Museum sights in Macau
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Taipa House Museum
The restored villas here were the summer residences of wealthy Macanese. The House of the Regions of Portugal showcases Portuguese traditions. The House of the Islands looks at the history of Taipa and Coloane, with displays on traditional industries, such as fishing and the manufacture of fireworks. The Macanese House offers a snapshot of life in the early 20th century.
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Macau Museum
To capture the essence of Macau’s history, head to this excellent museum housed in the Monte Fort. On the 1st level, ‘Genesis of Macau’ takes you through the early history of the territory, with parallel developments in the East and the West compared and contrasted. The highlight is the elaborate section devoted to the territory’s religions. On the 2nd level (Popular Arts & Traditions of Macau), you’ll see and hear everything from a re-created firecracker factory to the recorded cries of street vendors selling items such as brooms and scrap metal. Do not miss the recording of the Macanese poet José dos Santos Ferreira (1919–93), reading from his work in the local dialect.…
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Museum of Sacred Art & Crypt
This small museum behind the ruins of the Church of St Paul contains polychrome carved wooden statues, silver chalices, monstrances and oil paintings, including a copy of a 17th-century painting depicting the martyrdom of 26 Japanese Christians by crucifixion at Nagasaki in 1597. The adjoining crypt contains the remains of the martyrs, as well as those of Vietnamese and other Japanese Christians killed in the 17th century. Also here is the recently unearthed tomb of Alessandro Valignano, the Jesuit who founded the College of the Mother of God and is credited with establishing Christianity in Japan.
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Museum of the Holy House of Mercy
In the heart of Largo do Senado is the oldest social institution in Macau (established in 1569) and it served as a home to orphans and prostitutes in the 18th century. Today it’s a museum containing items related to the holy house, including religious artefacts; Chinese, Japanese and European porcelain; the skull of its founder and Macau’s first bishop, Dom Belchior Carneiro; and a portrait of Martha Merop, an orphan who became a tycoon and a patron of the house.
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E
Sun Yat Sen Memorial House
This mock-Moorish house (c 1910) commemorates Dr Sun Yatsen (1866–1925), founder of the Chinese republic. Dr Sun’s brother funded its construction, Dr Sun’s son built it and his first wife Lu Muzhen lived there until she died in 1952. Yet Dr Sun himself, who married his well-known second wife Madame Song Qingling in 1915, never lived in it.
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Museum of Taipa & Coloane History
This museum has a display of excavated relics and other artefacts on the 1st floor, while the 2nd floor contains religious objects, handicrafts and architectural models.
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Guia Hill Air Raid Shelter
Guia Fort atop the highest point on the peninsula was built in 1638 to defend the border with China. The 52m-long Guia Hill Air Raid Shelter, an old military installation, was constructed in 1931 and was off-limits until 1962. Photos of the history of the shelter and an electricity generator used during WWII are on display.
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Macau Wine Museum
This is probably the only museum in Macau where beverages are allowed. More than 1300 types of wines on display are available for tasting, which is included in the entry fee. There is also a rundown of Portugal’s various wine regions, but the display of wine racks, barrels, presses and tools is rather bland.
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Macau Security Forces Museum
Housed in the 17th-century St Francis Barracks, this museum has two rooms of exhibits relating to the police and their work. The building is set in the lovely St Francis Garden.
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Maritime Museum
The Maritime Museum has interesting boats and artefacts from Macau’s seafaring past, a mock-up of a Hakka fishing village, and displays of the long narrow boats raced during the Dragon Boat Festival in June.
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Sound of the Century Museum
From antique phonographs to tournaphones and echophones dating back to as early as 1882, the private collections of the owner of Tai Peng Electronics will definitely wow you, no matter if you are a phonograph enthusiast or not. Prior appointment is required.
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Macau Museum of Art
Macau Museum of Art is a five-storey complex next to the Macau Cultural Centre. It is a well-curated museum featuring excellent exhibits by Chinese artists in Macau and China, as well as paintings by important Western artists who have lived in Macau, such as George Chinnery. Highlights include ceramics and stoneware excavated from Heisha in Macau, Ming- and Qing-dynasty paintings and calligraphy from Guǎngdōng province, precious ceramic statues from Shíwān in Guǎngdōng and seal carvings by Guǎngdōng masters. There are also 19th-century Western historical paintings from all over Asia, contemporary Macanese art and photographic works.
Creative Macau, an art space…
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Handover of Macau Gifts Museum
Next to the Macau Cultural Centre is this major attraction to visitors from the mainland. It displays (kitschy) art pieces and handicrafts presented by China’s various provinces to Macau to mark the return of Chinese sovereignty in 1999.
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Grand Prix Museum
Cars from the Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix, including the bright-red Triumph TR2 driven by Eduardo de Carvalho that won the first Grand Prix in 1954, are on display, while simulators let you test your racing skills.
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Fire Services Museum
Housed in the former HQ of the Macau fire brigade, the museum holds a small but interesting collection of old fire trucks from the 1940s and ‘50s, a manual pump from 1877, and lots of helmets and boots.
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