| China Destination Guide: Macau |
|
Main Tour Attractions in
Macau
Monte Fort and the Museum of Macau
Monte Fort is located on a hill east of the ruins of St. Pauls’ Church. In fact, the church, a Jesuit college, and the fort used to be parts of one complex. The construction of the fort began in 1616 and was completed in 1626. Quadrangular in shape, the fort has a bastion on each of its four corners; it also contains barracks and storehouses to quarter and sustain defending troops. Altogether the fortress occupies over 20,000 square feet of area.
Monte Fort is strategically located to place both the inner and outer harbor of Macau under its protection. In its entire history, however, the fortress only saw one battle - in 1622, actually before the stronghold was fully constructed, cannon fires from here helped Portuguese defenders thwart an a Dutch attempt to take control of Macau. The cannons are still in their positions today, idly aiming at the peaceful ports and business and residential areas below.
In the late 18th century, after disputes within the Catholic Church resulted in the expulsion of the Jesuits, Monte Fort fell into disuse. From 1965 to 1996 the fortress served as a meteorologist observatory. In 1998, a museum, the Museum of Macau, was opened here. The museum has three floors of exhibition, respectively on the history, popular culture, and current affairs of Macau.
Macau Tower
Measuring 338 m (1,109 ft) in height, the Macau Tower provides a platform to take a panoramic view of the city below and the Pearl River Delta nearby. The observation lounge in the tower is located on the 61st floor, 223 m (731 ft) above the ground. Thrill-seekers can take a stroll on an open air outer rim – the pathway is 1.08 m (6 ft) in width and has no walls or handrail. One can also try out bungee-jump from this high point.
For the less adventurous, more suitable is the revolving restaurant, 360° Café, where they can enjoy the vistas while savoring the Portuguese, Indian and Chinese cuisine offered at the place.
Opened in 2001, the tower is a new addition to the list of tourist attractions in Macau. The structure is part of the Macau Tower Convention & Entertainment Center, which contains conference facilities, shops, theaters and other amusement venues.
A-Ma Temple
A-Ma Temple is the oldest temple in Macau. Built in 1488, it has a history of over 500 years. Located on the southern end of the Macau peninsular, the temple overlooks the Inner Harbor. A-Ma literally means “mother” and local people refer to the shrine as “Ma Ge” or “Tianhou Miao” both of which have the meaning of “Temple of Godly Mother.” A-Ma is a guardian goddess with wide following on the South China coast, especially among fishermen and other seafarers. Legend has it that once upon a time a poor girl asked for free passage and a kind traveling merchant agreed to take her along on his ship. On the voyage they were caught in a wild storm. Many other vessels perished but the ship on which the young lady was riding sailed to safety. The amazed merchant realized that the girl was A-Ma in person and he decided to build a temple in her honor at where she landed. The temple remains an active place of devotion, with many people come here, especially on the birthday of A-Ma (in March) and the New Year’s Eve, to pray for the safety and good fortune of their loved ones.
Lou Lim Iok Garden
Lou Lim Iok Graden is located in central Macau, on Estrada Adolfo Loureiro. The garden was built at the end of the 19th century as part of a resident complex, by the Lous, an affluent merchant family in Macau. It is constructed in the classical style of Suzhou, which is a city in East China known for its traditional Chinese gardens. The garden is 4.4 acres in area, featuring bamboo and flowers, winding paths, a small pond, along with a zigzag bridge with nine turns (Chinese people enjoy outsmarting evil spirits – their folklore suggests that evil spirits don’t know how to make turns and a zigzag bridge makes an ideal place to lose them).
Casinos
Gambling being a mainstay of its economy, Macau is known as the “Monte Carlo of the Orient.” In fact, if you by volume, Macau, with an annual revenue of $5 billion, is the world’s leading gambling town, bigger than Las Vegas, even though in terms of overall entertainment it is no match of the gambling capital of the United States. Currently there are a total of 14 casinos in Macau, which all operate under one governmental franchise, and offer games such as blackjack, roulette, baccarat, keno, boule, sic bo, Fan-Tan and tiger machine. The largest and also best-known casino in Macau is Casino Lisboa, the hotel of which contains 1,000 rooms and 6 restaurants. In 2004, Sands Corporation, the owner of Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, launched Sands Macau, which is located a short distance from Macau Ferry Terminal.
|
|
|
|
|
|
