Guangdong Province’s Silicon Valley is just an hour away from Macao by ferry, and offers so much more than mega-offices and tech parks. We take you on a tour that shows off the city’s creativity and natural environment, from its cutting-edge contemporary art museum to a mangrove forest brimming with migratory birds.
Since its 1999 return to the motherland, Macao has transformed itself into one of the most prosperous places in the world. But that doesn’t mean the city is resting on its laurels. Leveraging unique advantages within the rapidly progressing GBA, the Special Administrative Region marks its 25th anniversary in the midst of an ambitious drive for economic diversification.
Macao is home to the world’s first fusion cuisine, unique Sino-European architecture and a host of living traditions that reflect its centuries as China’s gateway to the world. It’s this “fantastic identity of inclusiveness and hybridism” that’s securing a bright future within the Guandong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, according to renowned local architect Carlos Marreiros.
The Poly MGM Museum unveiled its inaugural exhibition in November, bringing precious relics, cutting edge technology and an emphasis on cross-cultural dialogue to the city’s arts scene.
After more than four years of construction, the fourth Macao-Taipa bridge was inaugurated on National Day. It promises to ease traffic congestion, boost regional connectivity and support the city’s efforts to become a World Centre for Tourism and Leisure.
The Terracotta Warriors are world-famous, but Xi’an’s story is far from restricted to an illustrious past. A delegation of Macao journalists recently visited the ancient city – and found a modern metropolis where innovation and heritage go hand-in-hand.
Underrated yet brimming with charms, this northern neighbourhood sees few tourists. And that makes it one of the best places for intrepid visitors to get a taste of the ‘real’ Macao.
The Holy House of Mercy is more than a relic from 15th-century Portugal. In Macao, that’s largely thanks to a passionate provedor who refused to give up back in the late 1990s.
“Mapmorphosis” packed five centuries’ worth of geography lessons into one exhibition while celebrating map making as a craft. And it paid homage to the human beings – from explorers to engravers to colourists – who dedicated their lives to creating beautiful, practical, world-changing works of art.
Ben Rongen was there when a crew of marine archeologists recovered a massive haul of 17th-century ‘kraak ware’ from the bottom of the South China Sea. He’s been upcycling this imperfect treasure ever since – crafting jewellery out of shipwrecked ceramics.