Following three days of celebrations and cocktail parties, some 17,000 civil servants of the newly established government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) got down to business and started their first working day on December 23.

The headquarters of the Macao SAR government sported a giant national emblem of the People's Republic of China, as well as the national and regional flags.

Edmund Ho Hau Wah, chief executive of the Macao SAR, arrived on time this morning and told journalists that the date "is of unusual significance."

"The first working day marks a new beginning, the future development of Macao will largely weigh on our work performance," he said.

As soon as he arrived at his office, Edmund Ho called together the heads of five government departments for their first meeting after the founding of the Macao SAR.

Florinda da Rosa Silva Chan, secretary for administration and justice, asked journalists to convey her Christmas greetings to fellow Macao residents.

"Excluding those on vacation, all the civil servants are on duty today," she said. "Although they practically do the same job, they feel different. They have a feeling of pride as they are now masters of their own affairs."

Despite the chilly marine gale, "warmth" was the word Ho Chio Meng, procurator-general of the Macao SAR procuratorate, described his feeling about the first working day.

"When I see the national emblem above my head, I feel warmed in my heart," he said. "Surely we are rather busy at the beginning of our work, but we will achieve better efficiency as we are masters of our own fate."

Telephones rang all the time in the offices of Macao SAR government departments, and the staff members were busy but in an orderly way.

"For most government employees, it is the first working day, but for us, it is not," said staff Maggie Lou Kuai Lan. "We have started work since December 20, and slept only a few hours each day. We don't feel tired, but excited."

Across Macao, employees of some government organs were busy hanging new signboards to replace the old ones with signs of Portuguese rule. In fact, many plates had been changed over the past several days.

Likely, local policemen began to wear new arm badges as soon as China resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Macao and the Macao SAR was set up.

"The new badges with lotus flower look more beautiful and comfortable," one policeman said, noting that "surely we will work hard to improve the public security."

He added that Cheong Kuok Va, secretary for security of the SAR government, assembled the first security conference this morning and asked police forces to "live up to the expectations of Macao residents."

Inside the office building of the Macao Monetary and Foreign Exchange Authority, work was going on in an orderly way and employees seemed excited.

"We are house-keepers of our own government today," said Stanley T.K. Tang, a senior manager with authority. The government coffer of 30 billion patacas (3.75 billion US dollars) today will lay a solid foundation for the region's economic development in the future, he said.

In front of the office of Macao Identification Services, many people queued in a long line to apply for the passport and travel permit of the Macao SAR. And staff workers said they had been kept on working busily for days.

In addition, the services began to receive applications for Chinese nationality today.

Lim Fa-san, a businessman holding a Canadian passport, came early to ask for an application sheet.

"The return of Macao to the motherland is a major event for all the Chinese people. As a Chinese, I definitely want to obtain the nationality of China," he said, adding that he was also applying for a passport of the Macao SAR.

Banks in Macao were just as crowded as before and post offices were packed with more customers. The first working day in Macao SAR was busy, exciting and full of joy.