The Lady - Visit Macau in the South China Sea

The Lady - Visit Macau in the South China Sea: "MAGICAL MACAU THE RUINS OF ST PAUL'S Maxine Crawford-Taylor visits the former Portuguese enclave in the South China Sea, as the Chinese Year of the Snake dawns Many of us can remember the spectacular, midnight handover in Hong Kong in June 1997, when Britain returned power to the People's Republic of China in a blaze of fireworks. But just 50 miles across the water, on the western edge of the Pearl River Delta, another territory under European administration was hot on the heels of its neighbour. On 20 December 1999, the Portuguese enclave Macau relinquished its mantle as the oldest European outpost in Asia and became, like Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of China. Under the present agreement, the region is guaranteed a high degree of autonomy for at least the next 50 years and it remains very proud of its Latin influences. The unique cuisine, a thriving Catholic Church and fine colonial architecture all hint at a relationship that has existed for almost 500 years."