Macau beyond the gambling

Thinking of Macau, most people think of Casinos, and that is obviously a very justified impression. This small area on the southern tip of China’s pearl river is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, and it is also the place on this planet with most gambling revenue (seven times that of The Strip in Las Vegas!!! https://money.cnn.com/2014/01/06/news/macau-casino-gambling/).

Night view towards Wynn Casino and the casino of Grand Lisboa, Macau

Of course a trip to Macau is very likely to include a visit to one or more of the casinos, if not for gambling then for people watching, shopping, eating and sightseeing (replicas of Venice, Paris etc.).

I have had the pleasure to visit Macau more than a handful times, and what I really like is to look into the city and the Macau that was there before gambling because it’s major industry. Below I would outline some attractions for the visitor who wants to understand Macau before and beyond the casinos.

Macau was not only one of the first European settlement in the Far East, it was also the last one to be left when Portugal handed the city back to China in 1999 after more than 400 years of Portuguese rule. Some of the areas in the old city has a clear Portuguese influence in terms of architecture, one will also see that street and place names are written out in Portuguese as well as in Chinese. Portuguese still maintains its status as an official language next to the Cantonese.

The Macau peninsula area is where one finds the historic centre of Macau with about 25 UNESCO world heritage sites, the central spot in the old town is the Largo do Senado (Senado Square) where one is just a few steps away from one of the most famous landmarks of Old Macau, the ruins of St. Paul cathedral.

 

Largo do Senado at the centre of the historical part of the town, Macau

 

The ruins of St. Paul at night, Macau

 

Mercado Municipal de Sao Domingos (Municipal Market), Macau

Walking away from the area around the Senado Square there are two places I would warmly recommend for an understanding of the history of Chinese Macau, the rather famous A-Ma temple being one, and the second one being the other overlooked museum of Casa do Mandarim.

The A-Ma temple dates back to the 15^th century and is dedicated to the sea goddess Mazu.
This temple is said to have given the name to the city (as the place was called A-ma gok (Pavilion of the mother), and the Portuguese transcribed this as Macau upon their arrival).

A-Ma Pavillion, Macau

Inside the A-Ma temple, Macau

A-Ma temple, Macau

Casa do Mandarim (Mandarin’s house) is a newer building from the 19^th century and is built in a mainly Cantonese style but has distinct European features as well. At points in time it was housing hundreds of residents, and it would give the visitor an insight into Chinese life in colonial Macau.

Casa do Mandarim interior, Macau

Entrance to Casa do Mandarim, Macau