A Brief History of Macau

Fishermen from Fujian and farmers from Guangdong were the first known settlers in Macau when it was known as Ou Mun, or "gate of trade", due to its location at the mouth of the Pearl River downstream from Guangzhou (Canton). In ancient times, the port city was part of the Silk Road, and here ships were loaded with silk for Rome.

Even after China ceased to be a world trading center, Guangzhou prospered through maritime business with Southeast Asian countries, so local entrepreneurs welcomed the arrival of Portuguese merchant explorers. They followed the example of Jorge Alvares, who landed in southern China in 1513, and began searching for suitable trading posts.

In the early 1550s, the Portuguese reached Ou Mun, which the locals also called Ah Ma Gao, "place of Ah Ma", in honor of the Seafaring Goddess, whose temple stood at the entrance to the sheltered Inner Harbor. The Portuguese adopted the name, which gradually changed to Macau, and with the permission of the Mandarins of Guangdong founded the city, which in a short time became a major entrepôt for trade between China, Japan, India and Europe.

It also became an ideal crossroads for the meeting of the cultures of East and West. The Roman Catholic Church sent some of its greatest missionaries to continue the work of St. Francis Xavier (who died nearby after converting many in Japan). A Christian college was built near what are now the ruins of St. Paul's, where students such as Matteo Ricci prepared for their work as Christian scholars at the imperial court in Beijing. Other churches were built, as well as fortresses, which gave the city a historical European appearance that distinguishes it to this day.

The Portuguese golden age in Asia waned as competitors such as the Dutch and British took over their trade. However, the Chinese decided to continue doing business through the Portuguese in Macau, so for over a century the British East India Company and others set up shop here in rented houses such as the elegant Casa Garden. As Europe's trade with China grew, European traders spent part of the year in Guangzhou, buying tea and Chinese luxury goods at biennial fairs, using Macau as a holiday destination.

After the Opium War in 1841, Britain founded Hong Kong and most foreign traders abandoned Macau, which became a quaint backwater. However, the city continued to enjoy a relaxed, multicultural life and daily use of its historic buildings for practical purposes, becoming a favorite stopover for international travelers, writers and artists.

In the past, Macau developed industries such as textiles, electronics and toys, and today has created a world-class tourism industry with a wide range of hotels, resorts, MICE properties, restaurants and casinos. Macau's economy is closely linked to those of Hong Kong and Guangdong Province, particularly the Pearl River Delta region, which is considered one of Asia's "little tigers". Macau provides financial and banking services, personnel training, transport and communications support.

Today, Macau is a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China and, like Hong Kong, benefits from the principle of “one country, two systems”. This tiny SAR is growing in size - with more buildings being built on reclaimed land - and in the number and variety of its attractions. The greatest of these remains Macau's unique society, in which communities from the East and West complement each other, as well as the many people who come to visit.