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History of Macau
Fishermen from Fujian and farmers from Guangdong were the first known settlers in Macau, when it was known as Ou Mun, or “trading gate", because of its location at the mouth of the Pearl River downstream from Guangzhou (Canton). 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.
Following the Opium War in 1841, Hong Kong was established by Britain and most of the foreign merchants left Macau, which became a quaint, quiet backwater. Nevertheless it has continued to enjoy a leisurely multicultural existence and make daily, practical use of its historical buildings, in the process becoming a favourite stopover for international travellers, writers and artists.
Macau Today
Macau has developed in the past industries such as textiles, electronics and toys, while today has built up world class tourism industry with a wide choice of hotels, resorts, MICE facilities, restaurants and casinos. Macau’s economy is closely linked to that of Hong Kong and Guangdong Province, in particular the Pearl River Delta region, which qualifies as one of Asia’s ‘little tigers’. Macau provides financial and banking services, staff training, transport and communications support.
Today Macau is a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, and, like Hong Kong, benefits from the principle of “one country, two systems". 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.
Macau has been a melting pot for different cultures since it was first settled and has recently shot to international fame as one of the world’s fastest growing entertainment and leisure holiday destinations. More than 20 million visitors arrive in Macau annually, largely drawn by international casinos, like Grand Lisboa, Wynn Macau, Sands Macao, Venetian Macao, MGM Grand Macau, Crown Macau, and StarWorld. The fact that Macau surpassed Las Vegas to become the largest gambling location in terms of gaming revenue made world headlines and further solidified Macau’s position as a world-class entertainment town.
There is, of course, much more to Macau than casinos. Like its cousin Las Vegas, Macau is attracting a wide range of entertainment and leisure activities to cater to the diverse desires of so many holidaymakers. In Macau visitors will discover luxury hotels and resorts, world-famous music and theater performances, irreplaceable historical monuments, and fabulous shopping.
Best Stays
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Destination Nearby
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