近年来，全球金融危机和欧债危机相继袭来，在全球经济环境持续低迷的特殊时期，得益于赌权开放和内地“自由行”等政策的持续推行，澳门经济呈现强劲的发展势头，成为中国乃至世界范围内最引人瞩目的地区之一。与此同时，在以第三产业为主体的经济强力推动下，澳门不仅朝着“高增长、高福利、高收入”的令人向往的社会形态迈进，与内地和周边地区的经济融合发展进一步深化，处理区域之间的竞争、互补、合作等关系的力度也不断加强。然而，在思考区域资源整合、协同发展的同时，澳门面临着从一个中西文化交汇的“特色小城”，跃升为类似于香港、具备区域乃至国际影响力的都会城市的新挑战，如何应对诸如独特的澳门文化、与新一轮区域融合发展的内外关系等，这不仅体现澳门文化作为一个历史名城和地区特色的存在，也反映了澳门未来发展必须面对的在特异性和同化融合之间的抉择。
In recent years, against the grim economic backdrop brought by the international financial crisis and European sovereign debt crisis, Macau's economy has taken on a strong growth momentum, becoming the most noticeable area in China and even the world as a whole, attributes to the consistent policies supporting the opening of gambling license to the market and facilitating DIY Tours for Chinese mainland visitors, etc.. In the mean time, with the economic driving force from the service industry, while taking big strides toward an aspiring social formation characterized by high economic growth rate, high social welfare benefits and high income, Macau is also further deepening economic integration with Chinese mainland and its surrounding areas, paying a lot more attention to regional competition, complementation and cooperation. However, while reflecting on its efforts in promoting regional resources integration and coordinated development, Macau is meeting new challenges as it is to grow from a relatively isolated small city with blending Chinese and western culture to a Hong Kong-like metropolitan city with regional or even international influence. In face of the coming round of regional integration, Macau's response to the question of what role the unique Macau culture plays will not only embody Macau culture itself which defines Macau as a well-known historic city with its regional characteristics, but also reflect Macau's unavoidable choice in future as to the two options: to be part of the integration process together with its own features or to allow assimilation.
