The Senado Square is the heart of Macao; it is the most popular venue for public events and celebrations. Providing a clear example of the multicultural dimension of the Macao community, the square is surrounded by pastel-colored neo-classical buildings, creating a consistent and harmonious Mediterranean atmosphere. The Senado Square is always packed with people - mainly the locals, tourists and Filipinos who make up the second largest foreign workforce in Macao.

With the rapid development of the gaming industry and the launch of the mainland individual travel scheme in 2003, there are lots of tourists visiting this popular venue which has always been the favorite place of hanging out for the locals. We can see the Senado Square is crowded with people day and night. Vincent Cheung, a 24-year-old university student, said that during holidays, he preferred not to go to the Senado Square as there must be crowded with tourists. "As a local person, I am very happy with the blooming development of tourism in Macao. However, sometimes I feel disturbed by the excessive tourists as the central part is always crowded during holidays, there are few places for the locals to hang out and the Senado Square used to be our favorite, but now many shops and restaurants are all crowded during holidays, that make us feel disturbed when going out," he said.

This place also attracts an increasing number of Filipinos who have come to work here due to the extraordinary demand for manpower in the gaming industry. Casinos, hotels and restaurants need a large number of foreign workers. Filipino laborers have become the second largest foreign workforce in Macao as many of them are well-trained and low paid. They found that the Senado Square is a good place to gather on weekends. They are often seen in the area outside the post office, gathering with friends, chatting, laughing and singing. The area used to be a recreation area for elders and now it is no longer a place for them. The Senado Square has become a popular Filipino gathering spot like Victoria Park in Central, Hong Kong.

Concerning this phenomenon, Mr. Wang, a tourist from Taiwan, gave his opinion. "As a tourist, I think it is interesting to see there are so many Filipinos in this popular tourist spot, which demonstrates that Macao is an open-minded and multicultural society with considerable cultural diversities."

Being the centre of Macao, the Senado Square is an area which reflects the most special and attractive characteristic of Macao: a mixture of East and West. Although it seems to be a tourist attraction more than a place for the locals to hang out nowadays, the unique Senado Square is always significant in citizens' minds.