Behind the Glamour

By Helena Lao

Since the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Government announced the liberalization of gaming industry in 2002, Macau has undergone her rapidest growth and development. The establishments of new hotels, new casinos and new reclamation areas lifted Macau from an “unknown” city up to an international platform.

Tremendous amount of foreign investments are attracted to Macau. Behind the name of “Asia Las Vegas”, where glamorous neon lights and architectures make up the artificial beauty of this city, let us unearth the genuine beauty of Macau.

“Macau, a world of difference” the Macau Government Tourist Office promotes. Although Macau is a small city with 29km², it is a living representation of the city’s historic settlement, illustrating the first lasting encounter between China and Portugal. Under Portuguese’s governance for more than a century, western-style features and architectural styles has remained as Macau’s heritage in this era. Macau is full of artistic elements, but they are often covered by the glamorous establishments built and going to be built every day. The Portuguese-style pavement (Calçada), the Portuguese-style street nameplate and the Portuguese-style architecture are the key attractions for tourists who would like to appreciate and discover the genuine beauty of Macau.

Calçada introduced paving as a craft; this art form is believed to have originated in Mesopotamia, where rocky materials were used in the inside and outside of constructions. In Macau, we can easily find Calçada in sideways, and piazzas like the Senado Square, where a wave-patterned mosaic of colored stones is paved.

The Portuguese-style street nameplate is another outstanding piece of art in Macau. The idea of the street nameplate is originated from Portuguese Azulejos, which is a typical form of painting using merely blue and white paints on ceramic tiles. Until now, Macau still keeps that Portuguese style of street nameplate. There are also lots of western elements remain in Macau’s architecture, churches and many government buildings, all of which are with western architectural style.

Apart from well-known tourist attractions like Ruins of St. Paul’s, A-Ma Temple, Guia Fortress and Chapel and uncountable old and modern spots, it is nice to spare some time to pay a visit to “Travessa da Paixao” (Love Lane), which is a 50-meter lane but special place located near Ruins of St. Paul. Paixao can present different feelings like fascination, affection, passion. The lane was constructed in the late 19th and early 20th century in a mixed neoclassical and modernist style where houses in the lane seem to bring out the meaning of it: houses from no.5-13 are painted in pink and light yellow, giving out a feeling of affection and love; while houses no.5-11 have green windows and doors, together with other decorations and the combination of colors brings a strong sense of passion.

Although Macau is just a small city, its colonized historical background makes it special and different from other cities. The Portuguese governance retains Macau’s European pace and style. Artists from all over the world are attracted to this lovely city to create their production. Some shots of Hong Kong films like Isabella, b420 and 2046 were filmed in Macau.

Macau is beautiful, not only for more and more well-structured casinos built and entertainment provided. It is because Macau is a place where East meets West, combining eastern and western culture. Behind the glamour,, Macau works well under eastern and western cultural elements, that makes itself sparkled.