Photos from Macau
In comparison to some other places around Southern China, Macau is definitely a small city with a lot of history jammed packed into it. The history of Macau actually dates further back than places like Hong Kong. Portuguese merchants had been traveling to Macau since the 1500s, though it didn’t become a Portuguese colony until the mid 1500s. Macau remained a Portuguese colony until it’s return to China in 1999. Below are some photos I took on several trips I had previously taken to Macau.
Unlike Hong Kong, the harbor surrounding Macau is not a deep water port and this actually significantly changed the development of Macau. When the British acquired parts of Hong Kong through the First and Second Opium Wars, Portugal began to see around the 1800s what potential Macau might have. But Hong Kong had it’s deep water ports and the British eventually turned Hong Kong into a Free Trade Zone and a financial hub on East Asia. Macau did not have the same environmental advantages. Therefore, the Portuguese decided to turn Macau into something a little different. Instead of a free trade port, they would focus their energy on the development casinos all throughout Macau. Till this day, Macau is the only place where you can legally gamble throughout China. Well maybe Taiwan also?? I’m not sure.
But the main aspect that I love about Macau is the amount of Christian history that is surrounded in this tiny space of China. The Portuguese brought Christianity (specifically Catholicism) to Macau and dozens of churches can be found throughout the city that are hundreds of years old. This one in particular in the photos shown above are very close to one of Macau’s most famous attractions, the Saint Paul Ruins.
The St. Paul Ruins are definitely a historical masterpiece. What remains are the walls that previously surrounded the church before suffering a horrific fire. Unfortunately, this church had suffered a couple of significant fires that ultimately destroyed the church. Churches were primarily constructed of wooden structures during this time. All that remain is this beautifully constructed wall. The St. Paul Ruins have so much Catholic symbolism throughout it. Perhaps you can look at it closer and leave a comment below describing some of the symbolism you see.
Many very famous Christian missionaries traveled through Macau or to Macau. People like Mateo Ricci who mastered the Chinese language and traveled all throughout Asia to spread the Gospel. For me personally, it was really inspiring to see these things and makes me proud to be part of this history as a Christian.
Whether you have an appreciation with written Traditional Chinese 繁體字, a blend of European and Chinese architecture, or love the creativity of Macau, there is a little bit of everything for everyone in Macau. Some Chinese may tell you Macau is not worth visiting or seeing for some extended time, that’s definitely not the case. You should check it out for yourself.
branhow.com 