This old Portuguese colonial settlement has since turned itself into an economic
powerhouse. However, it still maintains its roots as the West’s first colony in China.
Portuguese Influence on Macau
Macau was the first Western colony in China as it was settled by adventurous Portuguese explorers in the 1500s. In the modern era, Macau is an invaluable manufacturing center for Portugal. However, in 1999 Macau became a Special Administrative Region of the
PRC. Macau maintains large degrees of autonomy from China and still has in place its old Portuguese era political and economic systems to this day. That being said, pursuant to the agreement between Portugal and China, Macau must let China handle its foreign policy decisions and its defense decisions. Even though Macau is technically part of China, it possesses a radically different culture. Its culture is a hybrid of Asian and Western culture known as Macanese culture. Macau has ancient Chinese temples which are adjacent to roads paved with Portuguese tiles. Also, many roads in Macau have Portuguese names, and Cantonese is most widely spoken in Macau. Furthermore, Macanese cuisine is a favorite among locals in Macau. It features seafood, Portuguese spices, and Asian vegetables. Perhaps the most striking example of Macanese culture is the fact that there are both Chinese-language and Portuguese-language TV channels in Macau.
How Macau became China’s Vegas
When Macau opened up its gaming/casino industry to foreign investors in 2001, a deluge of funds poured into the country. This also ended the monopoly that notorious tycoon Stanley Ho had had on the 
Macau casino industry for decades. Many Western companies like MGM and Wynn started to invest in Macau leading to it having 33 different casinos. The Macau gaming industry has been a boon to Macau’s economy. Although locals rarely play Macau casino games, the casino industry does employ 20% of Macau locals. Also, taxes related to the gaming industry accounted for over three-fourths of Macau government earnings in 2016. The casinos have also led to rampant urbanization in Macau and may even be the reason why locals in Macau live so long (average death age is 84.4 years old). However, with a thriving casino industry came crime. Macau has long had large amounts of gang activity. The city is home to one of China’s most notorious gangsters: Broken Tooth, who earned his nickname by knocking out people’s teeth during street fights. Money laundering and drug trafficking are commonplace in Macau. However, Macau casinos as well as both Macau’s and China’s governments are cracking down on crime.
The Islands of Macau
Three islands make up the region of Macau: Coloane, Taipa, and Cotai. These three islands were made one big island by a massive reclamation project that helped give Macau enough room to build all of its 
casinos. Cotai is famous for its Cotai Strip which is lined with casinos. Taipa is known for its preserved Macanese landmarks. Coloane is drastically different from these two islands. Due to its strict title deed rules, buying property on Coloane is almost impossible. As a result, Coloane consists mainly of small houses with trees lining the streets. It really is a wonderful respite from the high-octane life present on the other two islands. Coloane has famous bakeries and restaurants, but it is perhaps best known for Hac Sa Beach, which has black sand instead of beige sand.
Evidently, Macau has come a long way from being a minor Portuguese outpost. It has turned itself into China’s playground for the rich and famous. Thank you for reading about this wonderful amalgamation of a region!
Reader’s Question:
Clearly, Macau is a region that has been irreparably changed by its decision to allow foreign investments in its casino industry. This decision has caused Macau’s economy to boom but also has brought about lots of crime for the tiny region of Macau. Do you think it was a wise decision? Comment below!
Check these sources out!
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/china/macau
https://www.cia.gov/library/Publications/the-world- factbook/geos/mc.html
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/10-things- macau/index.html
Although I lived in East Asia for 16 years, I never had a chance to visit Macau. Considering how Macau is a small district, it does need a source of GDP, which in this case is the casino industry. Although the casino industry resulted in the increased crime rate, it is an undeniable fact that Macau has reaped incalculable benefits from foreign investments. The unemployment rate is very low and thousands of hundreds of tourists visit Macau annually. There are two opposite sides to every situation, and Macau’s urbanization is one of such examples.