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Macau SAR (Special Administrative Region of China)Blogs
Encyclopedic Information
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News
Photographs
- Macau photographs from Flickr.com.
- Macau photographs from Google Images.
Reservations
- Travelconsumer.com reservations page. Airline, hotel, car, and other reservations.
Tourism
- Macau Government Tourism Web site. "Fishermen from Fujian and farmers from Guangdong were the first known settlers in Macau, when it was known as Ou Mun, or �trading gate�, because of its location at the mouth of the Pearl River downstream from Guangzhou (Canton). During ancient times port city was part of the Silk Road with ships loading here with silk for Rome.
Even after China ceased to be a world
trade centre, Guangzhou prospered from seaborne business
with the countries of Southeast Asia, so the local
entrepreneurs welcomed the arrival of Portuguese
merchant-explorers. They followed in the wake of Jorge
Alvares, who landed in southern China in 1513, and set
about finding suitable trading posts.
In the early 1550s the Portuguese reached Ou Mun, which
the locals also called A Ma Gao, �place of A Ma�, in
honour of the Goddess of Seafarers, whose temple stood at
the entrance to the sheltered Inner Harbour. The
Portuguese adopted the name, which gradually change into
the name Macau, and with the permission of Guangdong�s
mandarins, established a city that within a short time had
become a major entrepot for trade between China, Japan,
India and Europe.
It also became the perfect crossroad for the meeting of
East and West cultures. The Roman Catholic church sent
some of its greatest missionaries to continue the work of
St Francis Xavier, (who died nearby after making many
converts in Japan). A Christian college was built, beside
what is now today�s 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 an
historical European appearance that distinguishes it to
this day.
Portugal�s golden age in Asia faded as rivals like the
Dutch and British took over their trade. However the
Chinese chose to continue to do 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 like the elegant Casa Garden. As Europe�s trade
with China grew, the European merchants spent part of the
year in Guangzhou, buying tea and Chinese luxuries at the
bi-annual fairs, using Macau as a recreational retreat.
Following the Opium War in 1841, Hong Kong was established
by Britain and most of the foreign merchants left Macau,
which became a quaint, quiet backwater. Nevertheless it
has continued to enjoy a leisurely multicultural existence
and make daily, practical use of its historical buildings,
in the process becoming a favourite stopover for
international travellers, writers and artists.
In modern times Macau has developed industries such as
textiles, electronics and toys, as well as building up an
a world class tourist industry with a wide choice of
hotels, resorts, sports facilities, restaurants and
casinos. As in the past, Macau�s economy is closely linked
to that of Hong Kong and Guangdong Province, in particular
the Pearl River Delta region, which qualifies as one of
Asia�s �little tigers�. Macau provides financial and
banking services, staff training, transport and
communications support.
Macau is a Special Administrative Region of the People�s
Republic of China since 20 December 1999, and, like Hong
Kong, benefits from the principle of �one country, two
systems�. The tiny SAR is growing in size - with more
building on reclaimed land - and in the number and
diversity of its attractions. The greatest of these
continues to be Macau�s unique society, with communities
from the East and West complementing each other, and the
many people who come to visit."
United Kingdom Information Resources
U.S. Government Information Resources
- CIA World Factbook on Macau.
- Department of State Consular Information Sheet on Macau.
- Library of Congress Country Study on Macau.
Videos
- Macau travel videos from YouTube.com.
Weather
WiFi Hot Spots
- WiFi Hot Spot Directories. Directories of free and fee-based WiFi hot spots around the world. (New 9/09)
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