Research on the Largo and architectural landscape of Macau from the perspective of historical layering

Macau's Largo and architectural landscape are divided into three main structural forms. The first is the combination of the front site and a single building, which can be considered as the core building of the front site. In Macau, this combination is the most basic form, mostly originated from the embryonic stage of urban development. However, with the development of time, this combination has become rare in the background of high-density city development in Macau. The second type consists of two or more buildings around the periphery of the Largo, and one of them must exist as the core building of the Largo, such as the Largo do São Domingos (Ban Zhangtang) and the Largo de Santo Agostinho (Gang Ding), which are typical templates of this combination. The third type is also a combination of more than two buildings and Largo. However, these buildings are not the core but only exist as buildings around Largo, such as Largo at the traffic intersection of Camp Street, Largo do Lilau (Ya Pojing), and the Largo of the traffic junction on Tarragon Street [6].

‘QIAN DI,’ judging from its macro function, is actually a regional title, which can be understood as a square. However, its scope is relatively small, which is different from some large parks or sports venues in other cities, which is relatively common in cities.

From the perspective of non-macro functions, we can also call it a square. It has some similarities with mediaeval European squares, but there are also some differences. For example, Jongmyo, church or buildings in public space are the main architectural shapes in Largo, and the combination of Chinese and Western elements is more common. The shape of Largo is not regular, and the shapes of other types of buildings, residential areas and squares around it are also irregular and random. Some Largo can also be a wide, narrow or short street for citizens to gather and carry out public activities. For example, the Largo do São Domingos (Ban Zhangtang) and the Largo do Senado (Yi Shiting) are very distinctive squares. The Largo is of great spatial significance, with the sky as the cover and the surrounding buildings as its connection, just like the ‘living room’ of the city, carrying the spirit and culture of the city.

In the early years of Macau's Largo, the Largo do Senado (Yi Shiting) and the Largo of the hall were of great significance to the Portuguese. Its particularity is reflected not only in the convergence of the outer space characteristics with the ‘Largo’ space texture in Portuguese cities but also in the spiritual connotation of the space. In other words, it is the important emotional sustenance of the Portuguese for architecture, which is reflected in the emotion of politics and life. In the later period, Largo became a public activity area for residents, which is also a typical case of the early transformation from the religious function of the city to the daily life function of residents. With the development of the city, the need for a religious life was transformed into a secular life, which was actually a continuation of the former form of life of the local inhabitants.

In Macau, Largo, as a kind of public space, can be found in dozens of streets, large or small. In the data recorded on Macau, there are nearly 30 Largo spaces marked with the Portuguese word ‘Largo,’ which can be found in the peninsular, Taipa and Coloane areas of Macau [7]. Macau's Largo and architectural space are characterised by its unique blend of Chinese and Western cultures. Both for the tourism industry of Macau and for the improvement of the public living environment of Macau residents, the Largo and architectural space have provided a wealth of resources and cultural wealth for Macau, which is worthy of protection, utilisation, inheritance and development in urban planning.

In the initial period of Macau's urban development, trade and religion were the driving forces. Quay trading facilities, forts and early churches were built successively in this period, and the embryonic form of Macau was formed. Besides, it preliminarily laid the way of Portuguese influence on Macau in terms of trade, culture and military, which had a profound influence on later generations. Trade was the original motive for Macau's urban development. At the beginning, Portuguese construction activities in Macau were carried out purely from the perspective of pursuing commercial interests, without any political factors involved.

In 1553, Leonel de Sousa, commander of the Japanese shipping line, moored in Macau and reached a trade agreement with the Chinese. Later, Macau became the main centre of Sino-Portuguese trade, and the commercial areas grew and formed based on markets. During this period, Macau's unique political mode laid a foundation for the future coexistence of diverse cultures in Macau. Compared with the cultural exclusivity displayed by Portugal in Goa, Malacca and other regions of India, it does not destroy the local culture to build its own culture in Macau but shows tolerance in Macau. The inherent reason is that Goa was conquered by force, while the land jurisdiction of Macau was still under the Ming government during this period. The external manifestations of harmonious diplomacy are as follows: firstly, during the long-term development of Macau, the A-Ma Temple, a symbol of Chinese culture, and Lingnan style residential houses are well preserved, without any large-scale destruction of the city or buildings caused by cultural and belief differences, ensuring the continuity of historical space stratification. Secondly, compared with other oriental areas colonised by Portugal, due to the lack of construction dominance, its construction was more difficult and took longer than that of Macau [8].

