Cultural heritage and historical records, rather than casinos and hotels, will be the most significant assets that Macao will leave for the future, said Choi San, a well-known scholar in Macao culture study.

"It is Macao that let the Chinese people know about telescope, candy and modern astronomy ," Choi, 55, said.

With the advent of the Portuguese in 1553, Macao has become the Chinese territory that western culture first embarked on. Produces of western civilization, such as clock, pipe organ, geometry and camera, entered China through Macao.

It is on this tiny pieces of land that "Bible" was first translated into Chinese and the first western style university in East Asia was set up. Renowned Chinese writer Wang Meng once calls Macao "an unclosed window in history."

Edmund Ho Hau Wah, first Chief Executive-designate of the Macao Special Administrative Region, recently pointed out that since the port of Macao opened some 400 years ago, Macao has become a conjunction of four most representative human civilizations of China, Greek, India and Islam, which has helped form the unique Macao culture.

Choi, who is with the Macao Cultural Institute, said Macao has never suffered from war or major social unrest in the past four centuries, even in the World War II.

Macao has protected even better some cultural heritages than their places of origin and Macao has indeed become a city of museum with abundant treasure, he said.

Architecture of the Renaissance period can be easily seen in the streets of Macao. The Macao Museum stores precious documents and cultural relics that are hard to find in Lisbon. Macao also boasts the largest Portuguese language library that houses ancient publications recording the colonial history of Portugal, Choi said.

In addition, Macao also brings Chinese culture to Europe, Africa and Latin America, as Portuguese merchants made their trip home with china, tea and silk. Macao-Lisbon course is thus regarded as a "marine silk road."

As the start of "marine silk road," Macao can match with Dunhuang, which is taken as a conjunction of the "silk road," Choi said.

Because of its special location, Chinese ideologists Lin Zexu, Wei Yuan and Sun Yat-sen made Macao a base of learning from the west and a base for social reform and revolution.

"The history of Macao is also a good textbook on China's reform and opening-up which will offer valuable experience and in-depth lessons for China in the 21st century," said Choi. He believed that making good use of the Macao culture will open new space for Macao's economic growth.

In regard to "Macaology" proposed by some scholars, Choi said, "although Macaology is little known so far, yet it is of broad prospects. The study of Macao culture will make people more confident about Macao's future."