Macao prioritizes elderly care, public housing improvements

Improving public well-being has been a key focus of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government since the region's return to the motherland 25 years ago, with elderly care and affordable public housing standing out as top priorities.

In Macao, seniors living in government-funded apartments can enjoy their golden years in their community equipped with age-friendly recreational facilities including those for table tennis, karaoke singing and Chinese calligraphy.

Kwong Yiu Lam, a 76-year-old resident, said moving into the senior apartment has transformed his retirement life.

When the apartments opened doors to applicants in October, Kwong was quick to settle in. His new home came equipped with smoke and flood alarms, along with an emergency call button for 24-hour assistance.

"I'm very satisfied [with the living environment.] The Social Welfare Bureau and the apartment managers often organize activities tailored to our needs, like calligraphy and singing, helping us enjoy a fulfilling retirement," he said.

The senior apartments primarily cater to elderly residents with stable incomes but inadequate housing conditions.

However, Macao's aging population poses a broader challenge. In 2023, residents aged 65 and above accounted for 16.7 percent of the population, surpassing the number of children under 14 for the first time.

The demographic shift has prompted the SAR government to expand elderly care services.

"In the past, our daycare service center could only accommodate around 80 seniors. After years of development, it can now accommodate some 550 elderly people. Meanwhile, the number of inpatient care beds available has increased from 1,100 to 2,500, and the number is expected to be further enlarged to approximately 2,700 by year-end," said Hon Wai, director of the Social Welfare Bureau in Macao SAR.

In addition to elderly care, housing remains a pressing issue for Macao. The New Urban Zone Area A, a 138-hectare reclamation area, has been planned to provide 30,000-plus housing units for more than 90,000 residents, making it the largest public housing zone in Macao.

The zone's area will feature approximately 28,000 public housing units, comprising 24,000 affordable housing units for purchase at below-market prices and some 4,000 public rental housing units for eligible applicants, who are exempted from paying rent.

"In August in 2020, the SAR government launched a public housing constant application system, which allows people to apply for affordable public housing at any time, marking a new milestone. Eligible families can now be allocated housing within about a year and a half on average, and about 95 percent of tenants enjoy rent exemptions," said Iam Lei Leng, director of the Housing Bureau in Macao SAR.

Meanwhile, the Guangdong-Macao in-depth cooperation zone in Hengqin, Zhuhai City of Guangdong Province neighboring Macao, is creating additional opportunities for Macao people.

Projects like the "Macao New Neighborhood" in Hengqin have significantly improved living conditions for many, and the SAR government has also supported social service groups in establishing elderly care centers within the project, which are already operational.

Macao prioritizes elderly care, public housing improvements

China has unveiled a new species of early Jurassic dinosaur, with a somewhat well-preserved fossil of it discovered in southwest China's Yunnan province, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) announced recently.

Named Lishulong wangi, the fossil represents one of the largest known early sauropods from the region.

The well-preserved specimen, which includes an intact skull and nine cervical vertebrae, was unearthed in 2007 in the Chuanjie Basin of Yunnan's Lufeng City.

"(The fossil) was discovered in the back hills of Dalishu Village, and, after years of studies, named Lishulong wangi. The name is to commemorate a man named 'Wang Zhengju' who discovered Lufengpithecus fossils. So, the newly discovered fossil has been named after Mr. Wang Zhengju," said Wang Tao, director of Dinosaur Fossil Conservation and Research Center under Lufeng's Department of Natural Resources.

Scientists from the IVPP have classified Lishulong wangi as an early-branching sauropodomorph, closely related to Yunnanosaurus.

The skull alone measures about 40 centimeters in length, making it the largest of its kind found in the Lufeng Formation.

This discovery increased the diversity of dinosaurs in southwest China, and improved the understanding of the evolution of early differentiated sauropods.

"Its skull and cervical spine are better preserved. It would have been about eight meters long when it was alive," Wang said.

The fossil is now on public display at an exhibition hall in the Lufeng Dinosaur Valley.

Chinese scientists discover new early Jurassic dinosaur species in southwest China's Yunnan