Districts

Rua da Felicidade is located in the northern bay area of the Inner Harbour and was originally part of Hong Long Fong. In its early days, it was home to “Pelela & Co.”, a tea trading firm run by Jewish merchants. After the Opium War, foreign businesses moved to Hong Kong and the area fell into decline for a time. In 1866, Wang Lu and his son Wang Di, natives of Jinjiang in Fujian, developed the district under the name “Siu Cheong Tong,” reclaiming land along the waterfront; it was later renamed “Chap Seng Tong.” Governor António Sérgio de Sousa allocated land for the construction of the Cheng Peng Theatre and required the filling of Pak Ngan Tong and the building of a new market. After the theatre was completed in 1875, it attracted restaurants, opium dens, and gambling houses, and together with Fok Wing Lei and Yee On Street became known as the “Three Flower Streets.” Following the war, it gradually declined due to policy changes, becoming part of the urban memory of the Inner Harbour.

Rua da Palha was once known together with Rua dos Mercadores and Rua de Cinco de Outubro as the “Three Streets,” serving as the commercial hub of Wing Ning Fong, where travellers gathered and shops flourished. In the Ming dynasty, the far end of the street was originally the harbour known as “San Ou Hau,” where firewood and grass brought in by wooden boats were unloaded and piled up, giving the street its name after it was opened. After Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro was built in 1918, its commercial and transport importance was gradually replaced. The district also witnessed modern social activities — for example, Dr. Sun Yat-sen once ran a Chinese and Western pharmacy here, offering free medical treatment and medicine, leaving behind a lasting memory in the city.

Rua de Cinco de Outubro was formerly known as Hai Iam Kai. In earlier times, it connected the area around Patane to Pak Ngan Tong and, due to its proximity to the ferry terminal and the Inner Harbour piers, was once one of the busiest commercial streets in central Macao. After Portugal became a republic following the 1910 Revolution, the Macao Portuguese authorities renamed the street in commemoration of that event, while “the Fifth Day” retained the Chinese way of expressing the date. As transport patterns and commercial conditions in the surrounding area later changed, the commercial centre gradually shifted elsewhere, but the street name and its waterfront memory still reflect the economic history of the Inner Harbour and the city’s urban transformation.

The Inner Harbour waterfront originated from land reclamation and harbour construction works during the Portuguese administration of Macao. Sea areas such as North Bay and Shallow Bay were gradually turned into land, while the widened embankments became coastal roads, helping connect areas such as Ilha Verde and Toi San and supporting urban expansion. Around the piers, a streetscape of arcade shophouses with both commercial and residential functions once took shape, gathering inns, fishing supply businesses, and waterfront trading activities.

In 2023, the government, through cross-departmental collaboration and together with SJM Resorts, S.A., launched the “Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro District Revitalisation Plan,” which proposed restoring the Macao Palace and relocating it back to Pier 14, whilst introducing dining, retail and interactive experiences to breathe new life into the area. The Macao Palace was the only entertainment venue in Macao set on a ship, commonly known as a “casino boat.” It operated at Inner Harbour Pier No. 12B in 1962, was moved to the Outer Harbour in 1999, and suspended operations in 2007.

In its early days, the Inner Harbour mainly consisted of wooden pier-style wharves. By the late 1930s, with widening plans and land reclamation creating new land, new building-type piers were gradually constructed, equipped with warehouses and office space to improve the efficiency of passenger and cargo transport. Pier No. 23 (Iao Tak Pier) and Pier No. 25 (Yu Wo Pier) are representative examples of the new-style Inner Harbour piers built in the 1940s and 1950s. Featuring Art Deco elements and a simple symmetrical layout, they bear witness to Macao’s role at the time as a gateway for external transport and to the meeting of Chinese and Western architectural aesthetics.

The Iec Long Firecracker Factory is located in the area of Rua do Regedor in Taipa. It was granted approval to establish a factory in Taipa in the 1920s, bearing witness to the development of local handicrafts and the formation of the surrounding community. The firecracker industry was once one of Macao’s major export sectors, alongside incense sticks and matches, employing large numbers of workers and supporting the growth of nearby living facilities. However, due to the hazardous production process, frequent accidents, and changes in market conditions and policy, the factory ceased operations in the early 1980s, and the site remained abandoned for many years, becoming an “urban forest.” In 2022, the government completed revitalisation works on the Iec Long Firecracker Factory site, which was officially opened to the public on 23 December of the same year.

Lai Chi Vun Shipyards is located in Lai Chi Vun, Coloane. It is one of the largest surviving shipyard clusters in Macau and also one of the best-preserved and most sizeable historic shipbuilding industrial sites in South China. The area gradually took shape in the mid-20th century. Together with timber workshops, shipbreaking yards, and small-scale factories, it formed a distinctive community with the character of a “shipbuilding village,” providing vessels and related support for the fishing and trading industries over many years. As the shipbuilding industry declined in the late 20th century, the shipyards gradually ceased operation. In 2005, the launch of the last fishing boat marked the end of traditional shipbuilding in the area. In June 2022, the government announced a pilot revitalization plan, with the first phase focusing on units X-11 to X-15. These units officially opened in June 2023.

Barra Dockyard District is located opposite A-Ma Temple and adjacent to the Maritime Museum of Macau. It was originally Macau’s only government dockyard. Established in the late 19th century and expanded several times, it evolved from repairing and building wooden boats to servicing metal vessels. For many years, it supported port operations and the water law enforcement fleet, and it also built ships for Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau. To accommodate the redevelopment of the surrounding area, the government dockyard was relocated to the Inner Harbour near Fai Chi Kei in 2003. In 2013, the government planned to transform the former dockyard site into the “Maritime Workshop,” a contemporary art center. Building 1, formerly the machine room, opened at the end of 2016, while Building 2, formerly the dockmaster’s office, was restored and opened in 2018.