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Macau is Chinese run, and full of Chinese people the remnants of Portuguese culture is deeply instilled in the food and architecture. Learn about how that came to be.
Macau is a truly unique place. The buildings are European. Sanmalo (also known as the Square or the Center) doesn't feel Chinese. Yet, when you walk along the streets, all you see is Chinese people. If you watch carefully though, you will see some Portuguese still lingering around. Though most of the Portuguese have left, the Portuguese culture is still deeply instilled in the architecture and culture of Macau. In the past Macau was always part of China. It was inhabited by pirates and fishermen. It wasn’t until the 16th Century that the Portuguese set up in Macau. The trading route they followed began in Macau, they would trade silks and porcelain from China with India for textiles, then the Portuguese would make their way to Malacca and trade for woods and spices, then after stopping in Japan, the Portuguese would return to Macau with swords, lacquer-ware, intricate fans, and silver to trade the Chinese for more goods. The Chinese were not allowed out of the country at that time, therefore the Portuguese became very rich, becoming the sole traders for the Chinese. Macau was still part of China, but the Portuguese were inhabiting the land. They set up port there and were quite settled, they were simply leasing the land and there was no transfer of sovereignty. Still in the 16th Century, when the territory didn't even belong to the Portuguese, the Catholic Diocese of Macau was established. The territory became Catholic and many churches were built, these were the first of Portuguese architecture in Macau. Sao Paulo's facade (which was one of the most impressive built at that time) still stands today and is one of the main tourist attractions in Macau. This Catholic territory led to problems later on. Protestants could not be buried on Catholic land. At first, they tried to bury Protestants just outside the city walls, on Chinese soil, this upset the Chinese. Next they tried to bury Protestants on neutral soil, just under the city wall. The Protestant Cemetery was built to solve this problem. It can be visited today. The thriving trade port soon died down. First the Dutch, insanely jealous of Portugal's success repeatedly attacked the territory. Next, Japan ceased trading with the outside world, which cut off Portugal's supply of silver. Finally the Dutch took over Malacca, this cut off Portugal's supply of spices. All trading with China soon ended. In the 19th century the Sino-Portuguese Draft Minutes was signed and China handed to Portugal "perpetual occupation and government in Macau." There were many disputes and disagreements with the Chinese living in Macau and the Portuguese government. When the Chinese adopted their "three no's" policy (no taxes, no service, no selling to the Portuguese) the government filed an official apology and eventually they came to recognize equal treatment of both Chinese and Portuguese. The Portuguese were ready to relinquish all overseas possessions and wanted to hand Macau back to China in 1974. However, China was not ready for this handover. In 1979 an agreement between China and Portugal recognized Macau as "a Chinese territory under (temporary) Portuguese administration". Finally on December 20, 1999, 329 years of Portuguese rule in Macau ended, and Macau was handed back to China as a Special Administrative Region. Today Macau still consists of three main islands: Macau, Taipa and Coloane. It is now under completely Chinese rule, most of the Portuguese have left, but the Portuguese history is still seen clearly throughout the streets and architecture of Macau.
The copyright of the article History of Macau in China Travel is owned by Larissa Cherry. Permission to republish History of Macau in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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