Macau Hotels and Resorts

Macau is derived from the name of a Chinese goddess, popular with seafarers and fishermen, known as A-Ma or Ling Ma. The village where Macau now stands, was previously known to the Chinese as, Hou Kong or Hoi Keang.

According to legend, a junk sailing across the South China Sea found itself in a storm. Everybody on board was about to give up all hope of surviving, when a young woman, who had boarded the ship at the very last minute, stood up and ordered the elements to calm down. Miraculously, the gale winds stopped blowing and the sea became calm. Without further incident, the junk arrived safely at the port of Hoi Keang. The young woman stepped ashore and walked to the crest of the nearby Barra Hill where, in a glowing halo of light and perfume, she ascended into heaven.

On the particular spot where she set foot on land, a temple was built in homage to her. Centuries later, when Portuguese sailors landed and asked the name of the place, the natives replied A-Ma-Gao (Bay of A-Ma). Thus the peninsula was renamed. In modern usage, Amagao was shortened to Macau.

Macau also served as a vital base for the introduction of Christianity to China and Japan, an activity that provided the city with some of the most glorious, and tempestuous, moments in its history. A permanent attestation of the growth of Christianity is still seen in the majestic facade of St. Paul's Church of the Mother of God, or commonly known as the Ruins of Saint Paul.

Due to the prosperity it was enjoying and its privileged location, other European nations began casting covetous looks at Macau and plotted to seize it from Portugal. The Dutch actually tried to invade the city in 1622 but were repulsed.

As time passed and other trading nations from the west sent missions to China, Macau became the summer residence for the taipans (great traders) that retreated from their "factories" in Guangzhou (better known as Canton) to await the opening of the trading season.

As time passed and other trading nations from the west sent missions to China, Macau became the summer residence for the taipans (great traders) that retreated from their "factories" in Guangzhou (better known as Canton) to await the opening of the trading season.

Then in 1841, the British settled in Hong Kong, an island 40 miles east-northeast of Macau. Its deep-water attracted ships and trade shifted to the Crown Colony. The economic importance of Macau declined as Hong Kong developed into one of the world's major commercial centres. Nevertheless, Macau is still regarded as an important distribution outlet for rice, fish, piece goods and other Chinese products, enjoying an active manufacturing and exporting business, mainly of textiles and garments, toys, electronics and footwear.

The city of Macau has always been able to sustain its identity, resulting from the encounter between two completely different cultures and civilizations: Eastern and Western. Such harmonious co-existence and uniformity has resulted in a concentration of cultural heritage. Today's Macau gets its revenues from casinos, commerce, light industry and tourism. On weekends and holidays, Macau is filled with Hong Kong Chinese, who enjoy the gambling and a slower, more relaxed pace of life