MACAO, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Friday held a ceremony to honor 34 individuals and organizations in recognition of their achievements, outstanding contributions to the SAR or distinguished services.
The list of awardees included former Macao SAR Chief Executive Chui Sai On and renowned Chinese respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan, who were conferred the Decoration of Honor - Grand Lotus, the highest honor in Macao.
Zhong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, is a leading expert in China's respiratory disease research who proposed epidemic prevention and control measures that saved numerous lives and made great contribution to fighting both SARS and COVID-19.