There are still many boards and informative details that are written in the Portuguese language around Macau. Macau was under Portuguese rule for 400 years and got independence rather recently in the year 1999. Portuguese is one of the two official languages in the state and many people can converse easily in Portuguese as well as Cantonese. There is a unique Portuguese language in Macau known as Macanese. Even though the state has been free from Portuguese rule there is still a press, a television station, and one radio station that still functions in Portuguese. The staff of restaurants and hotels such as Hotel Okura Macau, speak Portuguese and other languages in order to be able to serve the people better.