On the occasion of the National Day in 2020, I was invited by a friend to join him on a seven-day journey to Macau, a place called the casino.
This trip to Macau has given me a deeper understanding of this place in this small land.
When I flew to Macau, as soon as I stepped out of the outside of the airport, I saw colorful buses parked there, and the drivers warmly greeted every passenger who walked out of the airport.
These buses are free of charge and are mainly used by regular visitors to the city's major casinos.
At the same time, there are also a number of full-time beautiful PR women who shuttle around the airport VIP lounges, and their task is to select those seemingly wealthy guests and provide one-on-one car service directly to the VIP room of the casino.
In Macau, locals don't call them "casinos", but rather "casinos".
The reason is that the entertainment venues here are far more than just providing gambling services, they integrate shopping, movie watching, bars and other entertainment facilities, and have become the first choice for many young people to date.
This multi-functional design makes the casino no longer a single one, but a comprehensive entertainment center.
To enter the casino, everyone goes through strict security procedures.
Casino staff will ask you to hand over all metal items, including cell phones and cameras, to ensure that no one is cheating or making illegal records.
This measure is implemented to ensure fairness and safety in the venue, on the one hand, and to prevent any conduct that may cause chaos, on the other.
What impressed me about the inside of the casino was that visitors could enjoy free coffee, pastries and fruits.
In fact, many people enter casinos not purely for gambling, but more out of curiosity and enjoy free food by the way.
This one-of-a-kind customer experience is another major way for Macau casinos to attract visitors.
In terms of security, the security around the casinos in Macau is extremely strict.
As gambling is the backbone of Macau's industry, the local police have a dedicated department responsible for casino security, ensuring that these areas are patrolled 24 hours a day to ensure the safety of tourists and employees.
In Macau, anyone who is at least twenty-one years old has the opportunity to become a dealer.
The job of the dealer is a shift system, working eight hours a day, with a break every two hours, six days a week.
Their monthly salary is usually between 10,000 and 20,000 RMB.
It is worth mentioning that even the dealer himself can gamble at other casinos on his day off, which ensures fairness and gives the dealer a chance to relax.
However, if a visitor wins continuously at the table, the casino's surveillance system keeps an eye on every move of that guest.
Once it's determined that there is no cheating, it usually means that the guest is in special luck.
However, at this time, the casino may change dealers in an attempt to break the good luck of the guests, which is a way for the casino to maintain a balance of interests.
In fact, Macau's welfare system is also worth discussing, as Macau provides many guarantees and generous living conditions for its people.
Macau's support for family life is evident. When a man and a woman who have reached the legal age of marriage get married, both parties receive a marriage allowance of 2,122 patacas.
Every time a newborn baby is added to the family, the parents receive a birth allowance of MOP5,418.
In terms of education, Macao has implemented a 15-year free education system from kindergarten to high school to ensure that every child can receive a good education.
In addition to free education, the government also provides tuition assistance ranging from 4,000 to 9,000 patacas, a book allowance of 2,000 to 3,000 patacas, a food subsidy of 3,400 patacas, and a school supplies subsidy of more than 2,000 patacas to support students' learning and growth in an all-round way.
In terms of employment and pension, Macao has also demonstrated a high sense of social responsibility.
If Macao people are unemployed, the government provides an unemployment allowance of MOP150 every day to help them tide over the difficulties.
For the elderly, the government not only provides a monthly pension of 3,740 patacas, but also distributes 600 yuan of health care vouchers to residents every year for treatment and medicine purchase in hospitals of all sizes.
In addition, there are different amounts of sickness allowance for inpatient and non-inpatient treatment, which fully covers the medical needs of the elderly.
The Macau government also provides generous support for people with disabilities, whether it is a monthly disability allowance or an annual disability allowance, to ensure that they can enjoy the respect and assistance they deserve.
Macau has also implemented a cash-sharing program since 2008, with 2020 figures showing that permanent residents can receive 10,000 patacas directly and non-permanent residents can receive 6,000 patacas.
In addition to the enviable welfare policies, Macau's daily life is also very distinctive.
Many people often mistakenly think that Macau is a vast area before they have been there, but in reality, Macau is only 32.8 square kilometers in size and has a population of about 700,000, which is much smaller than most people think.
Despite this, Macau's banking sector is very well developed, with 138 banks of all types, which is extremely rare in the world.
The holidays in Macao are similar to those in the mainland, with traditional festivals such as the Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival all closed.
In terms of the cost of living, although the prices of certain commodities such as seafood, meat and other daily necessities in Macao are relatively high, many Macanese people will go to Zhuhai to buy daily necessities to reduce the cost of living.
In short: Macau is not only a gambling city, but also its social welfare, educational support, and life characteristics have formed a different social outlook of the city.
Macau's story is much richer than its geographical area, and it is a vibrant and caring society.
There is not only a glamorous face to pursue your dreams, but also a solid social support benefit!