Arguably Macau’s most famous landmark, the Ruins of St. Paul’s is an iconic stone façade, the remains of what used to be the greatest of Macau’s churches, the complex of St. Paul’s College and the Cathedral of St. Paul, built in the 16th century, but burned down in 1835 leaving only its very large and beautiful façade. This shared culture explains why Australia and New Zealand, which are located further east from Europe than any other country, are not considered part of the Far East location. Elements of traditional Cantonese culture combined with British influences have shaped Hong Kong in every facet of the city, spanning from law, politics, education, languages, cuisines, and the way of thinking. In addition to having a geographical context, the term Far East also refers to specific shared cultural traits. Macau is a Special Administrative Region of China with an area of 115.4 sq. As a legacy from our past generations, the city’s cultural heritage is an important part of the identity of Macao and plays an active role in our daily lives. proximity to the Chinese mainland, but also because Macau's culture is considered to be a unique and valuable asset. The concept of culture as an asset, in both tangible and intangible forms, has in fact been adopted by the Chinese and Macau governments. Macao is a long-established city where Chinese and Western cultures coexist and jointly developed many examples of significant cultural heritage. As observed on the physical map of Maco, the region comprises of a peninsula attached to mainland Asia and the islands of Coloane and Taipa in the South China Sea. Miguel de Senna Fernandes tells us this policy against patuá became even stronger during the 20th century, with Macau under António Salazar’s dictatorship. Cultural Context Of The Far East . The second floor is dedicated to Popular Arts and Traditions in Macao, showing the different characteristics of Macau’s traditions and popular art, as well as religious ceremonies and festivals. It’s clear that everyone was obliged to speak Portuguese. Like all versions of Chinese opera, it is a traditional Chinese art form, involving music, singing, martial arts, acrobatics, and acting. Ten years later the standing committee, the Committee for the Defense of Macau's Urbanistic, Natural and Cultural Heritage, was created in 1976 and had as one of its mandates to collaborate with the Information and Tourism Centre to promote the territory's natural, architectural and cultural property (Statutory Order No. The site also contains a … The Cultural Revolution was a defining period in Chinese history and constituted a socio-political uprising against those considered to be part of capitalist structures (such as landowners / business owners) or to have positions of power, including teachers. 34/76/M). Ruins of St. Paul’s. With its historic street, residential, religious and public Portuguese and Chinese buildings, the historic centre of Macao provides a unique testimony to the meeting of aesthetic, cultural, architectural and technological influences from East and West. 156 years of rule as a separate British colony, as well as political separation from the rest of Lingnan have resulted in a unique local identity. “There was a strong cultural centralism and the need to erase certain (and less strong) cultural manifestations, like patuá. Cantonese opera is one of the major Chinese opera categories, originating in southern China's Cantonese culture. ... Macau and Singapore. Cultural identity. It is popular in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and Malaysia. The term Macanese does not usually refer to people born or with residence in Macau, but rather to a particular ethnic group, namely people of Asian ancestry with either some Portuguese ancestry, or at least, major Portuguese cultural traits (such as adopting Catholicism or speaking Portuguese at home). Macao was formerly an island itself but was gradually connected to mainland by a growing sandbar. km.