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The city is named for a goddess that, according to legend, appeared and magically calmed a storm that threatened a fishing boat on the high seas. The temple is built on the spot where she stepped ashore after leading the boat safely to port. The Portuguese, who settled there in 1557, abbreviated A-Ma-Kok to Macau.
It seems that the goddess is still protecting the city. The economy has flourished, feeding on gambling, tourism and construction. The gambling industry contributes more than 40 percent of Macau's gross domestic product, and new foreign-funded mega-casinos are still under construction.
The new structures are equipped with top-class facilities to host international conferences, which Macau hopes will be a new source of revenue. In September, the 13th Congress of the International Federation of Latin American and Caribbean Studies was held at the newest and most impressive such venue, the Venetian, owned by the Las Vegas Sands hotel-casino chain. Macau's chief executive, Edmund Ho, addressed the group of scholars from more than 30 countries, emphasizing Macau's significance in connecting East and West, especially the world's Portuguese-speaking countries. His appearance underscores the city's interest in cultivating such visitors.
Macau's leaders, residents and foreign investors alike dream of Macau resuming its historical high-profile position as a bridge between East and West. For 442 years it was ruled by Portugal, making it the oldest European colony in East Asia. In 1999 China reclaimed sovereignty over the enclave from the Portuguese government. The event drew little fanfare, unlike the return to China of Macau's neighbor, the former British colony of Hong Kong, which was returned to China in 1997.
Macau has long lived in the shadow of Hong Kong, a metropolis of nearly 7 million people, compared to Macau's half million. Hong Kong made its name as a world transport hub and financial center, while Macau remained the place people went to gamble with the money they made in Hong Kong.
However, since 1999 Macau has taken steps to diversify into other industries, including textiles, toys and electronics manufacturing. The clothing industry provides about three-fourths of its export earnings. Macau also boasts a wide range of hotels, resorts, stadiums and restaurants as well as its casinos.
Its location gives Macau certain benefits, which the government is eager to expand. The peninsula is 70 kilometers (44 miles) southwest of Hong Kong and 145 kilometers (90 miles) from the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. It also borders China's Zhuhai special economic zone. A proposed US$2-$3 billion project would link Macau with Hong Kong and Zhuhai by a system of bridges totaling 29 kilometers (18 miles) in length.
Macau's importance is expected to rise in providing support services to Hong Kong and mainland China in the fields of financial and banking services, staff training, transportation and communications. It is also reaching out to Taiwan and Singapore. Macau has an international airport with connections to some 15 Asian cities.
If the goddess A-Ma is willing to expand her protection beyond seamen and fishermen to travelers by car and by air, she may find herself getting much busier in the years to come.
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(Zhang Quanyi is an associate professor at the Zhejiang Wanli University in Ningbo, China, and a PhD candidate at Shanghai International Studies University, studying policy making and collective identity. He is currently a research fellow at the School of International Studies at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, under a grant by the Korea Foundation. He can be contacted at qyzhangupi@yahoo.com. ©Copyright Zhang Quanyi.)
