Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 2020complete | Page 657

Macau the Las Vegas of the East
Korean International Springboard, Kwan, Jordan - 13
The name Macau is thought to have been coined through a misunderstanding by Portuguese seafarers when
they first arrived on the island. They asked the locals for the name of the land, but the locals misunderstood,
and answered with “A MA-GAU”, thinking that the Portuguese were asking for the name of the temple
called A-MA. From there, the Portuguese took ‘A-MA-GAU’ and the territory officially became known
as Macau.
Macau have approximately 38 casinos. Some of them are located in Macau, Peninsula and some are in Taipa
Island. The biggest casino is the Venetian Macau. Some casinos that I visited are Wynn Palace Macau,
MGM China, Grand Lisboa Macau. All of them are giving free drinks once you enter their casino but you
cannot take it out. During night time you can see different beautiful lights surrounding the casinos. There’s a
lot of different entertainment inside and outside the casinos. There are also different luxury shops inside the
casino.
Don’t forget to eat the Portuguese egg tart when you visit Macau. It will remind you of the culture of
Portugal. You need to try their Portuguese seafood rice, prawn tartar, almond cookies and sweet pork jerky.
Another thing is the historical places in Macau, some of the structures were built in the 19th century like the
Dom Pedro V theatre, it was built in 1858 and is the oldest theatre in Macau and was the first Western-style
theatre to open in China. Another is the Ruins of St.Paul, it was built in the 16th century but burned down
in 1835 leaving only its very large and beautiful facade. Next is A-Ma Temple and is believed to be the
temple from where Macao’s name comes from. It’s the oldest temple in the city.
When you are in Macau you feel you’re in two places because every name of the street and all of the
business advertisements are written in Portuguese but you are in China.
The Witch and the Hong Kong People
Korean International Springboard, Lowther, Jessica - 13
One Saturday morning at Prince Edward flower market in Hong Kong some people were taking pictures of
the beautiful flowers. As they did they enjoyed the vibrant smell and splendor of each flower around. All of
a sudden from a puff of smoke there was a witch who froze the people. The flower vendors got angry, so
the witch froze them also. She then stole all the flowers, captured the people with her big black net and
brought them back to her house.
When they arrived the witch put them in a cage and unfroze them. She did this because she wanted to put
the people in soup and eat them. She put up all the flowers she stole around her house and got ready to
make the soup with all her ingredients. Then the witch gathered some wood and made a fire for her
humongous pot. The witch boiled some water in the pot and when the fire was almost out, and only a few
ashes were left she slowly added the ingredients for the magic soup and mixed it with her broom stick.
When she was about to take the people out of the cage to add to her recipe, a magic fairy came to save the
people inside the cage and assist them one by one to get out of the witch house. As they walked out of the
house the witch shouted and tried to freeze them all again. The fairy used her wand to safely save everyone.
They were whisked away on the wind over the Greater Bay Area and back to the flower stall in Prince
Edward. The witch was never seen again.