In the past half century the seaport of Macau has been transformed from a sleepy fishing and trading village with a reputation of unholy lawlessness, into the worlds largest casino city. Greater now than Las Vegas, Macau draws in more gamblers and more revenue. Macau gamblers come from Hong Kong and around southern China and last year spend eight billion in gambling receipts compared to only six billion dollars for Las Vegas. Macau was originally founded in 1557 by Monks from Portugal.
The monks and then traders and fisherman and rogues had worked Macau into rather seedy town, and Macau held this seamy reputation for many centuries.
After 1843 the British were granted 150 year leases for a few island and some mainland but a suburb harbor, was named Hong Kong; land and harbor became known as Hong Kong. Hong Kong soon became larger and more prosperous than rather forlorn Macau, with the more powerful British having more contacts and other ports to trade with.
Meanwhile over the Pacific from Hong Kong as western maritime repair base for the British Navy, now Britain had Esquimalt in British Columbia, Canada. That dry dock was once the largest in the world, it was built as the eastern Pacific terminus and was also begun the same year. But all changed after 1999. That year China took over Macau as it had taken over Hong Kong two years earlier. Except Hong Kong was operating a two system, one nation, and that was not in the agreement for Macau.
But China encouraged casinos to be built, and the teeming millions who love excitement and action and a feeling they are being somewhat naughty or bad. Macau has it all, and that is an amazing achievement in less than ten years to surpass Las Vegas as the worlds exciting gambling center. China has invested more than twenty billion dollars into the rejuvenation and make over on a recently unkempt and dilapidated shanty town into an amazing makeover into the Macau of today.
The new Macau has amazing high rise towers, casinos in garden like settings. Macau is socially more open than Las Vegas in the more open offering of sexual trade people, so be warned. The friendly lass, or lad chatting you up may have more than tea on their agenda. There is an open and free wheeling atmosphere about Macau with each new casino out doing the previous. As Macau and Hong Kong are down in the south of China is can be warm most of the time and hot and humid at times.
Generally the area has a favorable climate that is generally pleasant and comfortable. Not all of the residents, especially older long timers, are happy. Most are overwhelmed by the stream of workers and tourists: Macau received 18 million customers last year. It is certainly not the same city as the Macau in the 1990 era. But there is not turning back, all agree, and little chance of even slowing down the construction and growth. As Chinese evolve more spare time and extra cash Macau seems to draw them like a magnet.
It may be the drabness of their working life allows them to forget and get out of themselves with some hours in an exciting place that treats you well as long as you spend money.The economy of Macau grew by 28 percent in 1994 and this pace has not slowed down. Yet ancient pagoda shrines find themselves next to neon glittered casinos and less than reputable products available, whether drugs or sex trade workers. But there is little dissent and much happiness in this fantasy city.
Chinese elders would wonder what it has all come to. And we are only watching the waves of history as they sweep around us and carry us all.
Author Resource:-
Derek Dashwood enjoys noticing positive ways we progress, the combining of science into the humanities to measure life at Chinese Antiques
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