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| Brief Introduction of Macau |
Situated on the Southeastern coast of China, Macau is 60 kilometers west of Hong Kong and 145 kilometers south of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province. The territory comprises a peninsula and two islands and the total area is 23.8 square kilometers.
With its location at the mouth of the Pearl River downstream from Guangzhou (Canton), Macau is a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China since Dec 20,1999, and, like Hong Kong, benefits from the principle of ‘one country, two systems’.
It is difficult to find a place so tiny, yet with as rich a past, culture and patrimony as Macau. Macau is a city difficult to point out on a map, yet a walk through its narrow streets and charming squares reveals a unique way of life. Different beliefs, smells, costumes and habits have lived side-by-side, and mixed, for more than four centuries. See how the two major communities, Chinese and Portuguese, have lived together peacefully. Macau's cultural heritage can be observed in its various museums, as well as in its monuments and buildings.
The tiny SAR is growing in size - with more buildings on reclaimed land - and in the number and diversity of its attractions. The greatest of these continues to be Macau’s unique society, with communities from the East and West complementing each other, and the many people who come to visit.
The name "Macau" is derived from the name of a Chinese goddess, popular with seafarers and fishermen, known as A-Ma. Fishermen from Fujian and farmers from Guangdong were the first known settlers in Macau, who used the coves between the islands and harbours in this area in order to repair their ships and to get fresh supplies of drinking water. During ancient times port city was part of the Silk Road with ships loading here with silk for Rome.
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, and with the permission of Guangdong’s mandarins, established a city that within a short time had become a major entrepot for trade between China, Japan, India and Europe. It also became the perfect crossroad for the meeting of East and West cultures. |
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| Macau Sightseeing Highlights |
 [A-Ma Temple]
Located in Southeast Macao, A-ma temple is an excellent temple experience and a significant location for local and Chinese history. Tourists interested in history and local religious customs, this is a must stop. A-ma temple was formerly known as Motherly Matriarch Pavilion and was traditionally called Heavenly Matriarch Temple. A-Ma Temple, with a history of over 500 years, is the oldest temple among the three ancient temples in Macau (the other two are Kun Iam Temple and Lin Fong Temple). It was built during the Ming Dynasty to make sacrifices to the Motherly Matriarch.
It consists of prayer halls, pavilions and courtyards built into the boulder-strewn hill and connected by winding paths through moon gates and tiny gardens. At the entrance is a large rock on which is engraved a traditional sailing junk. On other boulders are carved red characters invoking the gods or repeating a prayer.
Three of the four pavilions are dedicated to A-Ma and contain some fine statues of the goddess together with a model of a junk with cannons, brass vessels and chapels to Buddhist and Taoist gods. The top shrine honours Kun Iam. This temple is distinguished by beautiful tiled roofs and spectacular views from the upper gardens. |
 [Ruins of St.Paul's]
The Ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral are Macau's most famous landmark. All that remains of the greatest of Macau's churches is its magnificent stone facade and grand staircase. The church was built in 1602 adjoining the Jesuit College of St. Paul's, the first Western college in the Far East. It was designed by an Italian Father, the construction of this holy church began in 1602 and completed in 1637 with the help of the Japanese technology of superlative craftsmanship. The church caught fire three times during its construction period and each time it was rebuilt until the last fire happened in 1853. The fire lasted for two hours and it set nearly the whole church into flames except the front wall, the most valuable part. The surviving facade rised in 4 colonnaded tiers, and is covered with carvings and statues which eloquently illustrate the early days of the Church in Asia. There are statues of the Virgin and saints, symbols of the Garden of Eden and the Crucifixion, angels and the devil, a Chinese dragon and a Japanese chrysanthemum, a Portuguese sailing ship and pious warnings inscribed in Chinese. |
 [Museum Of Macao]
The Museum Of Macaobegan planning in April 1995, construction was initiated in September 1996, and it was inaugurated on the 18 April 1998. The museum building in itself implanted within the interior of the fortress and the third floor above the soil level of the Fortress interior. Its total area is 2,800 meters square from which around 2,100 meters square is exhibition space. Its aim is to preserve the cultural traditions, usages and habits, which specifically belong to Macau, in a place where East, and West have so peculiarly learnt how to meet and to live side by side along the centuries.
Although the Museum does not possess a collection of a high monetary value, it includes a vast number of objects of a great historical value which have been carefully chosen and are appealingly exhibited. It is the wish of this museum to be able to show the way of life of the several communities, which have inhabited the city for ages. |
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| Map of Macau
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| Macau Tour Packages |
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