Travel Guide Macau 澳门

Macao was the first European anchorage point in the Far East and was discovered by the Portuguese navigator Jorge Alvares in 1513. The territory was given to Portugal in 1557 by the authorities of the Manchu Empire in recognition of its participation in the war against the pirates of the China Sea. Then, after more than 440 years of Portuguese presence, Macao was, on 20 December 1999, the last European settlement in the Far East to be returned to its country of origin. Beijing therefore recovered before the end of the second millennium the lands it had left to others for a time: Hong Kong and Macau. Still bathed in the myth it carries, Macao carries the scents of a Mediterranean city in Asia. A city where baroque churches and Chinese temples mingle as desired, a city where East and West have rubbed shoulders, mixed, loved and hated. Since 31 July 2005, the historic centre of Macao has been included on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites. At the end of 2009, the 10th anniversary of Macao's return to the Chinese motherland was marked by major official celebrations, which augurs well for the 20th anniversary celebrations at the end of 2019.