The paper said the SAR’s thriving economy was a strong attraction for investors. Statistics show that about 2,000 people settle in Macau as investors each year, with 10 per cent of the SAR’s housings bought by such investors.

The fair will involve exhibitions, trading platforms, forums and competitions. Over 1,000 media organizations from China and 200 from the US, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan will participate, according to the paper.

The exhibition area will cover 30,000 square meters with 1,200 booths.

Mr Li reportedly responded to the mayor’s overtures by simply saying that Shenzhen would be among the group’s “primary options” when it chooses where to establish its offices in China.

With an investment of over 400 million yuan (about US$50 million) by Guangdong Yudean Group, the wind farm will produce 95 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year. It will start operation by 2007.

Guangzhou’s software industry generated 24.2 billion yuan (about US$3 billion)in revenue in 2005. Its software industry park has been designated as one of the China’s key software bases.

According to Chen Yongzheng, Microsoft vice president and its CEO for the greater China region, the key part of the MOU focuses on training. In the next five years, Microsoft will work with 10 universities in Guangzhou for this purpose.

Meanwhile, Microsoft will be involved in building the software section of the Guangzhou Science Park and help to assess and train local software outsourcing partners.

Pousada de Coloane
Praia de Cheoc Van, Coloane Island, Macau
(853) 882143 (853) 882251
Total rooms: 22

Pousada de Sao Tiago
Avenida da Republica, Fortaleza de Sao Tiago da Barra, Macau
(853) 378111 (853) 552170
saotiago@macau.ctm.net
www.saotiago.com.mo

Hotel Lisboa
2-4, Avenida de, Lisboa, Macau
(853) 377666 (853) 567193
Total rooms: 1000
lisboa@macau.ctm.net
www.hotelisboa.com

The Landmark
555 Avenida da Amizade
(853) 781781 (853) 786611
Total rooms: 451
info@landmarkhotel.com.mo
www.landmarkhotel.com.mo

Grand Emperor Hotel
Avenida Comercial de Macau, Nos. 251-292D, Macau
(853) 889988
(853) 889933
sales@grandemperor.com
www.grandemperor.com

It’s the perfect family resort, a quiet oasis tucked in serene green hills on a spectacular black sand beach that would seem a far cry from the city center and its neon-lit casinos and nightspots if you didn’t know they were just a few minutes away. Since there is no casino on Coloane, visitors to this peaceful corner of Macau are drawn here for the pristine natural setting and a hotel that is surprisingly intimate, given its 200 rooms and 18 suites.

The Westin Resort Macau has won numerous awards as a hotel of outstanding quality, but it is the sheer spaciousness of the place that will impress the first-time guest. The lush greenery of its surroundings provides the perfect backdrop for its clean, classic modern architecture. Carefully manicured gardens can be seen and accessed from the lobby, through the café with its al fresco dining area on a terrace overhung with greenery in view of the pool and spa area.

The Westin Resort
1918 Estrada de Hac Sa, Coloane
(853) 871 111
www.westin-macau.com

Dongguan Knitting & Embroidery Expo
Dongguan Dyeing and Finishing Expo
September 8-10: Being held at the Dongguan International Conference and Exhibition Center, the names say it all. Only 2,200 visitors are expected, and about 60 booths.
More details at: www.2456.com

From the moment you enter the lobby, stand under Tao Tao Ju’s huge chandelier and are led to your table by a professional yet mildly indifferent waitress, you will know you are in for an authentic PRD dining experience. Start with the soup – there are over twenty kinds on the menu. If you would like to drop a bit more money and court controversy with environmentalists, there are a number of varieties of shark’s fin soup on offer. If not, the menu (available in English) boasts many others, few of which you are likely to find elsewhere. Try the Kudzu and Snakehead soup, or if feeling amorous, the Bamboo Chicken and Ginseng.

Followers of the “when in Rome, do as the Romans do” school of thought will want to follow the soup course with some dim sum, for which Tao Tao Ju, boasting over 200 varieties, ranging from exotic to familiar, is renowned. But leave some room for desert, as Tao Tao Ju is also famous for its moon cakes, as well as its more esoteric pastries, like durian short bread. (In 2003, chefs here set a record by preparing the world’s largest mooncake, which weighed in at 500 kg and was 1.4 m wide.)

