Lotus Square
Lotus Square | |||||||||||
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Chinese name | |||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 金蓮花廣場 | ||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 金莲花广场 | ||||||||||
Literal meaning | Golden Lotus Square | ||||||||||
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Portuguese name | |||||||||||
Portuguese | Praça Flor de Lodão |
The Lotus Square or Golden Lotus Square (Chinese: 金蓮花廣場; Portuguese: Praça Flor de Lodão) is an open square in Sé, Macau, China. The area features the large bronze sculpture Lotus Flower In Full Bloom (Chinese: 盛世蓮花) and is somewhat akin to the Golden Bauhinia of neighbouring Hong Kong.
Description
[edit]The sculpture, representing a flower of Nelumbo nucifera, is made of gilded bronze, weighs 6.5 tonnes and is 6 metres high. The diameter of the flower is 3.6 metres at maximum. The major part is composed of a stem, petals and pistil—a total of 16 components. The base consists of 23 pieces of red granite in three layers and in the shape of lotus leaves. These signify the three main parts of the territory: Macau Peninsula, Taipa Island and Coloane Island.
The lotus flower in full bloom symbolises the everlasting prosperity of Macau. The sculpture was presented by the State Council of the People's Republic of China in 1999 to mark the handover of Macau from Portugal to China. Lotus Square today is popular with skateboarders because of its abundance of ledges, curbs and stairs.