Strolling Along Old Macau

Just a bit of history. 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).

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 changes into the name Macau.

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 buildings on reclaimed land - and in the number and diversity of its attractions.

These attractions are mainly classified into two. The New Macau mainly features resorts and casinos while the Old Macau mainly features world heritage sites which encompasses architectural legacies interwoven in the midst of the original urban fabric that includes streetscapes and piazzas.

At the forefront and probably the most visited heritage structure in Macau is the Ruinas de S. Paulo or the Ruins of St. Paul.

The Ruins of St. Paul's refer to the facade of what was originally the Church of Mater Dei built in 1602-1640, destroyed by fire in 1835, and the ruins of St. Paul college, which stood adjacent to the church. As a whole, the old Church of Mater Dei, St. Paul College and Mount Fortress (below) were all Jesuits construction and formed what can be perceived as the "Acropolis" of Macau.

The unique architecture of St Paul's Church recalls the style of the European Renaissance and Asian architecture in an intoxicating mix of Chinese and Western elements.

Today, many music performances are held at the Ruins of St. Paul's, which, with its stairs and dramatic setting, lends itself as a natural stage.

A combination of Portuguese and Chinese nuances marks the uniqueness of the Macanese. Two temples are dedicated to Na Tcha, one of which is located near the Ruins of St. Paul's. Na Tcha Temple is a small, simple, peaceful place founded over 400 years ago; it remains of strong historic value and is inseparable from the daily life of Macau's citizens.

A "Section of the old city walls" comprises part of the Historic Centre of Macau - inscribed on the World Heritage list - and was constructed at its oldest point in 1569. During that turbulent period, the Chinese government opposed the construction of city walls and they were broken down a number of times, although the incumbent Portuguese administration continued its construction until 1632 when the city walls and fortresses in the north of the city were reconstructed. A map from that period reveals that other than the Inner Harbour in the west Macau was totally ringed by walls and fortifications. Today, the remaining wall measures just 18.5m long, 5.6m high and roughly 1m wide.

This wall, located near Na Tcha Temple and the Ruins of St. Paul's, bears evidence of local artisanship and materials, especially the use of a solid compound named "chunambo", which was an elaborate mixture of clay, soil, sand, rice straw, crushed rocks and oyster shells compacted in successive layers.

The 17th Century Mount Fortress occupies a hilltop on the peninsula of Macau and is one of the most ancient Western fortresses in China.

Some 300 years ago, during the height of the Ming Dynasty and before the Ruins of St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church was severely damaged by fire, the Mount Fortress solemnly guarded the city. In 1998, the three-level Macau Museum was built into the fortress hill and it is now considered a major tourist attraction.

Pardon me but I just can't help to also share to you Mac-mac, a cute, little critter playing in front of the Church ruins. I was shooting in the church when he kept stealing the scene as if saying let me take his pic. I aimed my cam and he stood still.

Note: Most informations were obtained from Macau Tourism Website. For more info and other sites not covered here, please check out their site here.

With this post I end my brief Macau series. This trip is brief but I enjoyed it nevertheless for I had a glimpse of both the New and Old Macau. If you are into photography, the best time to go there is in the last quarter of the year where skies are much clearer. I still had few snaps and photos of the place but decided to defer postings for I have plans of going back there and cover the place when the sky is much, much better.

To the people of Macau, Thank You Very Much!!!