Tianjin-based Baihua Literature and Art Publishing House is calling for entries from Chinese writers from around the world for an essay-writing competition entitled Macao in My Heart.

Co-organized since 2004 by the Macao Foundation, Beijing Office for Macao Special Administrative Region and the publishing house, the competition aims to promote the history and culture of Macao.

The candidates may write about their personal experiences in Macao, or write from a historical and cultural perspective, said Gan Yiwei, a key organizer.

Macao will celebrate the 12th anniversary of its return to China in 2011.

Next year also marks the centenary of the Revolution of 1911, China's first attempt to realize political modernization, spearheaded by Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), who spent years in Macao working as a physician and an activist for democracy.