Stages of the application process │News
- Introduction
“The Historic Centre of Macao” is located in an urban context that follows the development of the Portuguese settlement over history. The unplanned nature of early urban development in Macao is reflected in the organic, spontaneous character of the historic districts still in existence today. The route reveals Macao’s true identity, as the various layers and the sequence of buildings transmit a unique blend of western and Chinese cultures, with other regional influences, representing Macao’s primary function as a regional trade hub.
Download original file(44MB)
- Criteria for Selection onto the World Heritage List
On the basis of Criteria (ii), (iii), (iv), and (vi) of Outstanding Universal Value,“The Historic Centre of Macao” was inscribed on the World Heritage List during the 29th Session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Durban, South Africa, on 15 July 2005.
Criterion (ii)
Justification of Criterion (ii) for the Historic Centre of Macao: The strategic location of Macao on the Chinese territory, and the special relationship established between the Chinese and Portuguese authorities favoured an important interchange of human values in the various fields of culture, sciences, technology, art and architecture over several centuries.
Criterion (iii)
Justification of Criterion (iii) for the Historic Centre of Macao: Macao bears a unique testimony to the first and longest-lasting encounter between the West and China. From the 16th to the 20th centuries, it was the focal point for traders and missionaries, and the different fields of learning. The impact of this encounter can be traced in the fusion of different cultures that characterise the historic core zone of Macao.
Criterion (iv)
Justification of Criterion (iv) for the Historic Centre of Macao: Macao represents an outstanding example of an architectural ensemble that illustrates the development of the encounter between the Western and Chinese civilisations over some four and half centuries, represented in the historical route, with a series of urban spaces and architectural ensembles, that links the ancient Chinese port with the Portuguese city.
Criterion (vi)
Justification of Criterion (vi) for the Historic Centre of Macao:“Macao has been associated with the exchange of a variety of cultural, spiritual, scientific and technical influences between the Western and Chinese civilisations. These ideas directly motivated the introduction of crucial changes in China, ultimately ending the era of imperial feudal system and establishing the modern republic.
- Outstanding Universal Value
The Outstanding Universal Value of the“The Historic Centre of Macao”is described as adopted, confirmed and published by the World Heritage Committee as follows:
Macao, a lucrative port of strategic importance in the development of international trade in Chinese territory, became a Portuguese settlement in the mid-16th century and returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1999. The inscribed property presents a group of principal buildings and public spaces that enable a clear understanding of the structure of the old trading port city. With its historic streets, residential, religious and public Portuguese and Chinese buildings, the Historic Centre of Macao provides a unique testimony to the meeting of aesthetic, cultural, religious, architectural and technological influences from East and West. It bears witness to the first and most enduring encounter between China and the West, based on the vibrancy of international trade. Different nationalities settled in this hub of a complex maritime trading network, along with missionaries who brought with them religious and cultural influences, as illustrated by the introduction of foreign building types (China's first western-style theatre, university, hospital, churches and fortresses), many still in use. Macao’s unique multicultural identity can be read in the dynamic presence of Western and Chinese architectural heritage standing side by side in the city and the same dynamics often exist in individual building designs, adapting Chinese design features in western style buildings and vice versa, such as the incorporation of Chinese characters as decorative ornaments on the baroque-mannerist church façade of St. Paul's Ruins. Typical European port city characteristics can also be seen in the urban fabric structure of the settlement with public squares blending into the densely packed lots along narrow, meandering streets, whilst accumulating experiences from other Portuguese settlements, seen in the concept of“Rua Direita”that links the port with old citadel. Visual connections between the property and seascape are attributes that reflect Macao's origin as a trading port city; the Inner Harbour used over centuries and still functioning today adds to that testimony. Intangible influences of the historic encounter have permeated the lifestyles of the local people, affecting religion, education, medicine, charities, language and cuisine. The core value of the historic centre is not solely its architecture, the urban structure, the people or their customs, but a mixture of all these. The coexistence of cultural sediments of eastern and western origin, along with their living traditions, defines the essence of the historic centre.