Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

is an autonomous territory within

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. A Portuguese colony until 1999, Macau has a diverse culture firmly rooted in Cantonese culture, with a mix of influences from

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

and

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...

. Macau is known for being the largest gambling center in the world.

People and languages

The two official languages of Macau are Chinese and Portuguese, although the latter is only spoken by a small minority. English is also widely spoken. , 80.1% of the population speak

Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

as their daily language. In 2018

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

stated "there are signs that Chinese is being prioritized in government." The Macanese language, generally known as ''Patuá'', is a distinctive creole that is still spoken by several dozen members of the

Macanese people The Macanese people (, ) are a multiracial East Asian ethnic group that originated in Macau in the 16th century, consisting of people of predominantly mixed Cantonese and Portuguese as well as Malay, Japanese, Sinhalese, and Indian anc ...

, an ethnic group of mixed Asian and Portuguese ancestry that accounts for a small percentage of Macau's population. Signs in Macau are displayed in both

Traditional Chinese A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...

and Portuguese. In contrast to mainland China, Macau—along with

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

—generally does not use

Simplified Chinese characters Simplified Chinese characters are one of two standardized Chinese characters, character sets widely used to write the Chinese language, with the other being traditional characters. Their mass standardization during the 20th century was part of ...

. Among the main migrants of the country are skilled workers from the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, hence Tagalog is one of the most-heard foreign languages.

Cultural identity

The worldwide popularity of Cantonese food and

Chinese martial art Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...

s (''

kung fu Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...

'' or '' wu shu'') has made them popular in Portugal as well. In 1998, the first ''Festival da Lusofonia'' took place in Macau, a festival of Portuguese-speaking communities. In November 2013, the 16th edition of the festival took place over the duration of two and a half days with musical activities, kids programmes, traditional Portuguese games and food from Portuguese-speaking countries' cuisines.

Mass media

Most of the pop music that can be heard on the channel ''TDM Teledifusão de Macau'' (澳廣視) is imported from Hong Kong or overseas (mainly

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

). However, more and more local songs are being recorded by locals. Some Brazilian TV stations are also broadcast in Macau.

Cuisine

Macanese cuisine is a blend of southern Chinese (especially

Cantonese cuisine Cantonese or Guangdong cuisine, also known as Yue cuisine ( zh, t=廣東菜 or zh, labels=no, t=粵菜), is the cuisine of Cantonese people, associated with the Guangdong, Guangdong province of China, particularly the provincial capital Guan ...

) and Portuguese cuisines, with significant influences from Southeast Asia and the Lusophone world. The most famous snack is the Portuguese-style

egg tart The egg tart (; ) is a kind of custard tart found in Chinese cuisine, derived from the English custard tart and Portuguese pastel de nata. The dish consists of an outer pastry crust filled with egg custard. Egg tarts are often served at di ...

. It is widely popular in Southeast Asia, especially in

and

. The most famous Macanese food is galinha à portuguesa, which is served in numerous varieties in Macau restaurants. In 2018 Reuters stated that the cuisine was one of the few remaining Portuguese influences in Macau.

Religion

The primary religion is

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

has considerable influence in education and social welfare in Macau. However, adherents only count for about six percent of the population.

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

is spreading quickly, especially among the younger demographic groups.

Arts

Film

A few independent films have been produced since the late 1990s. Recent Macau film productions include: * 窗前熗後 by Vincent Hui (2000) * ''Love Is Not A Sin'' () by Doug Chan (2003). Winner of Golden DV Award (27th HKIFF), Winner of The Best Original Screenplay Award (1st Downunder International Film Festival, Darwin). * ''macau.xmas.2005'' () by Sio (2005). * ''Macao 2525'' (2021). Nominated for best digital animation at the Film & TV World Cup 2021 at the Lima Web Fest in Peru. * '' The Edge Of Human'' by Johan Karlberg and Angela Lao (2022). First Macanese Cyberpunk movie, nominated for best experimental film at the Film & TV World Cup 2022 Pinewood Studios Lift Off Sessions in London UK. Finished 4th place of 42 in the network round. * '' Return To Earth - Macau Sci-fi (2023)'' by Johan Karlberg and Angela Lao. Finished Top 4 of 15 nominated finalists at BCT Cinema E Televisione festival in Italy (best feature film);. declared the best Asian feature film in the festival.

Music

The Macau International Music Festival is conducted by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macau SAR Government every autumn. The 20th anniversary of the MIMF was celebrated in 2007 with performances of

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...

, Chinese

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

-pop,

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

and

Fado Fado (; "destiny, fate") is a music genre which can be traced to the 1820s in Lisbon, Portugal, but probably has much earlier origins. Fado historian and scholar Rui Vieira Nery states that "the only reliable information on the history of fado ...

. Other Lusophone music types popular in Macao are ''

samba Samba () is a broad term for many of the rhythms that compose the better known Brazilian music genres that originated in the Afro-Brazilians, Afro Brazilian communities of Bahia in the late 19th century and early 20th century, It is a name or ...

'', '' bossa nova'', and '' kizomba''. In 2005, the Hush!! Full Band Festival got established, a government-sponsored modern music festival featuring pop rock and hard rock bands from all over Asia with a focus on Macau bands. The festival is free of charge and it's in its 9th edition in 2013.

Literature

The literature of Macanese (i.e. those with Portuguese descent) is a multi-dimensional art. Their literature appeared as early as the 19th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of well-known writers appeared: * Anthology "Lonely Road": TancareiraBela, Tancareira Pensativa and CancāoDe Tancareira by Leanel Alves. * Anthology "Blessed Garden, Macau" by Jose dos Santos Ferreira. * Short fiction "The Gown" by Deolinda de Conceição * Long fiction: "Love and small toes" & "The Bewitching Braid" written by Henrique de Senna Fernandes * Anthology "Four Seasons in One Day" – Carlos Marreiros * Other: ** "Chinese Urheen" by Camilo Pessanha (1867–1926) ** "The Chart of Maritime Countries ()", "Listens to the Dulcimer & Song playing by a foreign lady in the Macau Garden ()" written by Wei Yuan ( 1794–1857), displayed his personal feeling and understanding of

Cantonese opera

Cantonese opera is quite popular, especially among elderly residents. In 2003, the Cultural Institute of the Macau S.A.R Government, in collaboration with the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Hong Kong SAR, organized the exhibition "Fong Yim Fun – The Life and Work of a Cantonese Opera Artiste". As a well-known actress and opera artiste in

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

, Hong Kong and Macau, Fong Yim Fun performed in more than 150 operas and films. Part of her works was exhibited in the Museum of Macau at that time.

Facilities

The Macao Cultural Centre was established in 1999, for the purpose of offering unique venues for artistic events, international conferences and exhibitions, enhancing cultural exchange, and helping to expand culture horizons among Macau residents. Hundreds of programs and events take place there almost every day—e.g.,

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

performances, European traditional music, Chinese traditional music, foreign music, varies types of dancing, etc. The Macau Ricci Institute is a recent foundation of the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

in Macau. Its aim is to continue the process of friendly encounters between Chinese and European cultures and traditions, which was begun by

Matteo Ricci Matteo Ricci (; ; 6 October 1552 – 11 May 1610) was an Italian Jesuit priest and one of the founding figures of the Jesuit China missions. He created the , a 1602 map of the world written in Chinese characters. In 2022, the Apostolic See decl ...

1552–1610 many years ago.

References

External links

HUSH!! Full Band Festival
official CCM website
Macau scene overview
at RockinChina.com {{Culture of Asia