5 Famous Museums in Macau – Magnets for the Culture Enthusiast

The well-known Macau Museum will be a great place at which to commence your tour of the famous museums of Macau. This museum will provide you with an engrossing insight into the unique culture and history of Macau. Housed within a handsome building this museum features three storeys and boasts exhibits depicting the city's eventful history. You will find displays that are representative of the story of Macau's development, from its humble beginnings to its present prominence. Not to be missed is the section that is dedicated to the traditions and art of Macau, which contains exhibits like ornate fans and shadow puppets amongst others.

At one time St. Paul's Cathedral stood at the location of this museum, and was the grandest and largest church to be found in Macau. Sadly this splendid church was destroyed by a fire, yet the magnificent facade still remains to impress the observer. You will see that the Museum of Sacred Art and Crypt displays a host of items relating to the Catholic traditions and history of Macau. At this museum, you will find artefacts like an array of intricately fashioned crucifixes and liturgical items. A highlight at this museum would be the depiction of St. Michael that has been modelled on a Jesuit from Japan.

You will find that the Macau Museum of Art is considered to be the biggest gallery in the local region that is devoted to local artworks, displaying contemporary and historical works originating from Macau as well as southern China. On the other hand, visitors will see that this museum also contains art from other parts of the world, with Western photography and paintings displayed next to Chinese ceramics and calligraphy. Although this museum's permanent exhibits focus on regional works, the temporary displays feature a global scope, with highlights like prints by Picasso and Mexican art from the pre-colonial era.

This museum was at one time the residence of Zheng Guanying, who is renowned as being amongst the most significant writers and reformers of China's late Qing period. However, he also belonged to a merchant dynasty with roots in Macau. You will see that the Mandarin's House is, in fact, a complex of residences which may be considered to be a splendid example of a typical Guangdong household residence. You will see that this palatial compound features a myriad of rooms that are positioned around a number of courtyards, with Chinese ornamentation as well as Indian and Western influences. An accommodation choice to consider from which this museum would be within convenient reach would be Hotel Okura Macau, which may be regarded as a pleasingly located hotel in Macau.

This popular museum is situated within the Lou Lim Ioc Garden, which is considered to rank amongst Macau's prettiest and most appealing spaces of greenery. These gardens make an ideal setting for the Tea Culture House, which is devoted to the local tea industry. Housed within an eye-catching neo-colonial structure, this museum focuses on the tea trade which formerly passed through Macau and introduced the tea culture of China to the West. Within this museum, you will find exhibits depicting the history of the tea trade in addition to Chinese tea drinking traditions as well as examples of antique teacups and teapots.