← Explore on the interactive map

Portuguese Settlement in Macau

Type Object Region East Asia Time c. 1557

From the mid-16th century Macau became a Portuguese trading and residential base in South China;…

Timeline

  1. c. 1557Macau Peninsula · MacauPortuguese merchants obtained permission from Ming local authorities at the Pearl River estuary to establish a permanent trading settlement on the Macanese peninsula, becoming one of the earliest long-term European footholds within China.
  2. 1630–1639Macau Inner Harbour · MacauIn the 1630s Macau handled China–Japan trade, silk and porcelain re-export, and Jesuit missionary activity, maintaining its port function amid Dutch threats and Ming maritime prohibition policies, while the Chinese artisan and merchant community continued to expand.
  3. 1637–1640Macau forts and city defenses · MacauAfter a Dutch fleet attacked Macau in 1637 and was repelled, the Portuguese strengthened their forts and city defenses, further consolidating their position between 1638 and 1640 as the only European commercial port in South China.

Sources