Macao’s Heritage: Revisiting the 1976 Heritage List

While it might be assumed that separate communities in Macao, whether custodians of churches, Chinese temples, and public buildings have always attended to preserving heritage, the ravages of time, economic cycles and even the fluctuation of real estate values have frequently impacted the built environment. As this article demonstrates, while many other Asian cities turned a blind eye to heritage protection, Macao’s landmark Heritage List of 1976 went far beyond built environment to include precincts and natural settings such as trees. Without this list and its socialisation, or a view of heritage as holistic and dynamic, it is argued that Macao’s historic centre may have missed the boat for its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2005.