young people, according to Chan. Guangdong is also a good choice since the language and food are similar.
"Young people in Macao care a lot about what's happening on the mainland," said Kun. Like the young people on the mainland, they also use apps from the mainland to know the hot issues (话题). They have learned many mainland Internet catchphrases (流行语). "I know about the most popular ones such as ‘yyds'," said Kun. "They make us understand more about people and life on the mainland. "
More than half of the people in Macao use online shopping apps from the mainland. Kun said that it's because they can find almost everything they need at good prices on the apps. The products are first shipped to a collection station in Macao. It usually takes about three to seven days for local people to get the products. "The connection between Macao and the motherland is getting stronger and stronger. " said Chan.
