'Octagonal Pavilion' as it is called in Chinese was built in 1926 as a drinks booth. Today this unusual eight-sided pavilion, located in downtown Macau, is used as a public library. The red windows and door are Western in style, as are the sculpted columns and entablature. But the two floors of the library are separated by green Chinese eaves. It's a serene place where retirees go to read the day's news.
Chinese Reading Room
Macau
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
23.74 MILES
Po Lin is a huge Buddhist monastery and temple complex that was built in 1924. Today it seems more of a tourist honeypot than a religious retreat,…
Ruins of the Church of St Paul
0.4 MILES
The most treasured icon in Macau, the towering facade and stairway are all that remain of this early-17th-century Jesuit church. With its statues, portals…
20.81 MILES
On weekends, droves of visitors trek to the far-flung west coast of Lantau to see a fascinating way of life. Here in Tai O, historical home to the Tanka…
0.46 MILES
As the highest point on the peninsula, Guia Fortress affords panoramic views of the city. At the top is the small but stunning Chapel of Our Lady of Guia,…
0.4 MILES
This charming building, founded in the 19th century, was the country retreat of the late tycoon Robert Ho Tung, who purchased it in 1918. The colonial…
20.88 MILES
Tai O's remaining stilt houses stand over the waterway, scrunched up against each other for support. Some have ladders descending to boats, the vehicle of…
Ká Hó Church of Our Lady of Sorrows
5.04 MILES
Tent-like with a long, slanting roof, like hands in prayer, this church was raised in the Ká Hó leper colony in 1966. It was built for use by the female…
20.84 MILES
Tai O's oldest temple, raised in the 15th century (Ming dynasty), is dedicated to Kwan Tai, a deified general known as the God of War. It was renovated in…
Nearby Macau attractions
1. Oriental & Occidental Arts Gallery
0.17 MILES
This art space on the ground floor of a residential building only opens for shows and events. The exhibitions here straddle cultures and genres – such as…
0.17 MILES
East of Largo do Senado is this cathedral, consecrated in 1850 and rebuilt in 1937 in concrete. It’s not a particularly attractive structure, though it…
3. Gallery of Macau's Gaming History
0.18 MILES
Macau's gambling industry goes back to the 16th century, when labourers from China played a game called 'fan-tan' in makeshift stalls. While scholars have…
0.2 MILES
Some of Macau’s best contemporary art can be seen at this nonprofit gallery, which has taken Macau's art worldwide and holds monthly solo exhibitions by…
0.22 MILES
Built around 1889, this Cantonese-style mansion with southern European elements belonged to merchant Lou Wa Sio (aka Lou Kau), who also commissioned the…
6. Museum of the Holy House of Mercy
0.26 MILES
In the heart of Largo do Senado is Macau's oldest charitable institution (c 1569). The house once sheltered orphans and prostitutes in the 17th- and 18th…
0.28 MILES
Smack in the heart of Macau's historic centre, this sunny yellow baroque church with a beautiful altar and a timber roof was founded by three Spanish…
0.28 MILES
Northeast of Largo do Senado, the 17th-century baroque Church of St Dominic contains the Treasure of Sacred Art, an Aladdin’s cave of ecclesiastical art…