Never having been to Macau I was pleased to do a day trip to this area to catch a glimpse of what's on offer. Got to visit the major tourist sights but it also offered me the opportunity to work out that I can easily return here and find my way around without a guide…..yet another place to add to my list of places to visit….a list that is proving to be ever growing!!!!

The history of Macau can be traced back to the Qin Dynasty (221–206 BC), when the region now called Macau came under the jurisdiction of Panyu County, Guangdong Province. In Ming Dynasty (1368–1644 AD), fishermen migrated to Macau from Guangdong and Fujian, but Macau did not develop fast as a major settlement until the Portuguese arrived in the 16th century. In 1535, Portuguese traders obtained the rights to berth ships in Macau's harbours and to carry out trading activities. Around 1552–1553, they obtained temporary permission to erect storage sheds onshore, in order to dry out goods drenched by water. In 1557, the Portuguese established a permanent settlement in Macau. In the following few years, more and more Portuguese settled in Macau to engage in trading, and they demanded powers of self-administration, though this was not achieved until the 1840s. During the Opium War (1839–42), Portugal occupied Taipa and Coloane in 1851 and 1864 respectively. In 1887, the Qing government was forced to sign the Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Amity and Commerce, declared the right of "perpetual occupation and government of Macau", and Portugal pledged to seek China's approval before transferring Macau to another country; At last, Macau officially became a Portuguese colony. Macau is the oldest European settlement in the East. As a result of 400 years of exchange between eastern and western cultures, it has numerous historical points of interest.

Many years after, Influenced by the Cultural Revolution in mainland China and by general dissatisfaction with the Portuguese government, a riot broke out in Macau in 1966, during which a large number of people died and were injured. The Portuguese government finally issued a formal apology. This marked the new beginning of equal treatment and recognition of Chinese identity and of de facto Chinese control of the colony, as an official apology implicitly recognized that administration of Macau continued only as tolerated by the Communist government of the Chinese mainland.

The Portuguese government made a decision to relinquish all its overseas possessions after the leftist military coup of 1974 in Lisbon. In 1976 Lisbon redefined Macau as a "Chinese territory under Portuguese administration" and granted it a large measure of administrative, financial, and economic autonomy. Three years later, both Portugal and China agreed to regard Macau as "a Chinese territory under (temporary) Portuguese administration". The Chinese and Portuguese governments commenced negotiations on the question of Macau in 1986. The two signed a Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration the next year, making Macau a special administrative region (SAR) of China. The Chinese government finally assumed formal sovereignty over Macau on December 20, 1999.


Ruins of St Paul St. Paul's Cathedral is the most famous attraction tourist in Macau. All that remains of the greatest of Macau's churches is its magnificent stone facade and grand staircase. The church was built in 1602 adjoining the Jesuit College of St. Paul's, the first Western college in the Far East where missionaries such as Matteo Ricci and Adam Schall studied Chinese before serving at the Ming Court in Beijing as astronomers and mathematicians. The church, made of taipa and wood, was brilliantly decorated and furnished, according to early travelers. The facade of carved stone was built in 1620-27 by Japanese Christian exiles and local craftsmen under the direction of Italian Jesuit Carlo Spinola. After the expulsion of the Jesuits, the college was used as an army barracks and in 1835 a fire started in the kitchens and destroyed the college and the body of the church. The surviving facade rises in 4 colonnaded tiers, and is covered with carvings and statues which eloquently illustrate the early days of the Church in Asia. There are statues of the Virgin and saints, symbols of the Garden of Eden and the Crucifixion, angels and the devil, a Chinese dragon and a Japanese chrysanthemum, a Portuguese sailing ship and pious warnings inscribed in Chinese. After restoration work, lasting from 1990 to 1995, the back side of the Ruins of St. Paul's was turned into a museum. The ruins are regarded as the symbol of Macau and now offer visitors a new site where they can view the remains of the former Church of the Mother of God, visit a Crypt where the relics of the Martyrs of Japan and Vietnam rest, and a museum of Sacred Art where there are exhibits of paintings, sculptures and liturgical objects from churches and monasteries in the City.

NA TCHA TEMPLE This Chinese traditional style temple called Na Tcha Temple which was built for worshipping Na Tcha (a mythical character). This temple gained World Heritage status in 2005. The temple was built in 1888 and dedicated to Na Cha in an attempt to halt the Plague rampaging at the time. In contrast to buildings such as the Ruins of St. Paul's around it, the Na Tcha Temple is only a small structure, built with simple materials, but the use of a mixture of reality and illusion in its design manages successfully to create a sense of delicacy and exquisiteness.

SECTION OF THE OLD CITY WALL This surviving segment of City Wall was built in 1569. It is a remnant of an early Portuguese tradition of constructing defensive walls around their port settlements. It became a World Heritage site in 2005. In order to protect the city from foreign aggression, the Portuguese attempted to construct military defences. In as early as 1569, the Portuguese settlers began building a kind of palisade around the city. These old city wall structures were very fragile and were dismantled by the Ming authorities several times. Although the Chinese authorities had not granted permission, the construction of military walls and fortresses intensified. At this time, the military structures were mostly built of chunambo. After the Portuguese defeated the Dutch invasion of 1622, the Ming authorities approved the construction of more permanent military structures to reinforce the city's defence. From the map of Macao of 1632, it is possible to observe that the city was already well protected in the north, east and south, with strategic military constructions. The Section of the old City Walls was part of these defence structures. The surviving segment of the old city wall is located to the left of the Ruins of St. Paul's, close to Na Tcha Temple and is 18.5 metres long, 5.6 metres high and 1.08 metres wide, with an arched opening that is 1.8 metres wide and 2.8 metres high.


