Learning Portuguese fell out of fashion in Macau after it was handed back to China in 1999, becoming a semi-autonomous territory loyal to Beijing and growing into the world’s biggest gambling destination. Now, the language is making a comeback
A bilingual Chinese city
Although Portuguese remained an official language and street signage is still bilingual, many in the predominantly Cantonese-speaking territory switched their study focus to Mandarin, spoken in mainland China. Now Portuguese is back in vogue as China forges business ties with lusophone nations such as Brazil, Angola and Mozambique and casts Macau as a key link because of its cultural ties and history
Why Beijing loves languages
China’s interest in Portuguese-speaking nations is part of a wider push for global influence as well as a search for new export markets and energy reserves. Macau hosts a conference every three years where ministers from China and Portuguese-speaking countries gather to discuss business and trade ties
Shrewd Career Move
Last year the University of Macau opened a new centre aimed at nurturing bilingual professionals. Numbers on MPI’s Chinese-Portuguese translation course fell to 10 after the handover
There are now more than 270 students from Macau and mainland China taking the degree, with graduates going on to work at home as well as Portuguesespeaking countries
Custard tarts and cobbled streets
Many visitors spend their trip to Macau holed up at a gaming table, but its colonial heritage is also a tourist raw, according to AFP. Churches and cobbled streets are an echo of its history and the ubiquitous bakeries selling Portuguese-style custard tarts do a roaring trade