The four-century-old Street of Felicidade in Macao has long lost its past glory as a bustling commercial hub on south China's small Peninsular, where westerners first landed on the oriental continent.

On Tuesday, Edmund Ho Hau Wah, the chief executive runner of China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) walked into the winding street, where aged two-story gray brick houses with red-colored window frame along the street still tell its old thriving days.

Waving his hands to neighborhood residents greeting him with admiring eyes, Ho brought the media attention to the livelihood in Macao's oldest districts.

Ho's re-election campaign went into a full swing last Saturday, as he left his post temporarily to concentrate on his running for the second term.

Ho stopped and walked into a cookie shop at the street. Macao-made cookie called "Sou Sam" or "souvenir" in local dialect is a good-selling tourist product.

Ho talked with the shop owner about the business. The banker-turned chief executive candidate told the small business owner that competition is good for the improvement of a business. He advised the shop owner to make a little refurbishment of the shop to appeal to tourists, as the government could help tap a potential for the development of tourism on the street, if he could be re-elected.

Nearly half of 451,000 residents still live in old urban districts in the small city that has evolved from a fishing village. The main issue discussed by Ho with local residents was focused on the rebuilding.

"Re-building of old urban districts is a problem that needs to be dealt with in every growing city. In the society of `Macao people govern Macao,' it is the due responsibility of the government to pay more concern to the issue," said Ho when meeting with representatives from the Macao Neighborhood Community.

Wong Jo Kao, a member with the society proposed that the second Macao SAR government should set up a special expert panel to accelerate the re-building work.

Ho commented it a good suggestion. "It would be a nice try that the panel could pin down a satisfactory re-building plan through discussions with the Neighborhood Community," Ho said.

He assured them that if he could be honored by Macao people in the re-election, he would give importance to the rebuilding work.

Wong was quite satisfied with the answer. He said he believed Ho would treat the rebuilding issue seriously, since the chief executive runner made the tour to the old districts on the fourth day of his campaign.

He said that the Neighborhood Society with over 30,000 members would go for Ho's re-election, since people have a confidence in Ho.

Ho has garnered endorsement from a total of 297 members of a 300-strong Election Committee on his candidature nomination form for the chief executive running earlier last month, making him the sole candidate in the upcoming election, which is designated for August 29.

Source: Xinhua