Read complete books and articles on: History of Macau

Macao - məkouˈ, Port. Macau, Mandarin Aomen, special administrative region of China, formerly administered by Portugal (1995 est. pop. 491,000), 6.5 sq mi (16.9 sq km), adjoining Guangdong prov., SE China, on the estuary of the Pearl River, 40 mi (64 km) W of Hong Kong and 65 mi (105 km) S of Guangzhou (Canton).

Land, People, and Government

The most densely populated place in the

Land, People, and Government

The most densely populated place in the world, Macao consists of a rocky, hilly peninsula, connected by a sandy 700-ft-wide (213-m) isthmus to China's Zhongshan (Tangjiahuan) island; and the two small islands of Taipa and Colôane. The capital, the city of Macao, is approximately coextensive with the peninsula and contains almost the entire population of the province.

Macao's historic structures include the remaining facade of St. Paul's Basilica (built 1635 by Roman Catholic Japanese artisans; burned 1835), a fascinating example of late Italian Renaissance architecture, with mixed Western and Asian motifs; St. Domingo's church and convent (founded c.1670); the fort and chapel of Guia (1626); the fort of São Paulo de Monte (16th cent.); and statues to da Gama and Luís de Camões, who wrote (1558–59) part of The Lusiads there. Macao is separated from China proper by a barrier gate (built 1849, replacing one erected by the Chinese in 1573).

The inhabitants are overwhelmingly Chinese and about half are Buddhist; there is a Roman Catholic minority. Portuguese and Cantonese are spoken. Macao is ruled under the Basic Law as approved by the National People's Congress of China in 1993.

Economy

A free port, Macao is a leading trade, tourist, and fishing center, with gambling casinos that account for some 40% of GDP. There are also textile, clothing, toys, plastics, fireworks, electronics, and food-processing industries. Most of Macao's transit trade with China is by way of its shallow harbor on the west side of the peninsula. Tourism is extremely important to the province, with over 80% of the tourists coming from nearby Hong Kong. There is daily ferry and bus service to Guangzhou and ferry, hydrofoil, and helicopter service to Hong Kong. Taipa is connected to Macao city by bridges; Taipa and Colôane islands are connected by a causeway. An airport opened in 1995.

History

The colony's name is derived from the Ma Kwok temple, built there in the 14th cent. Macao was the oldest permanent European settlement in East Asia. It was a parched and desolate spot when the Portuguese established a trading post there in 1557. For nearly 300 years the Portuguese paid China an annual tribute for the use of the peninsula, but in 1849 Portugal proclaimed it a free port; this was confirmed by China in the Protocol of Lisbon in 1887. With the gradual silting up of its harbor and the rise (19th cent.) of Hong Kong, Macao lost its preeminent position and became identified to a large extent with smuggling and gambling interests.

After 1949 the population was swelled by an influx of Chinese refugees from the mainland. In the winter of 1966–67, Communist-organized riots shook the province, resulting in a capitulation by the Portuguese to Chinese demands to bar entry to refugees and prohibit anti-Communist activities. In 1974, Macao was established as a Chinese territory under Portuguese administration; the Chinese refused to accept the return of the territory at the time. A real-estate boom in the early 1990s had largely waned by the end of the decade. Under the terms of a 1987 agreement, Macao became a special administrative region under Chinese sovereignty in Dec., 1999. Macao has been promised 50 years of noninterference in its economic and social systems.

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8 of the Best Books and Articles on: History of Macau

as selected by Questia librarians

1.

Encountering Macau: A Portuguese City-State on the Periphery of China, 1557-1999 » Read Now
by Geoffrey C. Gunn. 214 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library
2.

Macau, the Imaginary City: Culture and Society, 1557 to the Present » Read Now
by Jonathan Porter. 240 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

This book examines Macau as an enduring but ever-changing threshold between 2 worlds, the West & China. Porter's thoughts capture the essence of a place that seems too ephemeral to be real, too captivating to be anything but an imaginary city.
3.

