“Lotus Flower in Full Bloom” and Lotus Square

The Macao Peninsula, which is narrow and long in the north and in the south, looks like an immature rolled-up lotus leaf about to open. Before the land reclamation, it was shaped like a lotus flower. Lianhuashan (literally Lotus Mountain) is in the north of the peninsula, and at the bottom of the mountain, there is a north-south oriented road made out of a sand bank, which was known as “Lotus Stem”. Macao is peaceful and tranquil since it opened up its portal. Therefore, it has the laudatory title of “Blessed Land of Lotus”. Lotus flower has also become an integral part of Macao’s regional flag and regional emblem.

Since 20 December 1999, the Chinese government has exercised its sovereignty over Macao, and has established the Macao Special Administrative Region. The Central Government offered the Macao SAR two sculptures called the “Lotus Flower in Full Bloom”, a large and a small one. The sculptures symbolise that Macao continues to prosper. The large sculpture of the “Lotus Flower in Full Bloom”, placed in the Lotus Square, is 6 metres high and 6.5 tonnes in weight. The longest diameter of the flower is 3.6 metres. The diameter of the small sculpture is 1 metre and the sculpture is 0.9 metre high, displayed in the Handover Gifts Museum of Macao. The sculptures were designed and built by the famous sculpture designer Guo Baozhai.

As early as the end of 1998, the Central Government was determined to offer a special gift to Macao - Lotus bronze sculpture, and selected two institutions for getting the design proposals. One of them was the China Central Academy of Fine Arts, whose artistic standards were relatively high. Another one was the China Central Academy of Crafts and Arts, which had the experience of designing a gift for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region: the “Forever Blooming Bauhinia” Sculpture. These two arts academies suggested nearly a hundred design layouts based on the requests of the National Government Offices Administration, and 34 layouts were shortlisted for assessment. Upon many rounds of assessment, the “Lotus Flower in Full Bloom” of the China Central Academy of Fine Arts was finally selected by the officials of the Central Government as the gift which the Central Government offered to the Macao SAR.

The Lotus Square which was located on the right of the Macao Forum was formerly an extensive construction land where Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau planned to construct commercial housing. In September 1999, the “Lotus Flower in Full Bloom”, the gift of the Central Government to Macao was already completed, but an important issue was where it should be placed after it was transported to Macao. The relevant leaders, having considered that the handover of sovereignty and the establishment of the Macao SAR Government took place at the same location, selected this piece of vacant land near the Macao Forum, contacted Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau and finally reached the consensus on building the Square and putting up the large gild bronze sculpture “Lotus Flower in Full Bloom”.