ABSTRACT
Macau was colonized by the Portuguese in the 16th century, making it the oldest European settlement in Asia. A Portuguese explorer, Jorge Alvares, was the first European to reach China, setting foot on what is now Macau in 1513. In 1557, China agreed to allow the Portuguese to settle in the area in exchange for an annual payment of 500 taels of silver. A permanent settlement was established with basic stone houses within a walled village. In 1849, Portugal declared sovereignty over Macau, which was made official by the signing of the Sino-Portuguese Treaty in 1887. The agreement to end Portuguese rule was similar to that signed between the United Kingdom and China over Britain’s withdrawal from Hong Kong. The Basic Law of the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China is Macau’s mini constitution. The civic organizations fall into two main camps: pro-Beijing and pro-democracy.
