History Archives | Macao News

Five things you may not know about Macao’s Government Headquarters

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 09:12:36 +0000

The pink-hued palace is open to the public this weekend. Here are a few facts to consider before you begin strolling its historic corridors.

The heritage building subsidy scheme could start next month

Sun, 03 Sep 2023 23:15:34 +0000

Under the plan, the authorities will fund half of the maintenance and repair costs on buildings considered to be of ‘special cultural value.’

A scheme to help preserve privately owned heritage buildings has been unveiled

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 23:16:09 +0000

If you own or reside in a building with cultural value, you could be eligible for up to 2 million patacas in maintenance aid.

A series of videos about Macao’s Catholic history has been released

Mon, 10 Jul 2023 23:35:24 +0000

Sponsored by the Cultural Development Fund, the series aims to promote awareness of Macao’s long and rich Catholic heritage.

Repairs will be carried out at three historic structures in Macao

Thu, 13 Apr 2023 03:38:37 +0000

The Cultural Affairs Bureau has allocated funds to essential work at the Portuguese consul-general’s residence and two other heritage sites.

One of the country’s most iconic museums is setting up a design and retail centre in Macao

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 07:04:01 +0000

An offshoot of Beijing’s Palace Museum is planned for the SAR and will focus on the creation and retail of merchandise inspired by the museum’s artefacts.

Eight top racers have been immortalised in the Grand Prix Museum’s latest attraction

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 00:42:42 +0000

The museum has unveiled wax figures of global racing icons and stars of the Guia circuit, created by Madame Tussauds.

Traders were already talking about a ‘Great Bay’ area 300 years ago

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 06:30:11 +0000

Macao Polytechnic University historian Ivo Carneiro de Sousa has found evidence that the region was being conceived of as a unified whole as far back as the start of the 18th century.

After being mothballed for 27 years, an iconic hotel prepares to reopen its doors

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 05:56:26 +0000

When it was first unveiled in 1941, the Grande Hotel was Macao’s tallest building. Now, after a 500 million pataca renovation, it hopes to turn heads once again.

People with disabilities are being let down by the Macao Museum, study finds

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 04:26:19 +0000

Inadequate bathrooms, inaccessible exhibits and blocked elevators are among the failings highlighted by an academic audit.

Travel back in time to experience Macao’s firecracker era

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 14:59:44 +0000

For much of the 20th century, many Macao people earned a living making fireworks. We spoke with two people who grew up in the business and hope to preserve this chapter of the city’s heritage.

From the archives: The man who made St Paul’s and the secrets behind the ruins that few tourists know

Thu, 15 Sep 2022 03:43:20 +0000

Although today it stands in ruins, framing photos for visitors from across the world, St Paul’s was one of Asia’s most important religious learning centres, founded by Italian Jesuit Alessandro Valignano.

Remembering when Ulysses S. Grant got the cold shoulder in Macao

Thu, 08 Sep 2022 08:39:06 +0000

The 18th US President is best remembered as the general that led the Union to victory over the southern Confederacy in the American Civil War. But Grant’s impact went beyond the US. We take a look back at his peripatetic world tour, including a little-known trip to Macao.

Understanding the man and the legacy behind Macao’s Mandarin’s House

Fri, 12 Aug 2022 00:00:54 +0000

The Mandarin’s House is one of Macao’s most treasured heritage sites. While the building itself is a top attraction for visitors, its greatest impact came from one of its original residents, the businessman and author Zheng Guanying.

From the archives: Looking back at Sun Yat-sen’s legacy in Macao

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 07:51:14 +0000

From doctor to revolutionary, Sun Yat-sen came into his own in Macao where today the city honours him with a park, statues, a memorial house and more.

401 years on: How the 1622 Battle of Macao unfolded

Fri, 24 Jun 2022 03:27:33 +0000

On 24 June 1622 – 401 years ago – the Dutch were defeated after fierce naval attacks and deadly land clashes in Macao. Historian Ivo Carneiro de Sousa recalls the Dutch East India Company’s attempt to conquer Macao and the revisionism that occurred in its wake.

From our archives: The gaming king who amassed a fortune but lost his ear in Macao

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 07:24:40 +0000

From boiled peanut vendor to casino mogul, Fu Tak-Iam rose from nothing to become one of Macao’s most important people. Today, however, little remains of his legacy.

One Macao art historian decodes the fascinating world of Chinese ancestral portraiture

Tue, 18 Jan 2022 04:28:51 +0000

The author of Ancestor Portraits in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, scholar and painter Ung Vai Meng is the go-to expert on Chinese ancestral portraiture. As he has discovered through 20 years of research, the often-overlooked genre is full of surprises.

