The Historic Center of Macau

This is the second in a series of articles about Macau, a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. As with the show The House of Dancing Water, we took too many great photos of the Historic Centre of Macao (the Portuguese spelling of Macau) to include all of them in my upcoming list of the Top Ten Things to Savor in Macau. It merits its own post with a full photo collage.

The colonial area of the city with its mix of Portuguese and Chinese influences was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2005. According to UNESCO, “with its historic street, residential, religious and public Portuguese and Chinese buildings, the Historic Centre of Macao provides a unique testimony to the meeting of aesthetic, cultural, architectural and technological influences from East and West.”

Map picture

The Centre stretches over several square kilometers in two zones: one between Barra Hill to the west and Mount Hill in the center, and the other to the east encompassing the Guia Fortress, Guia Chapel, and Guia Lighthouse. The first zone boasts 20 monuments of special significance to the blending of eastern and western influences harkening back to Macau’s days as a Portuguese colony. A complete list is at the end of this article.

During our trip to Macau in April 2012, we visited the monuments near Mount Hill. They’re shown in the map above. Starting at Senado Square (10 on the map), we walked to Mount Fortress (21), the Ruins of St. Paul’s (29), and back to the square. The small area was packed with things to see and made a great daytime walking tour. Unfortunately, time and weather did not permit us to see the other sites in the Centre — perhaps during a future visit.

We started at the Mount Fortress (Fortaleza do Monte in Portuguese). The hilltop fortress was built in 1626 by the Jesuits to defend themselves from attack. The colonial government seized it after Pope Clement XIV dissolved the Jesuits’ Order, the Society of Jesus, in 1773, and the Jesuits departed. It served for many years as the residence of the governors of Macau and a military fort. It is now home to the Museum of Macau. You can almost hear echoes of the city’s colonial past near the cannons on the ramparts. The beautiful garden offers panoramic views of the old city.

2012_04_17 Mount Fortress (10)

2012_04_17 Mount Fortress (8)

2012_04_17 Mount Fortress (9)

The Museum of Macau.

2012_04_17 Macau Museum

A short escalator ride down the hill is the Ruins of St. Paul’s Cathedral and College, one of the city’s most famous landmarks. Completed in 1602 by the Jesuits, it was one of the largest Catholic complexes in Asia but fell into decline after the Jesuits’ departure. It was destroyed by a fire during a typhoon in 1835. The cathedral’s façade crowning a long flight of stone steps was the only visible remnant of the church. Its baroque features reminded me of the Jesuit Reductions in South America that were built at about the same time.

St Paul (6)

St Paul (7)

St Paul (8)

St Paul

St Paul (2)

Statue depicting the Apostle Paul.

St Paul (4)

The back side of the cathedral’s façade — an interesting contrast from the front.

Next to the Ruins of St. Paul’s is the nondescript Na Tcha Temple, a Buddhist and Taoist temple built in 1888 to honor the Taoist deity of protection, Na Tcha. Perhaps just as significant is the red-brown wall behind the temple that’s reportedly one of the last standing sections of the Old Wall of Macau destroyed by the Chinese in 1622.

Na Tcha Temple (2)

Na Tcha Temple and a section of the old Macau wall.

Na Tcha Temple

We walked down the steps of the Ruins of St. Paul’s to the intersection of Rua de Sao Paulo and Rua de Santo Antonio, where the shopping district of the Historic Centre of Macao began. Heading away from St. Paul’s, Rua de Santo Antonio became a cobblestone pedestrian street that headed to Senado Square.

St Paul (10)

At the base of the steps was an interesting statue depicting a Caucasian man and Asian woman that apparently signified the union of eastern and western influences in Macau. In an eternal pose the woman offers the man a lotus flower, and the man accepts with an open hand.

Love Statue

As we made our way through the Centre’s shopping district, we saw a variety of western and Asian storefronts sprouting from colorful Portuguese-style colonial buildings with signs in Chinese, English, and Portuguese. It was an interesting melding of the old and new. Most tourists here were Chinese drawn by the excellent shopping opportunities.

Rua (4)

A side street off Rua de Santo Antonio.

Rua (5)

Rua (6)

An old home.

Rua (2)

Rua (7)

Colonial building near Rua de Santo Antonio.

Rua (3)

Rua (8)

Rua (9)

Rua (11)

Rua (10)

Rua

Near the junction of Rua de Santo Antonio and Rua Sao Domingos, we passed by the beautiful St. Dominic’s Church. Originally built in 1587, the baroque interior is worth a look-see.

