City guide · 澳門 Macau
Macao
A small city where Chinese and Portuguese cultures meet: the Ruins of St. Paul's, Senado Square and A-Ma Temple
Macao is a small city on the western side of the Pearl River estuary in southern China, and one of the most vivid places where Eastern and Western cultures coexist: the Portuguese wave-pattern paving of Senado Square and the Chinese-style decorations on the Ruins of St. Paul's are only a few streets apart, and the incense of A-Ma Temple and the bells of St. Dominic's Church sound in the same old town. You can walk the historic center of the Macao Peninsula in two days, with half a day left for egg tarts and the Taipa Houses in Taipa, or for the sea breeze at Hac Sa Beach in Coloane. Also worth visiting in the city: the Ruins of St. Paul's, Senado Square, A-Ma Temple, St. Dominic's Church, Mount Fortress, the Mandarin's House, the Lou Kau Mansion, the Macao Museum, St. Lawrence's Church, St. Augustine's Church, the Taipa Houses, Rua do Cunha, the Macao Tower and Hac Sa Beach.
History
How the city came to be
Macao has been Chinese territory since ancient times. In the 32nd year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming dynasty (1553), the Portuguese were permitted to call at the Macao harbor for trade; in 1557, the Portuguese entered and began to settle in Macao, and Macao gradually became a trade entrepot between China and Europe and Japan. After the Opium War, Portugal successively occupied Taipa Island (1851) and Coloane Island (1864); the Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking was signed in 1887. On 13 April 1987, the Chinese and Portuguese governments formally signed the Joint Declaration on the Question of Macao in Beijing; on 20 December 1999, China resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Macao, and the Macao Special Administrative Region was established. On 15 July 2005, the Historic Centre of Macao was inscribed on the World Heritage List.
- 1553The Portuguese were permitted to call at the Macao harbor for trade.
- 1557The Portuguese entered and began to settle in Macao.
- 1851Portugal occupied Taipa Island.
- 1864Portugal occupied Coloane Island.
- 1865The Guia Lighthouse was completed, the first lighthouse on the southern China coast.
- 1 December 1887The Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking was signed.
- 3 December 1966The 12-3 incident.
- 13 April 1987The Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration on the Question of Macao was signed in Beijing.
- 20 December 1999China resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Macao, and the Macao Special Administrative Region was established.
- 15 July 2005The Historic Centre of Macao was inscribed on the World Heritage List.
Stories
Stories of the city
From salt works to Portuguese rule
History · Coloane
From the Song dynasty, Coloane was a Chinese sea-salt works, until it came under Portuguese administration from 1864.
The pirate battle of 1910
History · Coloane
In July 1910 pirates kidnapped 18 children for ransom; after 10 days of fighting, Portuguese troops captured or drove off 310 pirates — the Portuguese army's last battle in Macao. The monument in front of the Chapel of St. Francis Xavier commemorates the victory; according to Wikipedia, 13 July was kept locally as a holiday marking it for many years.
Chapel of St. Francis Xavier
History · Coloane
The Chapel of St. Francis Xavier was built in 1928 in the Baroque style, with a cream-and-white façade, oval windows and a bell tower. It once held relics of the 1597 Nagasaki martyrs and of the martyrs of the Shimabara Rebellion in Japan; these were later moved to St. Joseph's Seminary and the Treasury of Sacred Art, so check what is on display when you visit.
Lord Stow's egg tarts
History · Coloane
On 15 September 1989 the Englishman Andrew Stow opened Lord Stow's Bakery in Coloane Village. Inspired by the Portuguese pastel de nata, he developed his own egg tart recipe.
The Dutch attack of 1622
History · Guia Fortress
When the Dutch attack on Macao failed in 1622, the fortress was already partly built and provided seaward firing positions. Construction had begun in 1622, and the fortress was extended in 1637–1638.
Guia Lighthouse
History · Guia Fortress
The lighthouse was built in 1864 and first lit on 24 September 1865; damaged by a typhoon in September 1874, it returned to service after repairs on 29 June 1910. As for its height, the Macao Cultural Affairs Bureau gives a total building height of 18.3 metres, while the Wikipedia infobox gives a tower height of 13.5 metres and a focal height of 108 metres.
A former military zone
History · Guia Fortress
Until the Portuguese troops withdrew in 1976, the fortress was long a restricted military zone, open to the public only on 5 August, the feast of Our Lady of the Snows, and on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, the Double Ninth Festival.
Murals rediscovered
History · Guia Fortress
During repairs to the chapel in 1998, murals combining Chinese and Western themes were discovered.
World Heritage Listing
History · Guia Fortress
In 2005 the Historic Centre of Macao was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List (No. 1110, criteria ii, iii, iv and vi). Guia Hill is its Zone 2, and the fortress, chapel and lighthouse are all components of the property.
Related myth features
- The Legend of Mazu ↗Chinese Mythology
Must see
Places you shouldn’t miss
Coloane
A slow-paced village at Macao's southern tip, with a wave-patterned cobbled square, the Baroque-style Chapel of St. Francis Xavier and Hac Sa Be…
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Guia Fortress
A complex of fortress, chapel and lighthouse on the highest point of the Macao Peninsula, overlooking the whole peninsula and the Pearl River es…
Historic Centre of Macao
A living historic district inscribed as World Heritage in 2005, where 22 buildings and 8 squares trace more than four centuries of Chinese–Weste…