HISTORY

The Portuguese presence in Macau dates back to 1557, when Portugal established a trading post in Macau. Over time it evolved into a thriving European enclave. Over the centuries, the city became a melting pot of cultures, attracting merchants, missionaries from many parts of Europe and Asia. Strategically located at the mouth of the Pearl River Delta in China, Macau had for a time a virtual monopoly on trade with China and grew fabulously rich. Known as the “Pearl of the Orient” it became an attractive European haven in the Far East. The descendants of the Portuguese settlers in Macau, called Macanese (Macaense in Portuguese), developed their own culture, cuisine and language, strongly based on Portuguese but drawing on influences of the many nations all over the world influenced wherever Portugal had settlements.

Click HERE to visit the Macanese Library website and learn more about Macanese history, culture, art, architecture and music, with articles, anecdotes and e-books