The heart and soul of old Macau

Temples, churches and egg tarts in a little corner of Portugal on the South China coast

The heart and soul of old Macau
Temples, churches and egg tarts in a little corner of Portugal on the South China coast

On a granite outcrop at the southern end of a small peninsula on the western side of the Pearl River Delta stands the ancient A’Ma temple. It was built around 1488 by local fishermen who dedicated it to Mazu, a deity who is also known as A’Ma or Tin Hau. When Portuguese mariners arrived in the middle of the sixteenth century and asked, “What is the name of this place?, the fishermen probably looked at each other, scratched their heads a little, looked around them and at the little temple, and announced, “A’Ma Gao”, the Bay of Mazu. At that time the area had no formal name, and so, apart from a couple of spelling variations over the years, the name stuck.

Mazu was, and still is, the most revered deity among coastal people in southern China. In life, she was called Lin Mo and lived during the tenth century in Fujian province. According to legend, she was able to predict the weather and was reported to have rescued fishermen caught in storms.

The temple faces onto Barra Square and greets a steady stream of visitors with clouds of incense curling from large and colourful joss sticks. Its buildings clamber up the hillside behind, but the small and mysterious Hall of Benevolence is the oldest part of the temple. The hall is partially cut into the granite behind, her guardians: Chin Lei Ngan, who had eyes that could see a thousand li; and Shun Fung Yi, who had ears that could hear a pin drop in heaven, are moulded onto the walls on either side.

The Hall of Benevolence (left) and an exhibit in the Maritime Museum (right)

The Maritime Museum, just across the square, offers a fascinating glimpse into the region’s history. The Portuguese had been allowed to set up a trading post on the peninsula in 1557, but it wasn’t until a hundred years later that they were granted a permanent lease. During that time, Macau had become the clearing house in a highly profitable though clandestine trade between China and Japan. Ships loaded with fine Chinese silk and porcelain sailed to Japan, where they were in great demand, and returned loaded with Japanese silver.

The Chinese forbade their citizens from trading with Japan due to frequent attacks from Japanese pirates. The Portuguese, battle-hardened from years of skirmishes with the Dutch, had no such reservations and, as the wealth and power of Macau grew, a city developed to reflect its importance.

Much of today’s Macau is reclaimed land, but its oldest parts, many of which are UNESCO heritage sites, follow Rua da Barra along what would have been the peninsula’s spine. The road chnages its name several times as we pass along, but it starts just behind the temple. Look for the little side street on the left of the complex.

Climbing the hill brings us to the yellow walls of the Moorish Barracks. Built in 1874 to house a regiment from Goa in Portuguese India, the Mughal-inspired building is now home to the Marine and Water Bureau.

The Moorish Barracks (left), Lilau Square (right), and a room in the Casa do Mandarim (below)

On the same side, a little further along is the leafy Largo do Lilau, or Lilau Square, the oldest Portuguese neighbourhood in Macau. There is a natural spring in the corner which inspired the popular couplet “One who drinks from Lilau never forgets Macau.” On pleasant afternoons, people meet for a chat and perhaps a drink and snack from the kiosk. From here, Rua da Barra changes its name to Rua do Padre António.

Across the road is Casa do Mandarim, though the entrance is just around the corner on Travessa de Antonio da Silva. Stepping across the threshold is a step back in time to a beautifully preserved traditional Chinese residence.

Zheng Wenrui, father of the renowned scholar Zheng Guanying, commissioned the building in 1869, but the younger Zheng and his brother added to the property. It covers around 4,000 square metres over two floors with numerous rooms, courtyards and open spaces. The family moved out during the late 1950s, and the house fell into disrepair. It was acquired and restored by the government in 2001.

Follow the small lane to the left of Lilau Square, up the short flight of steps at the end, and bear right, following the cobblestoned hill to the Chapel of Our Lady of Penha. It is a sweaty climb in the summer, but worth it for the spectacular views. The chapel was established in 1622 by the crew of the Portuguese ship São Bartholomeu, who, after a narrow escape from Dutch pursuers, vowed to build a church to commemorate the Virgin Mary, but the current Baroque-style building dates back to 1935.

Not far from Lilau Square is the neo-classical St. Lawrence’s Church, where families of Portuguese sailors would gather in the forecourt to pray for their safe return. This earned it the local appellation, Feng Shun Tang, or Hall of the Soothing Winds. The church was founded in 1560, but was rebuilt in 1846.

