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Things To Do & See
Macau Fishermans Whalf - Macau Fisherman's Wharf is a 120,000-sqm² park and the first themed entertainment attraction in Macau. It is centrally located in the outer harbour. It combines top-flight entertainment, accommodation, fine dining, retail, convention and exhibition facilities in one single location which takes just a 5-minute walk from the Macau Ferry Terminal and Heliport. Be it for business or pleasure, visitors are able to find a brand new experience in this world-class, round-the-clock, free admission entertainment complex, which is rapidly emerging as a popular landmark and meeting point for both Macau citizens and tourists in search of the vibrant and the new.
Macau World Heritage - At the 29th Session of the World Heritage Committee hosted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), on 15th July 2005, The Historic Centre of Macau was successfully inscribed as a World Heritage Site, making it the 31st site in China to be granted this status.
The Historic Centre of Macau is an urban area within the old city of Macau spanning eight squares - Barra Square, Lilau Square, St. Augustine’s Square, Senado Square, Cathedral Square, St. Dominic’s Square, Company of Jesus Square and Comões Square – and 22 historic buildings – A-Ma Temple, the Moorish Barracks, Mandarin’s House, St. Lawrence’s Church, St. Joseph’s Seminary and Church, Dom Pedro V Theatre, Sir Robert Ho Tung Library, St. Augustine’s Church, the ‘Leal Senado’ Building, Sam Kai Vui Kun Temple, the Holy House of Mercy, the Cathedral, Lou Kau mansion, St. Dominic’s Church, the Ruins of St. Paul’s, Na Tcha Temple, a section of the Old City Walls, Mount Fortress, St. Anthony’s Church, Casa Garden, the Protestant Cemetery, and Guia Fortress (including Guia Chapel and Lighthouse). This list includes the archaeological remains of the first western-style university in the Far East, the College of St. Paul, buildings that are still functioning according to their original purpose such as the first western-style theatre and the first modern lighthouse in China, and examples of late Qing merchants’ homes.
The Historic Centre of Macau is the product of cultural exchange between East and West spanning over 400 years, and is currently the oldest, the most complete and consolidated array of European architectural legacy standing intact on Chinese territory today.
A-Ma Temple - In July 2005, "The Historic Centre of Macau" was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List, recognizing the architectural legacies interwoven in the midst of the original urban fabric of Macau, a witness to successful East-West cultural co-existence. A-Ma Temple is reputedly the place in Macau where the Portuguese first landed, and is the starting point of this historical exploration.
Picture yourself outside A-Ma Temple standing on the Portuguese-style cobbled road. The Temple consists of prayer halls, pavilions and courtyards built into the boulder-strewn hill connected by winding paths through moon gates and tiny gardens. At the entrance is a large rock on which a traditional sailing junk was etched over 400 years ago. On other boulders you can see red carved characters invoking the blessings of the gods. Chinese legend says that touching the top of the moon gate up the hill will bring good luck in love.
Opposite the temple lies the Maritime Museum, featuring many aspects of Portuguese and Chinese maritime history covering the period from the Fifteenth to the Seventeenth Century. Several famous Portuguese restaurants are located nearby.
Moorish Barracks - A visit to Macau World Heritage sites will typically include churches, temples, gardens and squares, and offers a real insight into old Macau. Chinese and Portuguese architecture abounds - but have you seen a Moorish building in Macau?
In 1874, the Portuguese built a Moorish Barracks on the slopes of Barra Hill, opposite a demolished barrier, garrisoned by Indian soldiers. The two-storey brick and stone neo-classical structure with exotic Moorish influences now serves as the headquarters of the Macau Maritime Administration.
The Barracks are not open to the public but visitors can tour the verandah where the square and pointed ornaments on the parapet walls resemble mosaics and exude an impressively beautiful and subtle rhythm. The Moorish Barracks used to provide typhoon signals for fishermen many year ago.
To know more about the traditions and way of life of the fishermen in ancient Macau and southern China, it is well worth visiting the nearby Maritime Museum, which displays several types of ship from Portugal and China, plus instruments, and a typical fisherman's dwelling, where the whole family can be seen sharing the work tasks.
