Located on top of Mount Fortress built by the Catholic Jesuits in the 17th century, this museum and its location displays the vibrant and colourful past of Macau as a humble fishing port to a strategic military defence location, and now a melting pot of Chinese and Portuguese culture, attracting millions of tourists every year with free admission.
On the first floor, the museum displays artefacts of two early civilisations, of China’s and Portugal’s respectively, as well as the commercial activities, cultures and religions of these two vastly different regions.
On the second floor, the museum displays how the two cultures merged together as Macao became a colony of Portugal after 1557 in terms of daily life , the culture (i.e. the language, local festivals and religious ceremonies), and the architecture.
On the third floor, there is also a temporary exhibition with artefacts loaned to the museum by foreign museums. When we visited, the theme of the exhibition was the Silk Road, which displayed cultural relics such as statues and sculptures from the Western Xia dynasty.
As the museum is built on Mount Fortress, the outdoor spaces of the museum offer spectacular views over the Macau peninsula and the buildings surrounding the hill.
In conclusion, through displaying relics and artefacts which tell all sorts of different stories about Macau’s vibrant past as a maritime and military centre, it is a great location for tourists and locals alike to learn more about Macau’s long history.
Guangzhou-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area 