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Macau, PRC

Introduction

Macau PRC also referred to as ‘The Gate of South China,' is a city located in Guangdong

province and stands on the western shores of Pearl River in the southernmost region of the

coastal mainland China. The region comprises of two separate islands, one of them being Macau

City which sits on a 23.5 square kilometers peninsula. The peninsula is linked to the main

Chinese land by an isthmus known as Portas do Cerco (barrier gate) that was built in 1573 which

served as the borderline between China and Macau (Calado, 36). The geographic space of Macau

spreads across the tropics and has a wet-dry (monsoonal) climate. It has a summer rainy season

between April and September with temperatures of 29 Degrees Celsius in summer and 15

Celsius is winter (Calado, 36).

The city of Macau itself is built in the Peninsula of the Chinese mainland about 4km by

2km at its widest point. It is here that you will find colonial buildings, the rear sight, the bulk of

casino, lots of restaurants for which Macau is famous. Two channels link the peninsula and

Taipa Island, from which a shorter causeway runs across Coloane Island. Both Island is easily

reached by bus, Coloane boasts of enclaves’ only beaches and decent walking trails (Wong 45).

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Map: Macau City

History development

Macau has a rich history of about 442 years that was influenced by Chinese and

Portuguese authorities. During the Ming dynasty, Macau was barely inhabited by people, and in

1557 it became an oversee settlement of the Portuguese Empire. From this period it constituted a

distinctive terrain incorporating the cultures of the Lusitania and Cathay. From just a simple

fishing village Macau has gone through a series of political changes in its history. First, from the

year 1582 the Portuguese paid rent fee of 500 teals for leasehold, and in 1887 the Portuguese

took over. It was agreed that the Portuguese would rule Macau forever but in 1979 Portuguese

and China decided that Macau would be a Chinese territory under the Portuguese administration

(Edmonds 162).

Following the initial settlement of the Portuguese, the City in the Peninsula proliferated.

It became the most influential center of the missionary activity under the Jesuits who were the

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pioneer missionaries. From Macau, they sent missionaries to China and Japan and using their

vast money they built churches Baroque and Sao Paulo (the most notable). The year 1586 was a

remarkable year because it marked a time when Macau was given the City status, the religious

and civic importance to the Portuguese was set in a declaration named City of the Name of God,

Macau (Edmonds 162).

When the Portuguese arrived at the peninsula at the turn of the 16th century, they were

looking for economic prosperity regarding trading to add to their strain of success in the Malay

Peninsula and India. Three years after arrival Jorge Alvares opened up trade with the Chinese

empire. With the Portuguese discovery of Japan in 1542 it became vital to find a base from

where they would have direct trading operation between China and Japan and Europe (Edmonds

162). By the end of the sixteen century, about 900 Portuguese settlers were living there.

At some point in history, Macau lost its foot in trading after the invasion of the Dutch in

Japan and its proximity to the Chinese authority. In the mid- eighteen century it was known as

the city of Women concerning the number of prostitutes and child slaves. Ironically what saved

Macau from falling completely was the involvement of other foreign traders on the South China

Coast. It was because the Chinese authority didn't allow foreigners to camp on their soil, so the

French, British, Americans, and others had to move to Macau to settle there (Wong 161).

Macau became the half-way point of this traders who built big companies and houses

there a time called an insular possession. It is during the 19

century that modern Macau started

to take shape. It was because of the arrival of a new governor Joao Ferreira did Amaral in 1846

and staked a claim of the sovereignty of the peninsula. (Li and Zeng 383-398). In 1849, Macau

gain independence from the Qing Empire, and Portugal declared it a sovereign state.

Consequently, in 1974 the Portuguese handed over the colonial independence over the territory.

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The Contemporary Urban Context and Form

Besides the rich history of Macau, the modern part is where you will find beautiful

restaurants and casinos. Macau’s economy largely depends on tourism. Macau has the fastest

growing economy with an annual income of 59,541 USD (Wong 162). From 1962, gambling in

Macau had started being operated under the government’s monopolization. Apart from

gambling, Macau is famous for its high-end showrooms, world-class entertainment including the

famous House of Dancing Water which is considered the must-see show (Wong 162).

In 2016, when hosting the Macau Ministerial Conference, the meeting proved that it had

grown to be the primary Portuguese language block regarding trading to which Macau and China

as a whole are committed. Brazil, Mozambique, Angola individually justified the time invested

in Macau despite the economic difficulties. Also, the one belt, one road program initiative

creates an ethical framework which gives a clear meaning and focuses on the development

initiative of the program.

Major Challenges

Macau is faced with a myriad of social problems which ranges from gender disparities,

air pollution, race and ethnic relations, crime and deviant behavior, to traffic and transportation.