View of Macau Tower from the Chapel of Our Lady of Penha (left), St Lawrence’s church (right), the nave of St Joseph’s church (below)

St. Joseph’s Church is on Rua da Prata. Slip out of St. Lawrence’s by the rear gate and look for the long flight of steps on the right, about 50 metres downhill. St. Joseph’s is one of the finest examples of Baroque architecture in China and, in my opinion, the prettiest church in Macau. It was built in 1758 and forms part of St Joseph’s Seminary. The seminary had been founded 30 years earlier and served as a base for missionary work around East Asia. The church is laid out in the form of a Latin cross, with one of the lateral altars housing a bone from St. Francis Xavier’s arm. A 19- metre dome towers over the axis.

Back up the hill to Rua do Padre António, climb the lane to the left, just beyond St. Lawrence’s Church and into St. Augustine’s Square. Standing sentry on the corner is the pale green neoclassical Dom Pedro V Theatre. Opposite is St. Augustine’s Church, named after the Spanish Augustinians who founded it in 1591. The rather simple exterior belies the elaborate marble altar and the decorative flourishes of the nave.

Stroll down the hill past the white walls of the Leal Senado Building. Built in 1784 to house the colonial government, it now serves as the Municipal Affairs Bureau. Cross the ever-frantic Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro and into Senado Square and the heart of old Macau. Here, the tourist traffic picks up considerably.

The bright white building on the right of the fountain is the Holy House of Mercy, a former clinic, orphanage and refuge for widows who had lost their husbands at sea. There is a museum on the second floor that houses a collection of Catholic artefacts and explores the history of Western culture in China.

Senado Square (left), the facade of St Dominic’s church (right)

Carefully preserved buildings flank either side of the square, at the far end of which stands St Dominic’s Church. It was established in 1587 by three Spanish Dominicans from Acapulco and is dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary. One wonders, though, how she would have felt when, in 1644, during the Portuguese fight for independence from Spain, a Spanish soldier was executed at the altar.

The first foreign language newspaper in China was printed here in September 1822, by Paulino da Silva Barbosa, a military officer and a leader of Macau’s brief constitutionalist movement. The weekly paper lasted just one year before he was arrested, sent to Goa for trial, and ultimately exiled to Mozambique.

The mansion of prominent businessman and philanthropist Lou Kau is on Traversa da Se, a lane which leads off to the right. Lou had made his fortune in the pork trade. He went on to become a property developer and a key figure in the development of gambling in the city. His mansion was built around 1889 in typical Chinese architectural style with blue brick, granite lower course, door frames and lintels, but featuring Portuguese-style shuttered windows.

Crowds gather at St Paul’s and the Mater Dei

Crowds lead the way through a gauntlet of beef jerky, egg tart, and ice cream vendors. A rite of passage for all visitors to the Mater Dei, better known simply as the Ruin of St Paul’s. The Mater Dei is the very symbol of Macau; St. Paul’s was, in fact, the name of a college of which the Mater Dei was a part. It was the first Western-style university in the Far East and an important hub for Jesuit missionary work in China and East Asia.

Construction began in 1602 and, on completion almost 40 years later, it was the largest catholic church in Asia. The complex suffered several fires over the years, the last in 1835, after which all that remained standing was the stone facade. Crafted by Christian artisans from Japan between 1620 and 1627, it features a mix of Western and oriental motifs, including the Virgin Mary stepping on a seven-headed hydra. The Macau government excavated and restored the site in 1990, buttressing the wall and adding a crypt and a museum of sacred art.

Na Tcha temple attracts fewer visitors (left), Fortress of Our Lady of the Mount of St. Paul (right)

During the nineteenth century, Macau had been beset by catastrophe. After the destruction of St Paul’s, a dengue-like fever swept through the population, so the community called upon the powerful child deity, Na Tcha, to restore spiritual harmony. In 1888, a small temple, overlooked by most visitors, was built just to the right of St Paul’s.

Fortaleza de Nossa Senhora do Monte de São Paulo, or Fortress of Our Lady of the Mount of St. Paul, marks the end of this stroll through history. It was built between 1617 and 1626 and sits atop a 52-metre hill, just east of the Mater Dei, and is now home to the Museum of Macau. The fort’s crenulated walls are still bristling with cannon and offer impressive views on all sides. The invaders that the cannons were originally intended to ward off have long since gone, replaced by brigades of Instagrammers and feral pigeons that swoop on any stray crumbs dropped from egg tarts.

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