Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Taking advantage of China's weakness during the Opium War, Portugal occupies Taipa
and later takes control of Coloane in 1864.
1865
The Portuguese turn Macau into a major point on the 'coolie' slave-trade circuit.
Dea
del Mar
sets sail from Macau with 550 slaves from southern China; only 162 survive
the journey to Tahiti.
1937-45
Macau enjoys a brief period of prosperity as a neutral port during WWII.
1949
Communists take over China and declare the Protocol of Lisbon an 'unequal treaty'.
1966
Violent riots break out in Macau. The government proposes that Portugal leaves, but,
fearing the economic shock to Hong Kong, the Chinese refuse the offer.
1974
The new left-wing government in Portugal decides to relinquish all its colonies, includ-
ing those in Africa and the Indonesian archipelago.
1999
Macau returns to China on 20 December as a Special Administrative Region (SAR),
ending almost 450 years of Portuguese rule.
2001
The liberalisation of casino licences leads to an economic boom, but polarises Macau
society.
Arrival of the Portuguese
The first Portuguese contingent, led by Jorge Álvares, set foot on Chinese soil in 1513 at a
place they called Tamaõ, about 80km southwest of the mouth of the Pearl River. However,
the exposed anchorage there forced the Portuguese traders to search for a better port.
At the time, Macau was inhabited by a small number of mostly Cantonese-speaking farm-
ers and fisherfolk from Fújiàn. In 1557 officials at Guǎngzhōu let the Portuguese build tem-
porary shelters on the peninsula in exchange for customs dues and rent. The Portuguese also
agreed to rid the area of the pirates that were endemic at the time. Neither side expected that
for the next 400-plus years, the Portuguese would dominate Macau's history.
