Macao's return has made me repeatedly hear the familiar melody: "Do you know Macao is not my real name? I have been away from you too long, mother..." This young, childish voice expresses the feeling of joy at greeting Macao's return and arouses the pain, sadness and misery in the depth of the hearts of hundreds of millions of people.

This is the "Song of Seven Sons" written by Mr Wen Yiduo in those years with grief and indignation and expectation, and handed down to this date. The "seven sons" called by Mr Wen refer to the seven places of Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Weihaiwei, Guangzhou Bay, Kowloon and Luda (Lushun and Dalian) which were then occupied by Western powers. Wen wouldn't expect that after more than 70 years when Western colonial rule was put to an end in China, people have composed a beautiful melody for his poem which has become the theme song for greeting the return of Macao. When people of the whole country are singing the same song at the same moment, then it is no longer an ordinary song. Maybe this, too, is out of Mr Wen's expectations.

The "Song of Seven Sons" was composed in the summer of 1925. At that time China was in a grim and grave situation and was disintegrated, British and Japanese imperialists slaughtered progressive workers and students in cold blood in Shanghai and Qingdao, creating the May 30th massacre (1925) that shocked the whole country and the rest of the world. Mr Wen Yiduo was subjected to endless foreigners' disdain and bullying abroad. After his return to China, he saw the various powers run wild and the reality of the Northern Warlords who, supported by imperialists, ruthlessly suppressed the people. He suffered a great deal and could not fall asleep at night. Gazing at the dark sky, he called the names of Hong Kong, Macao and five other places as if he was calling his own children, and composed the "Song of Seven Sons".

This poem is full of vicissitudes of life, the 400 years of changes of Macao and the contention for the fate of the Chinese nation--all are contained between the lines of his poem. In the poem, Mr Wen mostly expressed his feeling of discontent and indignation. We can imagine how grievous and resentful Wen Yiduo was when he wrote the poem, with tears streaming down his cheeks. But, in the depth of his heart, it was by no means only the pain and helplessness in the face of the disintegration of the country, there was also the resistance arising therefrom against the powerful reactionary forces, as well as his lofty and unyielding character of striking the table and rising to his feet in the face of the reactionaries' guns. He was an iron-willed and unyielding poet. As was written in the poem, "What they carried off were our bodies, you still kept our inner soul". He called for the return of Macao and praised the Chinese soul of the Macao people. It is his patriotic enthusiasm and national spirit that has caused people to remember him forever. His poem has handed down and will pass on from generation to generation. Today, Macao which he called in his mind has eventually returned to the embrace of the motherland, the country which he was extremely worried about has become mightier from day to day, the imperialist powers which he denounced by writing have gone forever out of the Chinese territory.

On the sleepless home-coming night, people sounded gongs, beat drums, danced lions' dances and sang songs. In the surging sound of singing, a great poet is coming toward us, and Macao which he called time and again is walking toward us. We celebrate the victory of the just force, we wish a better future for Macao. We also remember this great patriot with songs. (By Guo Feng)