Macao SARE Day – December 20, 2024

History of Macao SARE Day

Macao can be found on China’s southern coast, on the western side of the Pearl River estuary. It’s bounded by the South China Sea in the east and south. Macao Peninsula, Taipa, and Coloane make up the territory. Most of its population resides in the Macao Peninsula, where urban development is concentrated.

Initially developed as a staging port on the long voyage from Lisbon to Nagasaki and a trading post for China-Japan trade by the Portuguese upon their arrival in the 16th century, Macao’s Portuguese traders carried goods between the two countries when Chinese officials banned direct trade with Japan in 1547. After establishing a permanent settlement in 1557, the Portuguese paid an annual rent of silver to the Ming Dynasty of China until 1887. They continued to stay and infuse their culture with the Chinese way of life.

Back in Lisbon, an almost-bloodless coup led by the armed forces called the Carnation Revolution occurred on April 25, 1974. Instead of shooting, soldiers put the flowers they were given in the barrel of their guns. It brought down more than 40 years of dictatorship and ended Europe’s longest-surviving authoritarian regime. The new ruling government made plans to relinquish all their overseas territories. The Portuguese and Chinese governments started negotiations for the sovereignty of Macao in June 1986. A year later, both countries signed a Joint Declaration, which turned Macao into a Special Administrative Region of China. More than a decade later, China assumed sovereignty over Macao. Since then, its economy has continued to prosper from the growth of tourism from mainland China and the construction of new casinos.