ABSTRACT
It is no exaggeration to claim that Macao is a creation of globalization and migration. If the dawn of globalization can be traced to the accelerated flow of goods and people around the globe, spearheaded by the Portuguese explorers and traders, then Macao was one of the first European outposts in Asia. Labour was attracted to this colonial enclave to handle the port's trade. The boom and bust nature of this trade was reflected in the fluctuations in size of the population in the enclave (Conim and Teixeira 1998: 97–101). A significant moment for Macao was the colonization of Hong Kong by the British in the 1840s. The subsequent diversion to it of trade long based in Macao depleted the latter's wealth and population.
