A 6-meter high gold-coated bronze sculpture, "Flower of Lotus", a gift from the Central Government to the newly founded Government of Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR), was unveiled at the Lotus Park in Macao on December 20.

Vice-Premier Qian Qichen, on behalf of the Central Government, presented a certificate of the gift to Edmund Ho Hau Wah, the first Chief Executive and representative of the MSAR Government prior to the unveiling ceremony.

The 6.5-ton sculpture is erected on a three-step base made of 23 pieces of red granite slabs, which represent the three areas of Macao, the peninsula and the two islands.

The bronze sculpture consists of 16 shapes of stems, petals and pistils. The diameter of the flower is 3.6 meters.

Shining brightly under the sun, the blossoming lotus symbolizes the eternal prosperity of Macao.

(Beijing Review No. 52, December 27, 1999)