Sunday, May 17, 2009

Strolling Along Old Macau

Just a bit of history. 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).

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.

Macau is a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China since 20 December 1999, 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.

These attractions are mainly classified into two. The New Macau mainly features resorts and casinos while the Old Macau mainly features world heritage sites which encompasses architectural legacies interwoven in the midst of the original urban fabric that includes streetscapes and piazzas.

At the forefront and probably the most visited heritage structure in Macau is the Ruinas de S. Paulo or the Ruins of St. Paul.

The Ruins of St. Paul's refer to the facade of what was originally the Church of Mater Dei built in 1602-1640, destroyed by fire in 1835, and the ruins of St. Paul college, which stood adjacent to the church. As a whole, the old Church of Mater Dei, St. Paul College and Mount Fortress (below) were all Jesuits construction and formed what can be perceived as the "Acropolis" of Macau.

The unique architecture of St Paul's Church recalls the style of the European Renaissance and Asian architecture in an intoxicating mix of Chinese and Western elements.

Today, many music performances are held at the Ruins of St. Paul's, which, with its stairs and dramatic setting, lends itself as a natural stage.

A combination of Portuguese and Chinese nuances marks the uniqueness of the Macanese. Two temples are dedicated to Na Tcha, one of which is located near the Ruins of St. Paul's. Na Tcha Temple is a small, simple, peaceful place founded over 400 years ago; it remains of strong historic value and is inseparable from the daily life of Macau's citizens.

A "Section of the old city walls" comprises part of the Historic Centre of Macau - inscribed on the World Heritage list - and was constructed at its oldest point in 1569. During that turbulent period, the Chinese government opposed the construction of city walls and they were broken down a number of times, although the incumbent Portuguese administration continued its construction until 1632 when the city walls and fortresses in the north of the city were reconstructed. A map from that period reveals that other than the Inner Harbour in the west Macau was totally ringed by walls and fortifications. Today, the remaining wall measures just 18.5m long, 5.6m high and roughly 1m wide.

This wall, located near Na Tcha Temple and the Ruins of St. Paul's, bears evidence of local artisanship and materials, especially the use of a solid compound named "chunambo", which was an elaborate mixture of clay, soil, sand, rice straw, crushed rocks and oyster shells compacted in successive layers.

The 17th Century Mount Fortress occupies a hilltop on the peninsula of Macau and is one of the most ancient Western fortresses in China.

Some 300 years ago, during the height of the Ming Dynasty and before the Ruins of St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church was severely damaged by fire, the Mount Fortress solemnly guarded the city. In 1998, the three-level Macau Museum was built into the fortress hill and it is now considered a major tourist attraction.

Pardon me but I just can't help to also share to you Mac-mac, a cute, little critter playing in front of the Church ruins. I was shooting in the church when he kept stealing the scene as if saying let me take his pic. I aimed my cam and he stood still.

Note: Most informations were obtained from Macau Tourism Website. For more info and other sites not covered here, please check out their site here.

With this post I end my brief Macau series. This trip is brief but I enjoyed it nevertheless for I had a glimpse of both the New and Old Macau. If you are into photography, the best time to go there is in the last quarter of the year where skies are much clearer. I still had few snaps and photos of the place but decided to defer postings for I have plans of going back there and cover the place when the sky is much, much better.

To the people of Macau, Thank You Very Much!!!

31 comments:

  1. champion ang pics mo sa macau parekoy. i really enjoyed this series. kailan ka magtour ng nz? hehe

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  2. it's indeed an old city as you mentioned in your previous post. i might say that ill love this part of macau because i get to see the culture here.

    the walls looks like the ones in intramuros. the dog>>> cool! sana inuwi mo na lang yon.

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  3. ohmygosh! that cutie is absolutely a scene stealer! sana kinidnap mo.:D

    great photos...a blend of East and West. and yes, the stone wall and the cannon look like our our Intramuros.

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  4. I can't take my eyes off of that critter! Hehe.

    I haven't been to Macau, but Lonely Planet's coverage of the place was really great, and I loved the Ruinas upon first sight. The close up shots you did with the statues of the facade were wonderful!

    Haay... sana ako rin, makarating dito, and soon...

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  5. Oh my. The puppy is so adorable. And yes, the place indeed is a mixture of east and west. Hope to go there someday.

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  6. The places are old but nice. Macau is really booming in recent years.

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  7. Very beautiful photos. I did not go to the Fort. Did you pop over to Zhuhai from Macau. They have free bus from hotel to the Gongbei border (i.e. Macau/Zhuhai, China). There's an underground shopping just next to the immigration.

