Defences of Macau, The: Forts, Ships and Weapons over 450 years

Preface

vii Today Macau is teeming with tourists who come to gamble at the glittering casinos that have made the city the Las Vegas of the East. Twenty years ago the Portuguese territory was a quiet, peaceful getaway from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong. Neither of these images hints at Macau’s tumultuous past. Established by the Portuguese as the first European enclave in China, Macau has seen spectacular battles with the Dutch who coveted it, the pirates who ruled the seas and the Chinese who wanted it back. It also witnessed the Japanese wars of the mid-twentieth century and the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution, yet through it all it managed to survive and now, back under Chinese sovereignty, to prosper. Throughout much of its 450-year history it has led an uneasy existence. At first the Portuguese developed a mutually wary relationship with the Chinese. In the seventeenth century they repelled attacks by the Dutch who coveted their trading monopoly. Later in the nineteenth century they were involved in a major battle with pirates and then sat on the sidelines of the Opium Wars. After the first Opium War Macau even fought a battle with the Chinese, the only time they clashed. In the twentieth century the territory maintained an uneasy truce with the Japanese whilst providing a haven for many refugees. Small wonder that the defence of Macau is an important aspect of its history. Macau fortified and armed itself against those who threatened it and much remains to remind us of those less peaceful times. It is a treasure house with many old forts and weapons surviving to intrigue the curious. Although modern development is accelerating as Macau overtakes Las Vegas to become the gambling capital of the world, the Macau government is actively preserving heritage sites and has already achieved World Heritage status. It appears that much will be kept for future generations to look at and wonder over. This book will hopefully inform them about the military history of one of the most remarkable cities of the East. I first became aware of what Macau had to offer when I came across an unusual old cannon mounted in the Taipa Fort. Not knowing what it was, I researched it and eventually found that it was a unique example of a Dahlgren 32-pounder shell gun. Other sizes of Dahlgren’s shell guns exist, but this is the only one of this size to have survived. In documenting this cannon I was told of other pieces, and the more I looked the more I found. There are many interesting arms both large PREFACE viii and small sitting in Macau’s museums and tucked away in storerooms. In some cases the authorities did not know what they had. The weapons certainly deserved to be recorded, and fortunately the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government agreed and sponsored this work. This book is not only about the weapons but also about the defensive installations where they were housed. Macau is fortunate that many of its forts, some dating back to the early seventeenth century, still stand despite the views of some who thought they were obsolete and should be demolished. Although much has been written about the forts, new research has clarified some aspects so that it is appropriate to include them as well as the weapons. Again I was fascinated by the wealth of what has survived. Finally the first defenders of Macau, the seamen, also have to be mentioned. They and succeeding generations of mariners have played an important role and, although Adelino Rodrigues da Costa has written a history of the Macau navy (A Marinha Portuguesa em Macau), a summary of their contribution is included for completeness. The defences of Macau were put in place to satisfy the needs of the time, and their historical background must be understood in order to make sense of them. Macau’s history is sprinkled with larger than life characters who played significant roles at critical times. Governors were not always popular with the Macanese. Mascarenhas, the first true governor (1623–1626), had to deal with a minor rebellion against his power, and in the nineteenth century Amaral handled the revolt of the boat people. There were heroes such as Alcoforado who led the fleet against the pirate king Kam-Pau-Sai, and Mesquita who led the charge at the battle of Passaleão. They and a myriad of priests and diplomats have shaped...