Whether you go wild or mild, make sure to bring a camera. From its front lobby with stained-glass ballroom ambience, to the Chinese garden on the third floor, Tao Tao Ju offers some unique photographic backdrops.

Tao Tao Ju 陶陶居
Daily 6:30am – midnight
20 Dishipu Lu, Liwan District
荔湾区第十圃路20号

With much talk focused on international brand names coming into the capital city’s market, especially the Shangri-La, which opens at the end of the year, the 1028-room giant on Huanshi Dong Lu has been quietly transforming itself over the past year. It is now part of a hotel management group called LNH Hospitality, with interests across the country and an expatriate senior management team. And it is undoubtedly upgrading itself at a much quicker pace than its rivals.

No further evidence is needed of this than the hotel’s plans for its fourth floor. Basically, the entire floor is being turned into a “wellness center”, which includes a pool, an outdoor “garden-like” seating area, a café/bar for health food, a gym, and, of course, a spa. But not any old spa: the Angsana Spa, from Thailand.

Part of the famed Banyan Tree group, the Angsana spa will be Guangzhou’s most luxurious by a long shot when it opens in September. Designed for the “outgoing spa enthusiast” who believes in “living life to the fullest”, the Angsana brand is unabashedly aimed at a younger, hipper market. “This suits us fine,” says general manager William Lin, adding the obvious disclaimer that the hotel’s guests are mostly frequently traveling, young, businesspeople.

The arrival of the Angsana – only its 13th spa worldwide – comes not a moment too soon. Shangri-La is staking a lot on being that much better than anything currently in the market when it opens out near the Pazhou exhibition center, and its signature CHI spa is one of the Hong Kong-based group’s crown jewels. The Garden is showing courage – and foresight – by getting into the game now rather than later.

Garden Hotel 花园酒店
368 Huanshi Dong Lu 环市东路368号
(86-20) 8333 8989
www.thegardenhotel.com.cn

On the night we visited, we were expecting to walk out onto the poolside area of the hotel and see a few tables occupied by people playing dice games after dinner, as it was only 10pm. Instead, the place was full and buzzing. And believe it or not, no one was slamming dice cups on the tabletops. The band was in full swing already, and Shenzhen’s young and beautiful set was in party mode.

A large part of the reason for the V Bar’s success is, naturally, its location. The Crowne Plaza has dominated the top end of Shenzhen’s hotel market for years, and it has become the premier address for the ostentatious crowd. But the creators of the bar have done a great job, too. Inside, the stage is built in a crescent shape, with the tables arranged around it and up close, ensuring everyone is drawn into the party. Outside, the atmosphere is relaxed and yet sophisticated, with candle-lit wooden tables set among the poolside area, allowing a private conversation to be held in comfort.

It also helps that management has done its bit to ensure the bands are the best they can find on the international circuit. Indeed, as much as Shekou has improved its live music options in the past year, the V Bar’s bands are still simply that much more professional.

This is a far cry from the nightlife of Shekou, and the bill at the end of the evening will confirm it, but if you want to see what the high life is like in Shenzhen, then the V Bar is the place to go.

V Bar at the Crowne
Plaza Shenzhen
深圳威尼斯皇冠假日酒店
9026 Shennan Dadao,
Overseas Chinese Town
华侨城深南大道9026
(86-755) 2693 6888

Rooms are cleverly and comfortably furnished. We particularly appreciated the bathtubs, which are mostly quite wide – a rarity in China. The ocean-going motif has not been lost, obviously, and the interior décor is a mix of modern-Chinese and art deco.

Service is not exactly top of the range, but that didn’t spoil the experience a bit, especially with room rates around 450 yuan a night. If you call ahead before your arrival, you can avoid the only inconvenience – getting across the plaza to the boat – by having a golf cart meet you at the top of the street where the taxis stop.

Seaworld Plaza, Shekou
南山蛇口海上世界广场商场
(86-755) 2681 6666