Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Macau's History & Culture
History
Ou Mun
,
Macau's Chinese name (Aomén in Mandarin), means Gateway of the
Bay. This is what the Portuguese were after when they arrived in the 16th cen-
tury - a trading gateway in the Far East. Trade did prosper for some time, and
Macau's colonial buildings live to tell of its former glory. But the decline of
Portugal as a colonial power, and Hong Kong's rise as the dominant trading
post changed the course of history for Macau.
4000 BC
Archaeological finds from Hác Sá and Ká Hó bays on Coloane island suggest that Ma-
cau was inhabited in neolithic times.
AD 500
Macau serves as a stop in the Maritime Silk Road for merchant ships travelling between
Southeast Asia and Guǎngzhōu.
1277
Mongols invade China during the Southern Song dynasty; some 50,000 people seek
refuge in Macau.
1513
The Portuguese, under Jorge Álvares, land in the Pearl River Delta of China.
1557
The Ming court leases Macau to Portugal for tribute paid to Běijīng; the Portuguese
build the first walled village in Macau.
1560-80
Jesuits and Dominicans arrive in Macau, turning it into a Catholic missionary hub.
1601
The Dutch attack Macau. Further raids culminate in a full-scale - but ultimately unsuc-
cessful - invasion in 1622, prompting construction of the Guia Fort.
1680
Lisbon appoints the first Portuguese governor of Macau. Macau's role as a major trading
port is in decline.
1851
