TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Golden Macau

Tourists visit the ruins of St

Tan Hee Hui (The Jakarta Post)
MACAU
Sun, December 23, 2012

Share This Article

Change Size

Golden Macau

Tourists visit the ruins of St. Paul’s Church in Macau, China. (Bloomberg News/Jerome Favre)

Visitors to Macau ought to have a simple grasp of Cantonese or Mandarin — useful when asking for directions.

During a recent trip to Macau, inept understanding of the Chinese language resulted in several embarrassing blunders.

At one point, I unintentionally blurted out a mixture of English, Cantonese and Malay — worse still, in one sentence — when I was talking with the taxi driver during my ride back to the Sheraton Macao Hotel where I was staying. What a hilarious moment!

With a basic command of Cantonese or Mandarin, you’ll also find it easier to navigate the historical Macau City.

Composed of a wide network of narrow and cobbled alleyways, walkways and passageways — some of which are hidden from sight — these spots are lined with the likes of eateries, pharmacies, bancas (banks) and retail stores.

Notably, many of these hotspots occupy grand, historical buildings that will soon have you delving for your camera.

Tourists purchase Portuguese’s egg tarts, dried meat and snacks at a shop in Macau. (Bloomberg News/Jerome Favre)
Tourists purchase Portuguese’s egg tarts, dried meat and snacks at a shop in Macau. (Bloomberg News/Jerome Favre)On one afternoon, we indulged in traditional Macanese delights at several eateries. At the top floor of a multi-
storey wet market (Rua Leste Do, Mercado De S. Domingos), we enjoyed a bowl of beef noodles spiced with a bit of curry sauce.

After our meal, we headed to the market’s ground floor and bought a packet of dried oysters at an affordable RM 45 (for 1 kg) at a dry sundry stall.

During our walking tour, we’d also indulged in popular local snacks, such as almond biscuits, Portuguese tarts and bak kua (barbecued chicken meat) that had a mildly unpalatable gamey flavor.

Inside St. Dominic’s Church. (JP/Tan Hee Hui)
Inside St. Dominic’s Church. (JP/Tan Hee Hui)
For a memorable sightseeing experience, start at the ruins of St. Paul’s — an iconic remnant of a church built in 1602, adjoining the Jesuit College of St. Paul’s, touted as the first college in the Far East that offered Westernized academic courses.

Back then, renowned missionaries such as Matteo Ricci and Adam Schall studied Chinese at the college before serving as astronomers and mathematicians at the Ming Court in Beijing.

The church was brilliantly decorated and furnished, according to early travellers.

The structure’s facade of carved stone was built between 1620 and 1627 by Japanese Christian exiles and local craftsmen, led by Italian Jesuit Carlo Spinola.

After the Jesuits’ expulsion, the college was transformed into an army barracks. In 1835, a fire started in the kitchens and destroyed the college as well as the church’s main parts.

The remaining façade, consisting of four colonnaded tiers, is covered with carvings and statues that vividly illustrate the church’s early days in Asia.

You’ll see statues of the Virgin and a variety of saints, the Garden of Eden and the Crucifixion symbols, angels and the devil, a Chinese dragon, Japanese chrysanthemum, a Portuguese sailing ship and pious warnings inscribed in Chinese.

In addition, you can see the former Church of the Mother of God’s remains, a crypt where relics of the Martyrs of Japan and Vietnam rest and the Sacred Art Museum with exhibits such as paintings, sculptures and liturgical objects sourced from other churches and monasteries in Macau City.

The 3,700 square-meter, pedestrian-friendly Senado Square — a short walk from the Ruins of St. Paul’s — is also a highlight.
Slot machines stand in the Sands Cotai Central casino resort. (Bloomberg News/Jerome Favre)
Slot machines stand in the Sands Cotai Central casino resort. (Bloomberg News/Jerome Favre)

Paved with a wave-patterned mosaic of coloured stones, designed by Portuguese craftsmen — the square has many awe-inspiring historical edifices.

Make sure you visit the St. Dominic Church, where the tranquil setting is ideal for those who want to escape Senado Square’s frenetic pace.

Consisting of a chapel and convent built by the Dominicans in the 1590s, the church’s visually arresting cream coloured stone façade, complete with white stucco mouldings and green wooden shutter windows, will appeal to shutterbugs.

The church’s interior — with white pillars supporting a flat ceiling — is dotted with exquisitely carved ivory and wood saints statues.

Upstairs, you’ll see apron-style balconies and a baroque-style altar area with a cream and white colour statue of the Virgin and Child as well as a painting of Christ.
Croupiers stand at their tables in the Sands Cotai Central casino resort. (Bloomberg News/Jerome Favre)
Croupiers stand at their tables in the Sands Cotai Central casino resort. (Bloomberg News/Jerome Favre)

The church also has a dramatic and violent history. At the altar here, the murder of a military officer, who supported the Spanish occupying forces against the Portuguese in 1644, took place during mass.

In 1707, those Dominicans who supported the Pope against one of Macau’s prolific bishops in what’s known as the “Rites Controversy”, resulted in local soldiers attempting to enforce an excommunication order on the Dominicans.

Subsequently, the friars locked themselves in the church for three days and pelted the soldiers with stones.

At one time, the church was even utilized as the local government’s barracks, stable and public works office.

The church was renovated in 1997 and a three-storey museum was introduced, showcasing paintings, sculptures and liturgical ornaments that illustrate the Roman Catholic Church’s history in Asia.

Built in 2001, the A-Ma Cultural Village — a 15-minute drive from Macau City — has a bell and drum tower, carved marble altar within the Tin Hau Palace, a museum, shops and the world’s tallest A-Ma goddess statue situated on a 170 meter-high mountaintop in Coloane Island.

Visitors approach the village through staircases carved with auspicious Chinese patterns such as the tiger, a couple of lions and phoenix, as well as five cranes.
Senado Square: (JP/Tan Hee Hui)
Senado Square: (JP/Tan Hee Hui)

The staircases lead to the Tin Hau Palace where a vegetarian restaurant, Macanese and Taiwanese snack stalls, traditional handicrafts and souvenir stores and other tourist facilities will soon be introduced.

Believed to have been born more than 1,000 years ago, the goddess A-Ma is revered in Macau as the protector of people who make their living on the sea.

According to popular local folklore, the goddess saved a ship’s occupants during a thunderstorm, before ascending into the heavens near the historic A-Ma temple, a renowned tourist attraction built during the Ming Dynasty.

On our last evening, we took in the picturesque sights at Senado Square again. We were impressed with the bright lights that accentuated the historical edifices’ qualities and other old-world attractions, such as the cobbled streets.

We also dined at the Cheong Kei Restaurant, the specialty of which was prawn ovum noodles.

Tucked away in a historical street (68 Rua de Felicidade), the family-owned eatery, established in the 1970s, uses bamboo sticks to make their noodles.

The prawn ovum noodles dish is served in a bowl of soup prepared for eight hours, using dried prawns and bonito.

The appetizing treat was a delightful end to our Macau trip!

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.