    Looking forward to more photos from you. :)

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  8. awh... i love the white pup... so cute.... i remember my own when she was little.... hehehe what's it's breed kaya and it's gender... so cute.... gandang bigyan ng name.... hehehe

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  9. That was an enjoyable post. Parang nakita ko narin in person. Great job on the reporting. It goes without saying that your photos were terrific.

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  10. i like the old facade. mabuti hindi pa yun bumagsak...galing nung 2nd photo mo ah. at first, i thought it was a wall of niches, inayos mo nlng pala. :)

    it was not the old macau that i expected. napanuod ko kasi sa isang koreanovela yung old macau. haha. they probably used a different setting.

    ah so mac-mac kasama mo? hehe.

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  11. As you might have sensed it from my previous remarks I am not particularly in love with Macau... but then... I might not have been in the right mood.

    Cute little dog!

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  12. it's a somber weather when you visited nga bro. but i still liked the iconic facade of the st. paul ruins. two posts lang pala ang macau trip notes mo? baka naman merong pang photos and images left to share with us? :)

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  13. I like the Ruins of St Paul building. I also find the mix of European and Chinese elements in the buildings in Macau very interesting.

    Ooh, that cute dog! He stood still for you? So adorable! : )

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  14. Why didn't they just rebuild the ruined church just like what we did with the Manila Cathedral? Sayang naman yan.

    Anyway, is it always so foggy in Macau? Or is that air pollution?

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  15. Interesting combination of cultures.

    Cute puppy. :)

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  16. interesting... a mix of old and new. Macau has a lot of Portuguese history. Just curious - are Chinese folks with Portuguese last names then ? Very nice pics :)

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  17. LS: Unbelievable captures of the old city.

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  18. Very nice capture of Macau. The first few photos looks like it was either misty or it was raining. I like the dog in the last photo. Very cute.

    Alexander
    Alex's World! - http://www.kakinan.com/alex

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  19. mac-mac: macau's scene-stealer! how cute!

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  20. Lo tuyo es un no parar ehh, excelentes imagenes.
    Un saludo.
    PD Por cierto he vuelto al mi anterior dirección
    www.jve07.blogspot.com

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  21. So cute Macmac. Haha. Ang cute talaga!

    Another worth-a-visit blog here. I am asking permission to link you in my blog. Thanks!

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  22. Wow! Umabot ka na pala ng Macau! I hope to visit the place as well soon since it is also a UNESCO site :D

    I love the charm of that old street. And ang cute ng doggy

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  23. Hi Norman! Sorry for the absence, but I’ve been busy with my parents’ health; almost 180 years to care... ;)
    WOW! These were great posts on Macau!! My last time there was in 2002 and I see it's changing everyday. Amazing! Thanks for updating me on the Territory!!

    Blogtrotter is showing the new Vilnius as well as the old University. Hope you enjoy and have a great week!

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  24. wow kuya lawstude. nagbakasyon ka pala ulit! ang ganda! cute nung aso! hehehe


    ingats palagi kuya! =p

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  25. Ang cute ni Mac-mac :) I love Macau kse khit saan ka magpunta meron Pilipino nagtratrabaho and they are helpful to other Filipinos who might be lost or wanting to know information about a place kse di marunong mag-English ang mga locals

    Actually I'm staring at Macau right now. I have this Philippine Airlines calendar hanging on my wall at nagkataon na Macau ang picture for this month :)

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  26. Ang cute ni Mac-mac :) I love Macau kse khit saan ka magpunta meron Pilipino nagtratrabaho and they are helpful to other Filipinos who might be lost or wanting to know information about a place kse di marunong mag-English ang mga locals

    Actually I'm staring at Macau right now. I have this Philippine Airlines calendar hanging on my wall at nagkataon na Macau ang picture for this month :)

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  27. Ang cute ni Mac-mac :) I love Macau kse khit saan ka magpunta meron Pilipino nagtratrabaho and they are helpful to other Filipinos who might be lost or wanting to know information about a place kse di marunong mag-English ang mga locals

    Actually I'm staring at Macau right now. I have this Philippine Airlines calendar hanging on my wall at nagkataon na Macau ang picture for this month :)

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  28. i like the first shot very much because it's unlike many of the Macau shots that's too touristy.

    thanks for giving me an idea of what shots to take when i visit Macau :)

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  29. The place really is am eclectic mixture of both worlds old and new and east and west. Cute ni Mac-mac.

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  30. I liked Macau and I plan to revisit, too. That time I hope I'm brave enough to try bungee jumping in Macau Tower. Just staying on the viewing deck already scared me.

    Dropping by from Dong Ho's blog. =)

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  31. Great insight on Macau, a wonderful place.
    Helder Fraguas

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