Safeguarding Macau's Built Heritage Before and After the Handover

Since its foundation, the city of Macau has experienced a cultural mix that has had an impact on its architecture and urbanism, shaping the ideologies of the time, especially the spread of Christianity and the city’s military protection. This article seeks to show how the classification of heritage during the Portuguese administration was pioneering and crucial to the inclusion of Macau's historic centre on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005. As a methodology we will look at how the city of Macau was formed, the outcome of centuries of negotiation, and how this negotiation increasingly influenced architecture and urbanism between the 16th and 20th centuries. The legacy of centuries of cultural coexistence is now valued by the people of Macau, who see themselves in it and are committed to its defence. Since the transfer of sovereignty, the local government, in line with the central government, has promoted the protection of heritage through concrete actions, including the drafting of appropriate legislation and the dynamisation of actions to boost the existing heritage, combining it with the development of the city.