異国情緒あふれる旧ポルトガル植民地
MACAU, CHINA

By Itxaso ZuÑga, Freelance Photographer

町の中心を成すセナド広場。植民地時代の歴史的建築群は世界遺産にも登録され、夜になると一層美しさが映える。昼間はいろいろなイベントが行なわれる

　Days before my departure to Macau, China, I read that it had become the biggest gambling city in Asia, with the gaming revenue generated there totaling even more than in Las Vegas.

　I felt quite discouraged because while I knew that Macau's economy was driven by the gaming industry, I didn't expect to be visiting the Las Vegas of the East. In Macau, as expected, my first seaside view was overshadowed by a casino's colorful neon lights. Fortunately, I found much more than casinos and gamblers, as I set out to see how much remained from the Portuguese in this southern China coastal city that was once the oldest Portuguese settlement in Asia.

　Heading to the old quarter of Macau, the skyscrapers soon disappeared and I saw 19th-century Portuguese houses. While I was admiring their colorful façdes and the flowers hanging from their balconies, suddenly a Catholic nun passed by and we exchanged smiles. The nun was a reminder that the Catholics also had a major influence on local architecture, along with the Portuguese.

　As I continued walking, Chinese vendors tried to sell me traditional Portuguese cookies that filled the air with a sweet aroma.

　At the very end of Sao Paulo Street, in the old quarter of Macau, sits the majestic and historic façde of Sao Paulo Church. Many regard the church as the greatest monument to Christianity in Asia. Indeed, its wonderful statues, portals and stone engravings transported me to the 17th century.

　In the early 16th century, Portuguese ships first stopped in this Chinese harbor that offered them safe anchorage. Thus began the Portuguese settlement of the peninsula and an official trading policy with the Chinese that would last until the end of the 20th century.

　The Portuguese named this settlement "Macau," which comes from the word "A-Ma-Gau" (the goddess of sailors). Back then, A-Ma was said to protect the Portuguese while they sailed to Goa and Malacca, where they had settlements, and then on their voyages back home.

　Soon, Macau became a Portuguese monopoly, a center of trade between the East and the West. But this trade center wouldn't last long, as Japan closed itself to foreign trade in 1639 and Malacca was taken by the Dutch in 1641.

　In the 17th century, the Portuguese built Monte Fort, on a hill overlooking Sao Paulo Church, to protect the city from Dutch attempts to also take Macau. Today, from the top of the fort, there are fantastic views of the city and the peninsula. On a clear day, across the river, you can see the Chinese province of Guangdong.

　Macau remained a territory under Portuguese control for the next four centuries. Then, in 1984, the United Kingdom and China signed the Hong Kong Joint Declaration, placing that region under Chinese control in 1997.

　Portugal and China soon followed suit with a similar agreement, placing Macau under Chinese authority in 1999.

　Today, eight years after the transfer, the Portuguese influence on Macau remains. Walking around Largo de Senado, Rua da Madeira and Praia Grande Street, I admired the area's Portuguese colonial architecture. At St. Augustine's Church Square, I met Heather, a retired English teacher, living on Coloane Island.

　"No way you can miss Coloane and Taipa, the Portuguese used to have their summer residences there," she said.

　Nowadays, these two picturesque villages still retain a very laid-back and relaxed atmosphere. In Taipa, the Residencias de Avenida da Praia offers fine examples of well-preserved Colonial buildings, but the whole island is changing quickly and not much is left of its rich history.

　However, many old temples and churches are preserved on the narrow streets of Coloane such as Francisco Xavier Chapel, as well as some nice restaurants. In Hac Sa Beach, south of Coloane Island, I followed Heather's recommendation and visited the legendary Portuguese restaurant Fernando's.

　After a week of Chinese food, it was nice to dine on tasty grilled Portuguese specialities such as sardines on the grill with salad and potatoes, caldo verde, chourico (a highly seasoned pork sausage), green peppers and for dessert some pasteis de nata (egg tart).

　Back in Macau, I still had something left to do -- visit the A-Ma Temple, devoted to the goddess of the sea. Since my name means sea in Basque, I have always been attracted to the ocean and life at sea. As I held some incense and looked at the large rock that is engraved with a traditional sailing vessel of the South China Sea, I prayed for the protection of those who sail or who make their living from the sea.

　Today, Macau is rapidly experiencing a massive construction boom, changing its landscape and its architecture. So the future of this Old Portuguese colony seems much more tied to Hong Kong and Guangdong province than to its Portuguese past.

　Still, a huge restoration program is working to preserve its historical buildings -- so, don't bet on Macau losing its past to a blaze of colorful casino lights.