Five years after Macao's return to the motherland, the patriotic spirit and the love for Macao has deeply rooted in Macao residents' hearts.

Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR)said recently that Macao citizens have become masters of their fate ideologically and enjoyed better life and improved social stability after the handover.

The chief executive called on a consecutive publicity of the Basic Law among the folks, while accelerating the economic development. The ideological building has helped agglomerate a cohesion of patriotic force to implement "one country, two systems" in Macao.

Since its founding, the Macao SAR government has practiced China's principle of "one country, two systems" in adherence to the Basic Law, which saw a continuity in the existing social system and life style as well as a booming economy.

The Basic Law has ensured a smooth transition ensured a stable transition period and the formation of a government administrated by Macao people during the past five years.

In April, 2001, the Macao Association for the Promotion of the Basic Law was established with a widely-representative membership of over 260 people.

Most of Macao's 2,000-odd societies have shouldered the responsibility of promoting the legal knowledge and the understanding of the motherland.

With Macao's return to the motherland, the exchanges between political, business and academic societies in the mainland and Macao have become more and more frequent. All kinds of exhibitionswere held here all year round to allow Macao citizens to understand China's historical background and the country's ever-changing social and economic development.

Over one fourth of Macao total population of 450,000 went to the two-day Exhibition of China's First Manned Space Mission, which was held in November last year. Such an enthusiasm for a show was unprecedented in Macao.

The pride for the motherland is building up in Macao people's hearts. Patriotic personages in Macao have donated a large sum of funds to various causes from disaster-relief, space exploration, construction of Olympic sports facilities to the protection of thecultural heritage in the mainland.

In the patriotic environment, solumn flag hoisting ceremony is held on China's National Day and upon the anniversary of the founding of the Macao SAR every year, which often draw a large crowd of Macao residents.

Materials teaching children the love for the motherland and Macao are chosen in the popularization of Putonghua, a standard pronunciation of Chinese language, in elementary and primary schools in Macao.