|
Description
Not a high percentage of Americans have heard of a place called Macau; this percentage was even smaller prior to December 20, 1999 when Macau (50 miles west of Hong Kong) was a tiny and globally uneventful Portuguese colony along China's southern coastline. On that day, Macau was reverted back to Chinese rule and was formally designated as a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. The other SAR, of course, is Hong Kong when it was returned to China on July 1, 1997. Macau has a long history of Portuguese presence and influence, dating back to the 16th century when Portuguese seafarers were active in waters of the South China Sea.
Portuguese traders landed in Macau reportedly as early as 1516 and by 1557 the Chinese Court had allowed them to stay and occupy the peninsula and two nearby islands (now called Taipa and Coloane) for the purpose of operating a port for reloading supplies and fresh water for Portuguese ships; at that time, the Chinese Empire did not recognize Portuguese sovereignty in Macau. Years later, the Portuguese established a municipal government and was never challenged by China's Imperial Court. During the 19th century, the Qing Dynasty signed the Protocol of Lisbon, an agreement that allowed the Portuguese rights to live in Macau... |
Looking for additional articles?
Click here
to search our database of over 3 million articles.
|