Macau: A Cultural Janus » Read Now
by Christina Miu Bing Cheng. 238 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library
4.

Greater China: The Next Superpower? (includes "Macau and Greater China") » Read Now
by David Shambaugh. 310 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

China studies scholars are currently calculating that by the early twenty-first century, the combined economies of Greater China (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macao, and Chinese overseas) may surpass those of the European community or the United States, and that it will overtake Japan as the dominant...
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China studies scholars are currently calculating that by the early twenty-first century, the combined economies of Greater China (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macao, and Chinese overseas) may surpass those of the European community or the United States, and that it will overtake Japan as the dominant regional power. This volume examines the phenomenon of Greater China, presenting a clear and comprehensive analysis of the growing links between these countries in the areas of economics, culture and politics. It will prove to be a useful reference work for academics and students and scholars of international relations, as well as those interested in the evolving regional power balance and the global effects of a revitalized Chinese economy.
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5.

Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy: Opportunities and Challenges for the Knowledge Economy (Chap. 30 "Science and Technology Policies for Macau Toward the 21st Century") » Read Now
by Pedro Conceicaao, David V. Gibson, Manuel V. Heitor, Syed Shariq. 580 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

Despite the unprecedented development and growth of knowledge during the 20th century, the evolution of a peaceful 21st century will depend on our ability to address the challenges of prosperity, sustainability, and security. From these challenges, this collection seeks to devise a research agenda...
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Despite the unprecedented development and growth of knowledge during the 20th century, the evolution of a peaceful 21st century will depend on our ability to address the challenges of prosperity, sustainability, and security. From these challenges, this collection seeks to devise a research agenda to help us to understand better the knowledge-based economy.
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6.

The Transformation of Macau, in Pacific Affairs » Read Now
by Jonathan Porter. 20 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library
7.

Blood Brothers: Crime, Business and Politics in Asia » Read Now
by Bertil Lintner. 470 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library
8.

Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture ("Macau (Macao)" begins on p. 244) » Read Now
by John S. Bowman. 751 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

Containing more information on Asian culture than any other English-language reference work, Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture is the first of its kind: a set of more than thirty chronologies for all the countries of Asia -- East, South, Southeast, and Central -- from the...
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Containing more information on Asian culture than any other English-language reference work, Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture is the first of its kind: a set of more than thirty chronologies for all the countries of Asia -- East, South, Southeast, and Central -- from the Paleolithic era through 1998. Each entry is clearly dated and, unlike most chronologies found in standard history texts, the entries are complete and detailed enough to provide virtually a sequential history of the vast and rich span of Asian cultures. The contributing writers and editors have ensured the book's usefulness to general readers by identifying individuals and groups, locating places and regions, explaining events and movements, and defining unfamiliar words and concepts. The thirty-two chronologies on individual countries, in conjunction with a detailed index, allow readers to find specific information quickly and efficiently, whether they seek the date for the invention of the iron plow or gunpowder, the fall of the Han Dynasty in China, or Ho Chi Minh's declarations of Vietnamese independence. This invaluable reference culminates with three appendices: "National/Independence Days," "Scientific-Technological Achievements in Asia," and "Asia: A Chronological Overview," which provides an accessible summary of key events and developments in various fields of activity throughout the continent. The Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture features: • three discrete chronologies on (1) Politics/History, (2) Art/Culture/Religion, and (3) Science/Economics/Everyday Life for each of Asia's three major cultures -- China, India, and Japan -- as well as a combined chronology for each of the other nations; • detailed entries of thousands of historical events as well as important milestones in religion, philosophy, literature, and the arts; • entries on technological developments and natural events (famines, floods, etc.) affecting the lives of ordinary people; and • authoritative and accessibly written entries by a team of Asian scholars from Columbia, Harvard, and other major research universities. Beyond its detailed accounting of Asia's political history, Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture also gives full recognition to religious, intellectual, artistic, and general cultural achievements, as well as to scientific, technological, industrial, agricultural, and economic developments. Concise yet complete, it will stand as an indispensable reference work in the field of Asian studies.
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