The national flag of Portugal on top of the Praia Grande Palace, Governor's Office of Macao, was lowered at 5:02:57 this evening, to the tone of the Portuguese national anthem.

The final lowering of the Portuguese flag that had been flying in Macao for hundreds of years marks the end to the Portuguese rule over the territory and a new historic period Macao will soon move in.

As the Portuguese flag was lowering, the outgoing Governor Vasco Rocha Vieira, who looked solemnly and was in black suit, stood still, facing the governor's office. He was joined by major

officials of the Portuguese Macao Government and a 60-member honor guard of Macao's security police. Dozens of Chinese and foreign journalists as well as hundreds of civilians witnessed the

historic event.

A police folded the flag and handed it to the governor who then held it to his chest and bowed to those present. Afterwards, the governor got in a black limousine and departed. The whole ceremony lasted less than 10 minutes.

Praia Grande Palace, a red-wall-white-window building in the coastal area of Nam Van in the Macao Peninsula, has been governor's office since June 1875, and the office of the Legislative Council for years. Since Dom Francisco Mascarenhas became the first governor of Macao in 1623, 127 Portuguese governors have been assigned to the territory.

Macao has been Chinese territory for thousands of years. It had been gradually falling in the hands of Portuguese since the mid-1500s. On April 13, 1987, after rounds of friendly talks, China

and Portugal signed the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration, confirming that the Chinese Government resumes the exercise of sovereignty over Macao on December 20, 1999. China will adopt the policies of "one country, two systems", "Macao people administering Macao" and a high degree of autonomy in the region.

Hours later, the Chinese and Portuguese governments will jointly host a ceremony on the transfer of power at the Macao Cultural Center.