Pinoy Quest for Portuguese in Macau

If there’s one thing about Macau that I am enthusiastic about that would definitely be its language. Before going to this Chinese city I am pretty aware of its Iberian heritage that’s why the moment I knew that we will be heading there I got so excited.

(The facade of the historic St. Paul's Cathedral )

 Macau was a colony of Portugal for over 442 years, today it is one of the two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China. Hong-Kong is not that far from Macau in fact it took us only 60 minutes to arrive in Macau Ferry Terminal from Kowloon. 

(A bilingual sign in Macau)

Apart from its sci-fi skyline, the moment you arrive in this Chinese city the first  thing you can right notice is the ubiquity of its Portuguese past; from the city’s Architecture, Food, and Culture name it. But what intrigued me the most is that they still use Portuguese for street signage, posters and etc.

Before going to Macau I was really anticipating to hear locals converse in Portuguese or even just in Macanese Portuguese (Portuguese Creole spoken in Macau). Unfortunately I think one day is just not enough to encounter someone who can speak 

Macanese Portuguese. In my quest for Portuguese in Macau, I noticed that most of locals that I encountered speak in Cantonese. I think this has something to do to the fact that Majority of the residents of this city are Native Chinese speakers. Although my quest for Portuguese in Macau wasn’t complete one thing is certain “eu amo Macau!”