Attractions

Ruinas de São Paulo

Some say (who they are, we're not sure) that the church of São Paulo is the greatest monument to Christianity in the east. It's a truly magnificent piece of architecture that inspires veneration and awe, even though there's not much left of it except the fa&cced;ade. The church was designed by an Italian Jesuit and built by early Japanese Christians. It was completed in the first decade of the 17th century, and the crowned heads of Europe competed to present it with its most prestigious gift.

The church caught fire in 1835 and was almost completely destroyed, but you can still see the mosaic floor, the stone steps and the 'sermon in stone' which is the fa&cced;ade. The main events of Christianity are carved into its surface--there is a Baby Jesus surrounded by the implements of the crucifixion, a Virgin Mary surrounded by angels and flowers, a woman trampling a dragon and statues of four Jesuit saints.

In 1996 São Paulo's Museum was opened behind the ruined church. The museum houses a number of recently unearthed artifacts, including the tomb of Father Alessandro Valignano, who built the Basilica de São Paulo, though probably not with his own hands. The museum is also the proud owner of St Francis Xavier's right arm bone--the rest of the saint is in Goa, India.

Fortaleza do Monte

Up the hill a bit from São Paulo, the Monte Fort was built by the Jesuits around the same time. The fort was once the strong point of the old city wall, and was equipped to withstand a two-year siege. The cannons on the fort are the very ones that dissuaded the Dutch from further attempts to take over Macau. They were only fired once in combat, by a priest who managed to hit a powder keg on a Dutch ship, blowing it out of the water.

These days the fort is used as a public park with a an observatory and a museum. From the park you get sweeping views across Macau. Down the hill a little from the fort you'll find the recently opened Macau History Museum, which tells the history, traditions and culture of the this hybrid city. The bottom two floors have the usual historical and ethnographical displays, while the top floor, which explores modern Macau, tells it stories using CD ROMS, videos and virtual images. You can get to the museum from an escalator near the Ruinas de São Paulo.

Lou Lim Ioc Gardens

These restful gardens, with their ornate mansion, once belonged to the wealthy Chinese Lou family. The gardens are a mixture of European and Chinese plants, with huge shady trees, lotus ponds, pavilions, bamboo groves, grottoes and strangely-shaped doorways. The twisting pathways and ornamental mountains are built to represent a Chinese painting and are said to be modeled on those in the famous gardens of Suzhou in eastern China. If you visit on Friday you can get in for free.

Grand Prix Museum

It's a revhead's delight--as well as displaying cars from the famous Macau Grand Prix, this museum has driving simulators which let you test out your racing skills. If you'd rather not drive, you can play with the TV monitors which let you select any part of the circuit and see how it was covered. It will cost you about $1 to get in.

A-Ma Temple

In the south of the city, this temple is dedicated to the god A-Ma (Mother), more commonly known as Tin Hau, or Queen of Heaven. Macau was named after the god (her name was pronounced A-Ma-Gao by the Portuguese)--legend says that A-Ma was a beautiful young woman whose presence on a Guangzhou-bound ship saved it from a storm which sank every other boat in the flotilla.

The original temple on this site was probably standing when the Portuguese arrived, although the present building may only date back to the 17th century. The temple consists of several shrines dating from the Ming Dynasty, some dedicated to A-Ma and others to Kun Iam. It's built into the foot of Penha Hill and is made up of a warren of prayer halls and pavilions. Behind the temple is a climbing network of gardens. If you want to visit A-Ma when things are really pumping, drop in at the feast of A-Ma (in April or May) or during Chinese New Year. This is also a great place to have your fortune told.

Kun Iam Temple

The Buddhist Kun Iam Temple, in the city's north, was originally built in the 13th century, though the buildings you'll see date from 1627. It's really a complex of temples, the most interesting in Macau, and is dedicated to the god Kun Iam, the god of mercy. The image of Kun Iam is dressed in embroidered silk and flanked on either side by the 18 arhats--in rooms off the main temple you can see pictures and scrolls dedicated to the god.

This is also where the first treaty of trade and friendship between the USA and China was signed in 1844. These days it's a place for fortune-telling rather than treaties and it gets quite a lot of visitors. The terraced gardens behind the temple are very attractive; there are four ancient banyan trees with intertwined branches that symbolize marital fidelity.