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.
Vasco Galante was 6 years old when he first heard about Gorongosa National Park. He was at the cinema, in a small city near the centre of Portugal. It was 1962. Before the main feature, the theatre played a short promotional documentary about Mozambique. Galante watched glamorous European tourists alight from tiny planes to go […]