St Dominic (3)

St Dominic (4)

St Dominic (5)

Turning a corner, we entered Senado Square, or Senate Square, the heart of historic Macau. The square was paved with a colorful mosaic of cobblestones surrounding a contemporary fountain bedecked with a metallic globe. The Leal Senado, General Post Office, the Santa Casa de Misercordia (Holy House of Mercy), a Portuguese charity, and other colonial buildings bordered the square.

Senado Square (2)

Senado Square (7)

Senado Square (8)

Senado Square (9)

The Leal Senado (Loyal Senate) erected in 1784 was the seat of Macau’s colonial government. Its name, bestowed in 1810, honors the colony’s continued loyalty to the Portuguese monarchy during the Iberian Union (1580-1640). It has served as the headquarters of the Institute of Civic & Municipal Affairs, which administers local matters, since Macau’s transfer of sovereignty to China in 1999.

Senado Square (11)

The General Post Office.

General Post Office

The monuments described above are only some of the significant ones in the Historic Centre of Macao. Others include:

  • A-Ma Temple
  • Moorish Barracks
  • Lilau Square
  • Mandarin’s House
  • St Lawrence’s Church
  • St. Joseph’s Seminary and Church
  • St. Augustine’s Square
  • Dom Pedro V Theatre
  • Sir Robert Ho Tung Library
  • St. Augustine’s Church
  • Sam Kai Vui Kun (Kuan Tai Temple)
  • Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady
  • Lou Kau Mansion
  • St. Anthony’s Church
  • Casa Garden
  • Old Protestant Cemetery and the old headquarters of the British East Indies Company

The walking tour from Mount Fortress to Senado Square is accessible by foot and takes about half a day. If you’re planning a trip to Macau, take your time and set aside at least two days to visit the Historic Centre.

Map picture

 

 

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“The House of Dancing Water” Show in Macau

I was writing a blog entry on the Top Ten Things to Savor in Macau, a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, former Portuguese colony, and gambling capital of Asia, when I realized that one of my recommendations merited its own post. My family and I had taken too many excellent photos of the show, The House of Dancing Water, a Vegas-style stage production, to limit this attraction to a mere bullet point on a list.

The show, now playing at the City of Dreams in Macau, is a wonderfully choreographed experience in an intimate aqua theater-in-the-round. The spectacular show features aerial acrobatics, provocative choreography, and elegant artistry. It is similar to the aquatic theatre show Le Rêve – The Dream at the Wynn Las Vegas and produced by Franco Dragone, who also produced Le Rêve and is known for his work with Cirque du Soleil.

The House of Dancing Water offers a uniquely Asian take on the aquatic theater concept. The U.S.$250 million production that took five years to develop and two years to rehearse is billed as the “world’s largest water-based show” according to the City of Dreams website. The one-of-a-kind production that combines theater, dance, gymnastic artistry, high-performance diving, and state-of-the-art displays of water imagery were truly awe inspiring.

The following is the synopsis of the story from the show’s website:

The Story begins on the coast of Coloane. A Fisherman traveling with his boat enjoys his journey. Suddenly, a mysterious energy from the water creates a terrible whirlpool, grabs the Fisherman, and pulls him to a place and a time of legend. He does not realize for a while what is happening at that moment. He observes, lost and intrigued, when a storm brings a survivor from a shipwreck, a Stranger to this magical kingdom. The young, brave Stranger encounters and falls in love with a beautiful Princess who was thrown into a cage by her evil stepmother, the Dark Queen. Without hesitating, the Fisherman decides to help the Stranger fight against to the Dark Queen and rescue the Princess. With his help, the Stranger and the Princess defeat the Dark Queen, and the Fisherman obtains an unexpected reward. It is a spectacular love story through time and space.

Below are photos from the performance we watched when we visited Macau in April 2012. The theater allowed flash-free photography.

Mysterious energy grabs the Fisherman and pulls him to a place and a time of legend.

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (2)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (3)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (4)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (5)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (9)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (10)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (11)

A survivor from a shipwreck, a Stranger to this magical kingdom encounters and falls in love with a beautiful Princess.

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (15)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (16)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (17)

The Princess was thrown into a cage by her evil stepmother, the Dark Queen.

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (19)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (20)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (21)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (22)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (24)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (25)

The Fisherman decides to help the Stranger fight against to the Dark Queen and rescue the Princess.

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (26)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (27)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (28)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (29)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (30)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (31)

An epic battle. Dueling motorcycles were an interesting addition to the show.

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (32)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (33)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (34)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (35)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (36)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (37)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (38)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (39)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (40)

With the Fisherman’s help, the Stranger and the Princess defeat the Dark Queen, and the Fisherman obtains an unexpected reward.

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (41)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (42)

Images projected onto the water. Amazing.

