By South China Morning Post | Created at 2024-12-22 05:37:53 | Updated at 2024-12-22 11:03:02
5 hours ago
When Macau residents Amy Leong and Danniel Ng embarked on a plan to relocate for retirement, they hit an unexpected hurdle: finding affordable moving services proved challenging because of the extra charges for customs clearance.
They had decided to move from the casino hub, where they had lived for decades, to Hengqin, a neighbouring island jointly managed by the Guangdong and Macau governments.
A residential project exclusively for Macau residents, the Macau New Neighbourhood, was rolled out last year.
The couple in their 60s bought a three-bedroom flat for about 3 million yuan (US$411,180), which they said was more expensive than other homes in Zhuhai, but still cheaper than in the casino city.
“Hiring a mover is even more expensive than buying all [the furniture] over again from the mainland,” Leong said. The couple decided to move their belongings using their own car, making multiple trips between Macau and Hengqin.
“It was quite a headache, we had to throw away many pieces of furniture that couldn’t fit in our car,” Leong said. “Why couldn’t the two governments sit down and work out a plan to help us move easier?”
