Time Capsule ( pt, Cápsula do Tempo, ) is a

time capsule A time capsule is a historic cache of goods or information, usually intended as a deliberate method of communication with future people, and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians. The preservation of holy relics dates ba ...

that symbolizes the Portuguese government's witnessing and acknowledgement of China's promise to maintain

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

's level of autonomy for fifty years after the transfer of sovereignty. The Time Capsule was closed and covered on 18 December 1999 and it is scheduled to be opened in 2049. Currently, the Time Capsule is located in the Praça do Centro Cultural de Macau, which was the venue for the transference of sovereignty ceremony.

Design

The metallic Time Capsule, designed by

Donato Moreno Donato may refer to: People *Donato (surname) As a given name * Donato Bilancia (1951–2020), Italian serial killer * Donato Bramante (1444–1514), Italian architect * Donato da Cascia (fl. c. 1350 – 1370), Italian composer of trecento ma ...

, is a drum-type container measuring approximately in diameter by in height. Its cover carries the inscription "19.12.1999 MACAU 澳門 19.12.2049", representing the last date on which Portugal controlled

(19 December 1999), the city's name in Portuguese and Chinese and the date on which the time capsule is to be opened (19 December 2049).

History

President of the Portuguese Republic

Jorge Sampaio Jorge Fernando Branco de Sampaio (; 18 September 1939 – 10 September 2021) was a Portuguese lawyer and politician who was the 18th president of Portugal from 1996 to 2006. A member of the Socialist Party, a party which he led between 1989 an ...

with the Governor of Macau

Vasco Joaquim Rocha Vieira Vasco Joaquim Rocha Vieira, GCTE GCC GCIH ComA (; b. Lagoa, 16 August 1939), is a retired Portuguese Army officer who was last Governor of Macau. Background He is the son of João da Silva Vieira (b. Lagoa or Faro on 9 November 1913) an ...

hosted the ceremony to seal the Time Capsule in front of Pavilhão da Cerimónia de Transferênciade Poderes, the venue of the ceremony for the

transfer of sovereignty over Macau The transfer of sovereignty of Macau (; pt, Transferência da soberania de Macau) from Portugal to the People's Republic of China (PRC) occurred on 20 December 1999. Macau was settled by Portuguese merchants in 1557, during the Ming dynasty ...

at noon on 18 December 1999 (the transfer itself occurred on the 20th). At around 13:00, Sampaio and Vieira put the relevant documents with the transfer of sovereignty over Macau into the time capsule one by one. The capsule was then lowered by steel chains into the well to a depth of around deep, buried and capped. The capsule was ceremonially sealed by Sampaio who gave a speech just before midnight on the day of the transfer.Portuguese president bids Macau farewell
BBC, 19 December 1999, retrieved 24 November 2013 The time capsule is expected to be opened on 19 December 2049 – 50 years from its burial, symbolizing the

Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China The State Council, constitutionally synonymous with the Central People's Government since 1954 (particularly in relation to local governments), is the chief administrative authority of the People's Republic of China. It is chaired by the pre ...

's promise of maintaining " one country, two systems", and guaranteeing a high level of autonomy of Macau ruled by their residents for 50 years after the transfer of sovereignty to People's Republic of China, as witnessed by the

Portuguese Government , border = Central , image = , caption = , date = , state = Portuguese Republic , address = Official Residence of the Prime MinisterEstrela, Lisbon , appointed = President o ...

The Time Capsule contains the Joint Declaration of the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Portuguese Republic on the question of Macao, Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region. Moreover, documents, newspaper clippings and official press releases that related to the transfer of sovereignty during the transition period were also put into the capsule.

References

External links

澳门，五十年是否长久？
{{coord missing, Macau History of Macau

Design

History

Contents

References

External links