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (43)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (44)

High diving from the theater ceiling.

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (45)

The highest dive of all. This dive was from at least 25 meters high.

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (46)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (47)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (48)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (49)

Final bows and curtain call.

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (50)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (51)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (52)

One of the most flexible performers I’ve ever seen. The way he contorted his body was unbelievable.

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (53)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (54)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (55)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (56)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (58)

2012_04_17 Dancing Water (57)

Tickets to see The House of Dancing Water are not cheap, but it’s worth the price of admission. It is easily one of the top attractions at any of the casinos in Macau and highly recommended if you’re visiting the gambling capital of Asia.

The official trailer shows some of the spectacular scenes from the show.

[embedyt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znRgofaj_ew&w=493&h=276&hd=1[/embedyt]
“The House of Dancing Water” Trailer
Map picture

 

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Zhujiajiao, the Venice of Shanghai

On January 26, 2012, my family and I traveled to Zhujiajiao, an ancient village in Qingpu District about 45 minutes west of Shanghai. Zhujiajiao bills itself as the “Venice of Shanghai.” Why not the “Venice of China”? Well, perhaps because China has hundreds, if not thousands, of traditional villages like Zhujiajiao scattered throughout the country.

2012_01_26 Zhujiajiao (12)

2012_01_26 Zhujiajiao (43)

2012_01_26 Zhujiajiao (1)

Founded over 1,700 years ago, Zhujiajiao has canals, wooden oar-driven tour boats, stone arch bridges, and plenty of traditional Chinese architecture. However, it bears little resemblance to Venice, Italy.

2012_01_26 Zhujiajiao (36)

2012_01_26 Zhujiajiao (24)

2012_01_26 Zhujiajiao (18)

Some of the village’s attractions include a Buddhist temple that rises above town, a small Temple of the Town God dedicated to the spirits that protect the village, and a theater that offers performances of the Chinese classic play The Peony Pavilion during the summer months and on Saturdays.

2012_01_26 Zhujiajiao (16)

2012_01_26 Zhujiajiao (33)

The traditional Qing Dynasty-era architecture that lines a picturesque network of canals is a main attraction, as are the Chinese foods, beverages, and souvenirs for sale from many vendors. Lotus root, soy beans, pork, toad, and seafood are local specialties.

2012_01_26 Zhujiajiao (6)

2012_01_26 Zhujiajiao (23)

The toad was delectable.

2012_01_26 Zhujiajiao (39)

The snails aren’t your garden variety escargot.

2012_01_26 Zhujiajiao (40)

Dried, not fried, chicken is also a local favorite. Not recommended for tourists.

2012_01_26 Zhujiajiao (42)

The crowds during Chinese New Year were horrific. We thought we were going to be crushed in an alleyway! Fortunately, body heat kept us warm on a cold winter day.

2012_01_26 Zhujiajiao (26)

2012_01_26 Zhujiajiao (21)

In spite of the crowds, the atmosphere was festive during our visit. Dragon boats with drums beating sailed in the canals, and well-groomed dogs sported bright red Chinese New Year coats. Red lanterns with gold tassels festooned the streets.

2012_01_26 Zhujiajiao (44)

2012_01_26 Zhujiajiao

Zhujiajiao is a nice daytrip from Shanghai along with Da Guan Yuan, a park on the shore of Dian Shan Hu (lake) that replicates the garden featured in the classic Chinese novel The Dream of the Red Chamber.

2012_01_26 Zhujiajiao (2)

Just don’t go when it’s busy!

2012_01_26 Zhujiajiao (17)

Here are some short video clips from our visit.

[embedyt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCwtCunBmDs&w=448&h=252&hd=1[/embedyt]
Zhujiajiao, China–January 26, 2012
[embedyt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YLetR0tNWM&w=448&h=252&hd=1[/embedyt]
Zhujiajiao, China–January 26, 2012
[embedyt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eNI5WkNFWI&w=448&h=252&hd=1[/embedyt]
Zhujiajiao, China–January 26, 2012
[embedyt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea9YoAEyxmo&w=448&h=252&hd=1[/embedyt]
Zhujiajiao, China–January 26, 2012
[embedyt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X60xqrEFdZk&w=448&h=252&hd=1[/embedyt]
Dragon boats in Zhujiajiao, China–January 26, 2012

 
This has been a busy week in China with family and Chinese New Year’s festivities. Last night we could barely sleep as the locals blew off rounds of fireworks to welcome the god of wealth on the 5th day of New Year’s. I have to say that I’m looking forward to some peace and quiet – not to mention warmer weather – back in Thailand. We return home to Bangkok tomorrow.

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