Macau Puji Temple, Ruins of St. Paul's, Fortress of Macau, A-Ma Temple, Catholic Museum, Maritime Museum

Macau is called "Monte Carlo of the East". It was originally part of Xiangshan County, Guangdong Province, and was later occupied by Portugal. It returned to the motherland in 1999. It is connected to Zhuhai City in the north and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in the east, only 40 nautical miles away. The economic structure of Macau is mainly composed of export manufacturing, tourism and gaming, finance, real estate and construction. Macau's tourism industry is very developed. The superior geographical location, pleasant tropical climate and developed service facilities make it quite influential in the international tourism industry. The main attractions include: the Ruins of St. Paul's, the Guia Cathedral, and the Lisboa Casino.



Puji Temple●



Puji Temple, also known as Guanyin Hall, is the largest of the three major temples in Macau. It was built in the late Ming Dynasty and has a history of more than 360 years. The temple is majestic, with three entrances and several buildings connected horizontally. The front hall is the Great Hall, followed by the Changshou Buddha Hall, and the back is the Guanyin Hall. The Guanyin Hall enshrines the lotus-seated Guanyin Bodhisattva, a camphor wood sculpture, and the 18 Arhats on both sides. The one on the left has curly hair and a high nose bone. It is said that it is Marco Polo, an Italian Venetian who studied Buddhism in China. In the 24th year of Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty (1844), the unequal treaty between China and the United States, the Wangxia Treaty, was signed here.

Ruins of St. Paul's Archway●



The Ruins of St. Paul's Archway is a landmark building in Macau. It was originally the ruins of the front wall of St. Paul's Church. The original church was built in 1602 and completed in 1637. After that, it was destroyed and rebuilt several times after several fires. The last destruction was in 1853. Only the beautifully carved front wall remains, which is now the Ruins of St. Paul's. The building is golden yellow and about 40 meters wide. There are more than 100 stone steps in front of the archway leading to the square, which is extremely magnificent. The wall carvings combine the styles of European Renaissance and Oriental architecture, with the beauty of a combination of Chinese and Western styles.

Fortress of St. Paul●



Fortress of St. Paul, also known as Fortress of St. Paul, Central Fortress or Fortress of St. Paul's, is located next to the Ruins of St. Paul's. It was built during the Ming Dynasty to protect the priests in St. Paul's Church and to prevent pirates. The outer wall of the fort is an earth wall, which is made of a mixture of clay, shells, straw and lime taken from the Inner Harbor, and then clamped and compacted with wooden boards. The wall foundation is granite, the inner wall is made of bricks, and the guardhouse is also made of bricks.

A-Ma Temple●



A-Ma Temple, commonly known as the Temple of the Queen of Heaven, is one of the most famous monuments in Macau. It was built in the Ming Dynasty. The temple is backed by mountains and faces the sea. It is built along the cliff, with towering ancient trees and beautiful scenery. The main buildings include the main hall, Hongren Hall, Guanyin Pavilion, etc. The main hall, Hongren Hall, was built between dangerous rocks and boulders. The hall was carved into a cave. The four walls of the hall are carved with sea demons and gods, and the statue of the Queen of Heaven is enshrined in the center. Guanyin Pavilion is located at the highest point. From Hongren Hall to Guanyin Pavilion, there are many stone carvings along the cliff, which have been inscribed by poets and writers of all ages. It is said that more than 400 years ago, when the Portuguese first arrived in Macau, they landed in front of the temple and asked the local residents the name of the place. The answer was: A-Ma Pavilion. The Portuguese transliterated it as "MACAU", which became the origin of the Portuguese name of Macau.

Catholic Museum ●



The Catholic Museum is located behind the Ruins of St. Paul's and opened to the public in October 1996. The museum exhibition room is on the basement floor, displaying many religious artworks, showing Macau's rich missionary history. The collection of temple items includes representative exhibits such as paintings, sculptures and ritual decorations, all of which are carefully selected from the collections of all churches and monasteries in Macau. Inside the exhibition hall, there is a rare 17th-century wooden Michael the Great; a 17th-century wooden statue of the Immaculate Conception with an innocent face; a small ivory sculpture of St. John the Baptist, the patron saint of Macau, and St. Anthony, the patron saint of Macau's first church. In addition, there are some large statues and oil paintings.

Coloane Black Sand Bay ●



The Coloane Black Sand Bay, known as "Big Ring" in ancient times, has a beach about 1,000 meters wide, fine and uniform sand, and is black, so it is named Black Sand Beach. It is the largest natural sea bathing beach in Macau. It was developed as early as the 1930s to attract tourists to play in the waves. Later, a large area of ​​ephedra trees was planted on the shore, which became an evergreen forest belt on the shore, which contrasted with the Black Sand Sea and was most suitable for outings, kayaking and swimming. Pottery dating back 4,000 years was excavated on the shore, which is evidence of the life of the ancestors in Macau. In recent years, new tourist facilities such as five-star hotels and golf courses have been built on the Black Sands.

Macau Maritime Museum●



The Maritime Museum is located at No. 1, A-Ma Temple Square, where the first Portuguese landed in the 16th century. It looks like a unique ship anchored at the entrance of the Inner Harbor where fishermen live. The white exterior wall is like the open sail of a three-masted ship, and its glass windows are like one observation platform after another. The facilities in the museum are full of the breath of the sea. The underground exhibition hall displays the world of fishermen, the attic between the underground and the first floor displays models of traditional Portuguese ships, and the second floor displays maritime trade. There is an aquarium in the museum where tourists can watch various fish.

Guia Lighthouse●



Guia Lighthouse is also known as Songshan Lighthouse because it stands in the pine waves of Songshan. Guia Hill is the highest hill on the Macau Peninsula and is the landmark of the geographical coordinates of the Macau region. The Guia Lighthouse, together with two other 300-year-old monuments, the Songshan Fortress and the Songshan Church, form the Songshan Three Monuments. From here, you can have a panoramic view of Macau and the magnificent scenery of the Pearl River Estuary, and appreciate the changes from ancient times to the present. The Guia Lighthouse was designed and built by a Macanese. It radiated light on September 24, 1865. Nine years later, it was destroyed by a typhoon in August 1874. It was not rebuilt until 1911 and has been in use ever since.