A Short History of Macau

Situated 60 kilometers west of Hong Kong on the Chinese mainland, Macau was colonized by the Portuguese in the 16th century, and the Portuguese influence is evident to this day. In fact it was in 1553 that Portugal established a trading post in Macau, as a center for trading with China, Japan and areas of South East Asia. It was the first settlement that Europeans established in the Far East.

During Portuguese tenure, land taxes and customs duties were paid to China, and Portugal continued to officially pay rent to China for the area until 1849 when Portugal stated Macau to be independent. Prior to that, although the region had been an important trading center for the Portuguese, its influence had reduced by the end of the 17th century due to the decline of the influence of Portugal as a trading nation in the East.

The increasing influence of the Dutch in East Asia ultimately resulted in the Portuguese losing the spice trade, and so their influence as a trader in that part of the world declined. Ultimately all trade with China ceased and once Britain took Hong Kong in 1841, and the territory overtook Macau as the main European trading post in China, Portuguese influence in China was over.

Although Macau was recognized as a Portuguese colony under the terms of the 1862 Treaty of Tianjin, it was never ceded to Portugal since China did not ratify the treaty, and although it was announced by Portugal in 1883 as being an overseas province, and administered from Goa in India, the Chinese did not regard it as such. It was not until March 26th, 1887, that formal agreement was reached between the two countries that Macau would be occupied and governed by Portugal. Although a further treaty in 1888 recognized Portugal’s sovereignty over Macau, China again did not ratify it .

The state was occupied by the Japanese during the Second World War, but was given the privilege of being a neutral port, the only one in South China, and it remained so until the end of the Japanese occupation of China in 1945.

The status quo continued with China until 1966 when clashes occurred between the pro-Chinese residents and the police. When these were resolved the Portuguese tried to hand over Macau to China, but the Chinese were not ready for it. They tried again with the same result in 1974, when China refused to accept the territory as being under Chinese administration. It was not until 1987 that an agreement was finally reached for the hand-over of Macau to China on December 20th, 1999, and become the SAR (Special Administrative Region) of China, under which Macau would be mostly self governing apart from matters regarding foreign affairs and defense.

Under the 1993 Basic Law for Macau, it was enabled to maintain its capitalist economy and basic rules of law with respect to civil and economic matters. Most of the Macau population was in favor of the reunification with China and the hand-over proceeded smoothly as planned.

Macau’s history is well preserved within the city, and a fascinating feature is the A-Ma Temple, the oldest building in Macau. A-Ma was a goddess from whom the name Macau originally came. It contains a large number of ancient artifacts indicating various stages in the history of the territory.

Parts of the old city walls are still standing, which portray Macau as being a walled fortress which was started by the Portuguese in the mid sixteenth century. This was necessary after the union of the crowns of Spain and Portugal resulted in an alliance between the two countries. The Dutch, very active in the East Asian spice trade, were already at war with Spain, and this was extended to Portugal, leading to several attacks on Macau that prompted the building of the fortress.

There is much more for the tourist to see to provide an insight into the colonial history of a territory that was first a trading post, then a colony, and then a territory not wanted by either Portugal or China until 1987 when agreement was reached. It was still in limbo for another twelve years, however, before it was finally handed over to become the SAR.