MUSEUM OF MACAU The Macau Museum is located in the Mount Fortress, which was built by the Jesuits in the early 17th century. For a long time, the Fortress was the city's principal military defence structure where public access was restricted. In 1965 this Fortress was converted into the Meteorological Services and later opened to the public. Built on top of the Mount Hill, the Mount Fortress offers a panoramic view of the city. On its west is the Ruins of St. Paul's. On 15th July 2005, the Historic Centre of Macao was officially listed as UNESCO World Cultural Heritage. The Mount Fortress and the Ruins of St. Paul's are significant historical monuments of the Centre.

The Macau Museum is a historical and cultural museum with a vast number of objects of great historical value, which demonstrates the way of life and cultures of the various communities which have been inhabited the city for ages. There is an emphasis on the bi-culture of Macau.

The first floor is a short and comparative presentation of the way western and Chinese civilizations were developed before the arrival of the Portuguese in the Pearl River Delta in the 16th century. Besides, history of Macau, commercial activities, religions and cultures of the two civilizations are also displayed. Mounting the stairs to the second floor, visitors have the opportunity to come into contact with different aspects of the popular art and traditions of Macau; such as people's daily lives, entertainment, religious ceremonies and traditional festivals. The third floor shows contemporary Macau including the characteristic aspects of city life. The way Macau has been portrayed in literature and the arts is prominently highlighted.


MOUNT FORTRESS The fortress was Macau's principal military defense structure which was built conjunction with the Jesuits form 1617 to 1626. The fortress covers an area of 10,000 square metres and in the shape of a trapezoid. It was recognised as a World Heritage site in 2005. Mount Fortress, built in 1617-26, occupies a hilltop to the east of the ruins of St. Paul′ s. It was constructed by the Jesuits as part of a complex which also included the college and church of St. Paul′ s. The canons were used only once, when the Dutch invaded Macau in 1622. This was also the first residence of the governors of Macau. Over the following decades trees grew from the platform of the fort, which was transformed into a public park where residents and visitors came to enjoy the views. The only building was an office of the Meteorological Department until 1998 when the three-level Macau Museum, focusing on the history of Macau, was built into the fortress hill.


TEMPLE OF A-MA
The temple was built 400 years ago in homage to a girl who saved seamen's life. Macau was later named by the Portuguese settlers in mid-16th Century. World Heritage status was granted in 2005.

Macau's name is derived from A-Ma-Gau or Place of A-Ma and this temple dedicated to the seafarers' goddess dates from the early 16th century. According to legend, A-Ma, a poor girl looking for passage to Canton, was refused by the wealthy junk owners but a lowly fisherman took her on board. A storm blew up and wrecked all but the boat carrying the girl. On arrival in Macau she vanished, to reappear as a goddess, on the spot where the fishermen built her temple. It consists of prayer halls, pavilions and courtyards built into the boulder-strewn hill and connected by winding paths through moon gates and tiny gardens. At the entrance is a large rock on which is engraved a traditional sailing junk. On other boulders are carved red characters invoking the gods or repeating a prayer.

Three of the four pavilions are dedicated to A-Ma and contain some fine statues of the goddess together with a model of a junk with cannons, brass vessels and chapels to Buddhist and Taoist gods. The top shrine honours Kun Iam. This temple is distinguished by beautiful tiled roofs and spectacular views from the upper gardens. The festival of A-Ma takes place on the 23rd day of the 3rd moon (April or May). Firecrackers, to scare away evil spirits, are exploded in the entrance courtyard to greet tour groups and lions dances are performed here on weekends.

MACAU TOWER
Soar to a breathtaking 223M above ground and marvel at the view or as Ella kept pointing out we were on level 58 of the building. Gaze out over Taipa and Coloane; Macau's landmarks and historical sites or try to spot Hong Kong's outlying islands. Opened on 19th December, 2001, Macau Tower is 338 metres in height. It is an elegant construction offering magnificent panoramic views all over Macau and much of the Pearl River Delta from its observation deck and revolving restaurant, at the 223-metre level. There is the opportunity to walk around the outside of the tower, and also bungee jumping from the higher level. It is one of the ten tallest free-standing towers in the world, and is the 8th tallest in Asia. The Tower can withstand winds of up to 400km/h. Macau Tower is not only used for observation and entertainment, but also used for telecommunications and broadcasting. From the observation deck we were fortunate enough to have clear skies only clouded by the bungee jumpers as they flew past the windows!!

Whilst it was only a quick look I am sure to return for another visit. Had always thought of Macau as the "Las Vegas" of the East but now know that there is much more to this area than casinos which really don’t hold much interest to me….the chance to further explore the historical and cultural aspects will inspire my return.