Locations for the Handover Ceremony, Official Banquet and Portuguese Cultural Event
The Handover Ceremony shall mark the formal change in the Administration of Macau at midnight on 19th December. It will take place in a temporary structure in the gardens next to the Cultural Centre of Macau.
Designed to hold up to 2,500 people in solemn, dignified surroundings, the structure offers a high degree of security. Other temporary structures will be used for the Portuguese Cultural Event during the afternoon and for the Official Banquet which shall precede the main ceremony.
Vicente Bravo, a Macau based architect, designed the buildings for the Handover Ceremony and the Official Banquet.
Work on the Handover Pavilion began in mid-May and was completed on schedule in December at a cost of slightly more than MOP$60 million.
Covering over 6,000 square metres with a maximum height of 20 metres, the Handover pavilion can accommodate 2,500 people. In addition, there are support rooms, facilities for hosting top-ranking officials and press areas.
To make better use of the night-time ceremony, translucent materials have been used for the roof and most of the side walls. The entire area will be the focus of a dazzling play of light that will make the pavilion resemble a huge Chinese lantern from the outside.
The interior of the pavilion is dominated by the stage area where dignitaries from Portugal and the People's Republic of China, along with official delegations from both countries shall be seated. There are four large flagpoles for the formal exchange of flags.
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