Revitalising Macao’s abandoned shipyards
In a city once famed for its handcrafted wooden ships, the Lai Chi Vun shipyards are testament to a bygone era. After years of decay, they’ve been brought back to life as a living museum.
In a city once famed for its handcrafted wooden ships, the Lai Chi Vun shipyards are testament to a bygone era. After years of decay, they’ve been brought back to life as a living museum.
From simple Chinese fishing vessels to the grand galleons sailed by Portuguese traders, Macao’s waters once brimmed with boats. Now, the best place to see them is inside the city’s ship-shaped museum.
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.
The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area had an earlier iteration, ‘the Great Bay of Canton’ – mapped out by 18th-century cartographers and described by dictionaries of world geography and trade. Macao was its commercial heart and gateway to the world.
The Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD is poised to change the fortunes of a small Brazilian city – promising jobs, new technology and a greener future.
Long-time residents reflect on the government’s bid to import 1,000 qualified professionals in an effort to boost key sectors, recalling the days when Macao had the opposite issue – a talent surplus.
After a stuttering hiatus, Macao’s International Art Biennale is back. The city is brimming with world class exhibitions that are sure to inspire, confound, and captivate.
Macao-born dancer Wendy Choi-Buttinger on merging art, family and business – to build a life where she’s true to herself.
Through workshops, books and the Macau Penman, a company specialising in traditional writing tools, Macao-born Aquino da Silva hopes to lead a renaissance for Western calligraphy.
Macao’s historic buildings are justly celebrated, as are its dazzling integrated resorts, but in the shadow of both, you’ll find intriguing examples of the 20th century’s finest architectural hour.