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Published: March 7th 2011
Senado Square
There was a nice contrast between the old Portuguese buildings and the Chinese Lanterns.I arrived in Macau on the ferry directly from Hong Kong airport and gave myself about a day and a half to wander around. I certainly covered some ground, including taking the bus across to the quieter Taipa island. I may sound a little negative about the place but if you find yourself in Hong Kong I would recommend popping across for a day or so as they are very different places. The food is pretty good, it’s fairly cheap and it’s certainly unique. Three reasons that are enough to visit anywhere.
Excepting the South China Sea on all sides and the towering apartment blocks away from the centre, Macau seems to have three distinct faces. It is a most uncomplimentary mix of huge gaudy casinos then very pretty Portuguese churches and townhouses all interlaced by narrow grotty streets lined with Chinese shophouses. These streets are lively and full of character but I’ll admit to being disgusted by the quantity of shark’s fins hanging up for sale.
The size and number of the casinos with their associated hotels is quite staggering. Equally staggering is how they got permission to build, or had the bad taste to design, such ugly,
Casinos and Hotels of Macau
Like many of the world's cities, I think Macau is prettier at night. over the top, flashy constructions.
In terms of revenue, Macau has overtaken Las Vegas as the gambling capital of the world. If this is hard to believe remember that gambling is illegal in nearby China and Japan, countries with a combined population nearly five times that of the US (1.3 billion + 127 million vs 307 million).
As Vegas has its replica Eiffel Tower, Venice and other such imitations, Macau has a huge plastic Forbidden City adjacent to the Potala Palace, a pretend volcano and a Roman coliseum. It’s like being at Alton Towers but without the rubber dinghy rapids (if you don’t get this reference then please watch Four Lions; one of the funniest films around).
Then there is the Portuguese legacy. The Portuguese were in Macau longer than the Brits were in Hong Kong by over three hundred years. It was the first European colony in Asia. And the last as it was handed back to China in 1999. In the twentieth century Macau was actually a drain on the not so healthy Portuguese economy and they were not displeased to wash their hands of the place. China had more or less been in control
for decades anyway. Having a rather stagnant economy upon reunification with China it was decided that plastic chips held the answer.
Architecturally, what the Portuguese left behind could have you forgetting that you aren’t in Europe. There are some very quaint streets with little cobbled squares and yellow painted colonial offices. The pretty monasteries and chapels are elaborately decorated, while cannons still guard the heavily walled forts and whitewashed villas line the prettiest waterside avenues.
Macau is the most densely populated region in the world, with 18500 people per square kilometre. To get an idea of just how packed it is contrast that figure with the not exactly roomy Tokyo which has merely 5660 people per square kilometre. This high population density is principally as a result of continual high migration from Mainland China and also the fact that Macau has the highest life expectancy in the world at 84.4 years. All these people have needed somewhere to live leading to the congestion of narrow streets and soaring blocks of flats.
It’s an odd place, but worth a visit.
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Cessna152
Jason Smart
Interesting and well-written piece.