Beijing will hold three major activities to mark Macao's return to the motherland, organizers said.

Some 30,000 people will attend a gala at Tiananmen Square in front of a giant countdown board on the evening of December 19, the eve of Macao's return.

Starting at 11:35 p.m., nearly 1,500 actors will stage artistic performances on a lotus-shaped platform, while other people will perform dragon and lion dances under spotlights, amid two colorful rounds of fireworks.

A big-screen television will be placed on the square for people to watch the live broadcast of the historic ceremony for Macao's return.

Between 8-10 p.m. on December 20, more than 10,000 people will attend an evening party featuring songs, dances, poems and music at Capital Stadium.

The party will be jointly hosted by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and the Central Military Commission.

More than 3,000 actors will participate in the 70-minute bash, including 19 from Hong Kong and Macao. Chinese leaders are scheduled to address the crowd.

During the day on December 20, ten major parks in Beijing will open to the public free of charge.

Huang Chengxiang, who is in charge of a Beijing team preparing for Macao's return, said that the capital city will be vividly decorated: night lights will be added to the streets, national flags will be flown in all streets, lanes and residential quarters, and banners bearing slogans will wave from the rooftops of high- rises, he said.

As the countdown toward the return gets closer, people in Tianjin, a port city neighboring Beijing, are also holding various activities to mark the event.

The Tianjin Municipal Post Office said it will open a temporary branch on December 20 in the Macao Road in the city, which will sell commemorative seals, first-day envelopes and postcards for stamp collectors.