"Return" has become the most frequently used word here nine days before this region returns to China.

Return, that is, Macao's return to China, is the central theme of posters, pictures, decorations and souvenirs that are seen everywhere in this world-renown gambling enclave, which has been under Portuguese rule for 155 years.

For shops, big and small, in the city, discounts are offered in the name of "Macao's return" rather than because of the arrival of Christmas, as was the case in the past.

Many shops have put up notices saying that renminbi,the Chinese currency,is welcome. "The trust for renminbi shows that Macao people have confidence in the future of post-return Macao," said a local resident.

Preparations for Macao's return are getting into the final- sprint stage, with workers doing final touches on the venue for the handover ceremony, which is to straddle the midnight of December 19. Close to the hanover ceremony venue is the Press and Broadcast Center, which is expected to serve about 3,500 reporters from over 300 media organizations worldwide.

A media war has already started, as is evidenced in a sharp increase in the coverage of return-related activities by outside as well as local media organizations. Macao Daily News, a local newspaper with the biggest circulation in Macao, is planning to increase pages and offer special editions in days around the handover.

The thickening return atmosphere can also be felt in "Help Wanted" notices around the city. For job seekers, the ability to speak mandarin has become a great plus.

More visitors are coming to Macao as the day of Macao's return, December 20, draws near. "The number of taxi hailers increased by 40 percent in December," said a taxi driver. The local airport handled 228,000 passengers in November, an increase of 30 percent over the same 1998 period.

Presents from China's 31 provinces, centrally-administered municipalities and autonomous regions have also arrived in Macao, ready for public exhibition.