The problem of gender inequality is one of the major challenges that Macau faces. This problem

emanates from the traditional Chinese culture, whereby women have been considered to have

lower status compared to men. Apart from the problem of gender inequality, Macau faces the

challenge of ethnic relations (Hao 62). This has long led to the class and integration of

civilizations in the Macanese community. Consequently, the ethnics groups seem to be socially

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separate from one another. These challenges are comparable to the ones that other regions are

sharing a similar Chinese culture.

Income inequalities is another considerable challenge that Macau faces. Even though the

economy has increased significantly, the average earnings are still lower compared to other

regions. One of the surveys indicated that about 60 percent of workers had not had salary

increase (Hao 62). The challenge of income inequalities has widened the gap between the rich

and the poor. This has, in turn, created conflicts between the employees and their employers on

the aspect of income increment. Nonetheless, the problem of income inequalities is not unique to

Macau alone, since other cities face the same challenge.

Macau is one among the many cities in the world that are faced with traffic and

transportation problems. By 2004, Macau had more about 142, 583 motor vehicles within an area

of 27.5 square kilometers (Hao 62). The number of vehicles has fairly increased thereby causing

traffic and transportation problems. This challenge has brought about another problem of

increased accidents.

Air pollution is a problem emanating from the physical environment. Macau has been

faced with the challenge of air pollution due to the increased number of industries as well as the

sewage treatment plants. According to the government's environmental protection committee, in

2003, there were fourteen to twenty-four days when the quality of air was at a dismal point, and

since then the situation has not gotten any better (Li and Zeng 383-398). The air pollution in

mainland China has also contributed to the challenge of air pollution in Macau due to the large

power plants and solid waste incinerators.

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The challenge of crime and deviant behavior is not unique to Macau alone; other cities

are also confronted with the same problem. However, the crimes in Macau have been largely

associated with the gaming industry and the invasion of visitors from mainland China. Some of

the crimes reported in Macau range from gang violence, petty theft, chord attacks, murder,

among other crimes (Hao 62).

The Potential for City Future

As a cultural backwater, Macau did not achieve its primary purpose being the dream-like

city-state status until the late twentieth century. From the year 1560 to 1640 Macau was an

essential capital of the East Asian trade as the Portuguese always saw the city as an outpost to

support the trading networks. Even it repatriation was unheard of in this city. However, before

the handover of Macau to the Chinese authority Portuguese-Sino relationship connected the fine

line between subtle conflict and cooperation (Edmonds 162).

Concerns from authority over the future of Macau economy have formed the basis of

discussion whenever economy talks come in for the next five year. The five-year development

plans are because of the worry of the weak nature of the economic planning process in which

only 70% of the plans is attainable (Li and Zeng 383-398). The central goal of this plans relates

to Macau as one center, one platform. The one center refers to the ambition of making Macau the

world center of tourism and leisure in the territory and the one platform plan is to make it the

main base/ platform of trade between China and Portuguese speaking countries.

Both plans attempt to grow the already existing strength in the territory given that the city

is already leisure and a tourist attraction destination. The one-center goal is to ensure that the city

moves away from gambling and concentrate more on tourism. The key policy of this venture is

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to limit the number of gambling dealers. The plan also is to encourage the gambling industry to

employ more locals to the managerial post. As for the one platform plan, the goal is to ensure

110% increase in the total trade with Portuguese speaking country (Edmonds 162). Beyond these

two plans, other plans are to finish the other projects such as a light rail system, land reclamation,

expansion of sewerage system, and building new bridge project all which will be underway in

the next forecast period. Also, an extensive electronic surveillance system will be rolled out to

improve the city’s security.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Macau is a city comprising of a mixture of Chinese and Portuguese culture

and also referred to as the last European colony in Asia. Perhaps, Macau has proven to be one of

the best tourist city in the world. With a unique and stunning nature of Macau, it is a place to be.

Tourism is just a form of industry and how it is integrated into the community can have an

impact on the role of the regional development as proved by Macau City. There is need to

establish future research to the study of Macau, PRC, particularly on the history and

geographical layout of the city. Further research can be made to ascertain the different cultures

and their interactions in the city.

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Works Cited

Calado, M. "Macau: Memorial City on the estuary of the Pearl River." Macau Review of Culture

(1998): 36-7.

Edmonds, Richard Louis. "The changing geography of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau." The

Changing Geography of Asia (London: Routledge, 1992) (1992): 160-62.

Hao, Zhidong. "Social problems in Macau." China Perspectives 2005.62 (2005).

Li, Bingqin, and Zhonglu Zeng. "Economic Structure, Social Risks, and the Challenges To

Social Policy in Macau, China." Asia & the Pacific Policy Studies 2.2 (2015): 383-398.

Web.

Wong, Koon-kwai. Hong Kong, Macau and the Pearl River Delta: A Geographical Survey.

2009.

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