Macau History

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 particular 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.

Os portugueses estabeleceram uma base em Macau no século XVI para o comércio e a propagação do cristianismo. A certa altura, Macau detinha praticamente o monopólio do comércio com a China e o Japão, tornando-se fabulosamente rica, uma pérola da cultura ocidental no Oriente. Outros também procuraram uma parte desta bonança, em particular os holandeses, que tentaram uma invasão significativa no século XV. Ocasionalmente, também se verificaram tensões com as províncias chinesas vizinhas, mas Macau sobreviveu e perdurou durante quatro séculos e meio, até 1999, quando a colónia foi devolvida à China.

Triumph Tribulation

MACAU:TRIUMPH AND TRIBULATIONby Stuart BragaWritten at the request of Ed Rozario, President of the Casa de Macau Australia, this series of six essays outlines several aspects of the turbulent history of Macau over a period of four centuries.They were first published in ‘Casa Down Under’ the newsletter of the Casa de Macau, Australia© Stuart Braga […]

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Tudo e Todos

Everything for Everyone  Padre Manuel Teixeira  [This is an extract, roughly translated, from a series of articles in Portuguese about Macau during the Second World War, written apparently by Fr Manuel Teixeira in the early 1980s.]   After 40 years, few today remember a man who, during World War II (1941-1945), organised a project of

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Typhoon

The great typhoon of 1874by Stuart BragaEdited version of an article published in the Casa Down Under Newsletter, vol 20 Issue 4, Sept 2008A grande calamidade. So begins the report of the session of the Leal Senado (the Macau Council) of 29 September 1874, quoted by the prolific Macau historian, Father Manuel Teixeira. Writing in 1974 on the

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