Behind the relic: St Francis Xavier’s perilous mission to spread Catholicism across Asia

Sun, 19 Sep 2021 10:11:54 +0000

Catholic missionary St Francis Xavier is often credited for introducing and spreading Catholicism in Asia. Here’s how his right shoulder blade, a treasured relic, made its way to the St Joseph’s Seminary and Church in Macao.

Andrew Kim Taegon: The Macao seminary student who became a Korean Catholic saint

Sun, 11 Jul 2021 12:42:28 +0000

In a tale that moves full circle across the centuries, a passionate young Christian set out a path that has since been followed by millions of the faithful.

Robert Morrison: the visionary prophet of China

Thu, 24 Jun 2021 09:11:30 +0000

The legacy of this dedicated 19th-century Christian – who made it his personal mission to save the souls of the largest country on earth – lives on even today.

A man for all seasons: Sir Robert Ho Tung

Tue, 11 May 2021 04:03:33 +0000

The Eurasian multi-millionaire blazed a trail through the commercial and social life of Macao and Hong Kong leaving a legacy that endures today.

José d’Almeida: the man who planted the seed of Singapore

Fri, 16 Apr 2021 01:58:06 +0000

José d’Almeida Carvalho e Silva – doctor, scientist and revolutionary – left Macao under a cloud but left a glorious legacy in Singapore.

Macao’s secret oasis: The Lou Lim Ieoc Garden

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 05:00:44 +0000

Lou Lim Ieoc Garden is one of the city’s most treasured green lungs: but how it came to be, and what became of the family that first built the park, is a tale stranger than fiction.

Age of discovery: 10 of the most influential Portuguese contributions to the world

Mon, 15 Mar 2021 09:57:48 +0000

From chillies to citrus remedies, tea and cannons, Portuguese explorers changed the world as we know it.

The story behind lai see: An age-old Lunar New Year tradition that’s rooted in meaning

Tue, 09 Feb 2021 08:07:21 +0000

There’s a reason why red envelopes have become ubiquitous during the Lunar New Year. Whether you’re giving lai see or receiving them, here’s the significance behind these little red packets.

7 of Macao’s most important historical figures

Sun, 31 Jan 2021 10:23:47 +0000

Macao has been home to many people who were once – or still are – considered famous. Here are former residents of the city we consider have a claim to eternal fame.

An artistic haven: 6 of Macao’s most famous painters through the centuries

Sun, 31 Jan 2021 07:38:44 +0000

For more than 450 years, Macao has attracted exceptional painters from all over the world – and cultivated many local talents, too. We’ve perused museums and easels to shortlist six of the most famous artists.

Dressed to empress: Check out glittering Qing dynasty costumes at the Macao Museum of Art this winter

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 02:42:32 +0000

The Macao Museum of Art is showcasing beautiful clothes and accessories, once worn by China’s emperors and empresses till 14 March 2021.

How the Macau Military Club came to be a local institution

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 02:38:16 +0000

In honour of the Macau Military Club’s 150th anniversary in 2020, we look into this venerable institution’s colourful past and discover how it stays relevant in today’s modern city.

The Best Off-the-beaten-track Museums in Macao

Sat, 26 May 2018 02:13:05 +0000

Macao is home to more than 30 museums. Here are the most unique off-the-beaten-track offerings that give visitors something a little different.

Heritage Exhibition of a Traditional Pawnshop Business

Sat, 26 May 2018 01:00:10 +0000

The restored Tak Seng On Pawnshop gives visitors a glimpse of what life was like at the start of the

Exhibition Room of Master Lu Ban’s Woodcraft Works

Sat, 26 May 2018 00:55:30 +0000

Opened in July 2015, this museum sits in the Carpenters Guildhall, which was built in 1840 and quickly became one

Sound of the Century

Sat, 26 May 2018 00:50:01 +0000

If you’re into old sound machines, you might want to check this two-storey private emporium out. You’ve just got to

Former Chong Sai Pharmacy

Sat, 26 May 2018 00:45:07 +0000

Philosopher, physician, politician and the man credited as the ‘father of the Chinese republic’, Dr Sun Yat-sen, once used this

The Na Tcha Exhibition Room

Sat, 26 May 2018 00:40:19 +0000

Behind Macao’s famous Ruins of St Paul’s is another attraction that may not be as iconic or grand but is

Treasure of Sacred Art of St Joseph’s Seminary

Sat, 26 May 2018 00:35:12 +0000

St Joseph’s Seminary and Church is a beautiful classic Baroque-style building that was constructed in 1758 and has become quite

Lou Kau Mansion

Sat, 26 May 2018 00:30:06 +0000

This two-storey UNESCO World Heritage site was built in 1889 and provides a great escape for those wanting to avoid

Macau Timepiece Museum

Sat, 26 May 2018 00:25:04 +0000

Sitting just off the main road that leads up to the Ruins of St Paul’s, this private space is a ticking emporium that stands as a symbol of Macao’s important role in China’s horological history.