The 338-meter high Sightseeing Tower now under construction will become a new symbol of and a new tourist attraction in Macao in the next century.

An official from the Macao Government Tourist Office said that upon completion in 2000, the tower will be the eighth highest of its kind in the world. He said that the construction of the tower reflects Macao's philosophy of combining land development with preservation and construction of cultural facilities.

As one of the most populated regions in the world, the tiny 23. 6-square-kilometer Macao is dotted with more than 20 small parks and dozens of scenic spots located among a forest of high buildings.

With land reclamation as the only way of expanding its area, the peninsula has made the best use of the small parks where there are expressions of Eastern and Western cultures so that the local people may also have some ideas of the world. Among them are the Western-style St. Paul's Ruins and Guia Lighthouse.

Some parks such as Luis de Camoes Garden, the Lou Lim Ieoc Garden and Flora Garden also serve as art corridors, showing both the ancient and modern, East and West art works.

Macao has attracted huge amount of outside investment to build new attractions such as the Sightseeing Tower and the Macao Ocean World for the sake of developing tourism in the peninsula.

After Macao's return to China on December 20, the Praia Grande Palace, or the Palace of the Portuguese Macao governor Vasco Joaquim Rocha Vieira will become yet another historical site which will open to the public and the tourists.