The Portuguese established a base in Macau in the 16th century for trade and the spread of Christianity. At one time Macau had virtual monopoly with trade in China and Japan and became fabulously rich, a pearl of Western culture in the Orient. Others sought a share in the bonanza, in particulara the Dutch who attempted a serious invasion in the 15th Century. Occasionally there was also tension with neighbouring Chinese provinces but Macau survived and lasted for four and a half centuries until 1999 when the colony was returned to China.
Amaral and Mesquita by Henry d’Assumpção Flag of Portugal Macau was settled in the middle of the 16th Century when Portugal was a major naval power. It was on a tiny peninsula connected to the mainland by a long, narrow isthmus where there was a barrier erected by China to control movement into and out […]
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The Border Gate, or Portas do Cercoby Dr Stuart BragaOriginally published in the Casa de Macau Australia News Vol 28 Issue 3, July 2014Click on an image to see it in full size. The boundary between Macau and what is commonly called the Mainland is now defined by tall buildings and a well-organised border post, some 3 km
CHAPTER I Early Portuguese Voyages of Discovery of a Sea Route to China It is in no spirit of idle boastfulness that this modest volume is introduced to its readers with a quotation from the famous Portuguese poet Camoens: “E se mais mundo houvera, lá chegara.” (“If there had been more of the world, they
CHAPTER X Catholic Churches and Schools in Hongkong Among the forces which influence the lives of men one of the strongest is that of religion. Let me therefore devote a chapter to the religious activities of my compatriots in Hongkong, where complete toleration of creeds and customs has been such a marked feature of British
CHAPTER XI Early relations between Macao and Hongkong – Last Days of Portuguese Shipping in the East. In earlier chapters we have seen how cordial were the relations between the Portuguese and the British at Macao during the opening decades of the last century. This was specially in evidence shortly before the outbreak of the
CHAPTER XII Portuguese Interest in Land Development in Hongkong – Genesis of Kowloon – Some Interesting Personalities among the Portuguese of Old Hongkong Speaking generally, the Portuguese of Hongkong may be said to be the descendants of two elements of the people of Macao who emigrated to the British colony – the commercial element and
CHAPTER II The Portuguese impress the Chinese who desire Peace and Friendship with Portugal Raphael Perestrello, a factor, was sent in 1515 with orders to conduct trade in China. He travelled in a junk, and returned with a rich cargo and the news that the Chinese desired peace and friendship with Portugal and that they
CHAPTER 3 Ecclesiastical patronage Padroado and the Jesuits College at Macao From his eyrie at Sagres Prince Henry was ever looking with visionary eyes southward, seeing the cities of the unknown world opening before him, and travelling in his imagination along the coast of his dreams, voyaging in his mind to the uttermost limits of
CHAPTER IV Services of the Jesuits to China. Subordination of Portugal’s National Interests. The program of carrying out, with patience and fortitude, the Divine mission, not infrequently at the cost of physical suffering and even death, in pursuance of their task to win adherents to the Christian faith, constitutes a glorious chapter in the annals
CHAPTER V Dutch and English envious of Portuguese trade No account of international relations in the East can overlook the fact that the death of King Sebastian of Portugal in 1580 leaving no issue, and the usurpation of the Portuguese Throne by the King of Spain, involved the Portuguese colonies in the quarrels between Spain
