The Portuguese flag was lowered over Macau last night, ending nearly 450 years of Portuguese rule.
A few minutes later, a military band played The March of the Volunteers as the five-starred red flag of China was slowly raised.
The solemn ceremony - remi niscent of Hong Kong's return to Chinese sovereignty two-and-a- half years ago - attracted worldwide media attention.
Giant television screens were set up throughout Macau, where enthusiastic crowds gathered to watch the proceedings. But if the Portuguese are gone, they are not yet forgotten.
'The end of Portuguese administration in Macau does not mean the end of a presence,' Jorge Rangel, the government undersecretary in charge of the proceedings, said last week.
Mr Rangel pointed to the new Portuguese Consulate-General - the largest in the world - as proof of Portugal's long-term commitment to the enclave.