Fig. 1

Driven by religious fervour and heroism, a large number of churches and outbuildings were built, giving the initial period of the city a European mediaeval and Portuguese character. With religious enthusiasm, the strong influence of the church (mainly the Jesuits) in urban construction is reflected in the following aspects:

As the centre of Portuguese missions in the East, Macau established a bishopric in 1575, which started the history of church building. From 1557 to the middle of the 17th century, many large and small Catholic churches were built in Macau. Nowadays, Macau has evolved into one of the regions with the highest density of churches in the world, which highlights the culture of Macau with Catholic characteristics [9]. The first three churches built with wooden sheds in Macau were St. Anthony's Church, St. Lorenzo Church and Lazarus’ Church. In the 1590s, the three churches were restored to masonry structures. (Xiangshan Ocean Culture + Ming Dynasty urban construction).

The appearance of Baroque churches. In order to develop the missionary cause in China and show the authority of heaven and God, the Church of Jesus chose the magnificent and imposing Baroque style. Besides, different from other ‘European Christian countries,’ which believed in superiority and clan superiority, Portuguese missionaries advocated spreading the idea of human fraternity and heroism. The Portuguese built many buildings and shops in Macau, the most important of which was the church, with hospitals, schools and even orphanages nearby. It provided assistance to the families of seafarers and refugees, including the first charity in Macau (Headquarters Building of the Holy House of Mercy of Macaul) and the hospital for the poor (the St. Lazarus Hospital).

In the construction process, Macau was not directly managed by the Portuguese government but also controlled by the Chinese government. Therefore, in the construction of the ‘square’ space, it did not adopt the spatial layout with rights and commemorative significance but built the ‘Largo’ space with freer spatial scale which was more friendly to the people. This is also the unique space carrier of Macau.

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

In 1586, the Portuguese government recognised the status of Macau through the Viceroy of India, approved its administrative structure and named Macau as ‘Macau, the city of the Holy Name of God in China’ [8]. Macau began to change from the original trading site into a new town. Roads, green spaces, city walls and forts were constructed during this period, which marked the growth stage of Macau's urban development.

During the growth period of Macau, economics played a decisive role in the development of urban architecture, which directly affects the process of urban development. During this period, its economic development can be roughly divided into three stages: the first stage, the economic growth period from 1586 to the end of the 17th century, the second stage was the economic decline from the end of the 17th century to the beginning of the 18th century and the economic recovery in the late 18th century.

In the first stage, the growing trade with Japan promoted the economic development of Macau. During this period, the Portuguese occupied the central part of the peninsula, bounded by the wall. Churches, city walls and forts continued to be built, which were directly used as main streets to construct and expand the spatial layout of the city. The Chinese villages outside the walls were also further expanded with the continuous development of the city [9]. In the second stage, Portugal's loss of competition with Britain and the Netherlands in the Far East and the cut-off of trade with Japan led to a significant reduction in economic income. In addition, natural disasters such as typhoons, as well as the ban of the Qing government in 1749 on ‘building new houses in Macau without approval,’ caused many buildings to be damaged and could not be repaired in time, and Macau entered a stage of rapid decline in its economy. In the third stage, with the re-opening of the Port of Guangzhou to foreign investors and the huge profits brought by the opium trade, the Portuguese were able to get out of their predicament. This was also due to the Qing government's policy towards foreign investors, most of whom transferred their business activities to Macau, and Macau became a transit point for foreign investors to trade with mainland China [10]. This shift from a trade centre to a transit station provided new impetus for the further development of Macau as a city. The arrival of foreign investors brought in architectural styles from Europe and beyond, with representative buildings such as the Town Hall built in 1784. The facade of the town hall has triangular lintels and small terraces, which highlight the southern European style and exude a classical atmosphere.

The influence of religion on the development of the city continued unabated, which was reflected in the construction of a large number of churches (Table 1). From the initial stage, Macau began to build a large number of church buildings, which reached a climax in the growth stage. As the central layout of the city, the church building has a very distinctive style. The Church of Jesus chose the magnificent and magnificent Baroque style, and under the dual influence of traditional Chinese architecture culture, it developed the architectural style with local characteristics of Macau. The Jesus Church chose the magnificent Baroque style, combined with the traditional culture of Chinese architecture. Under the dual influence, Macau has developed the local characteristics of the architectural style. The typical church buildings of this period include the Former Mater Dei Church and the Dominic's Church completed in 1637. These two churches are both influenced by the European Baroque architectural style and the oriental decorative art of painting of the same period, which combines the Portuguese style and Chinese style into a unique whole one. Besides there are five floors of the Former Mater Dei Church, each of which is composed of different elements. The front wall of the Dominic's Church shows the typical structure of the period: divided into three levels in the middle, connected to the lower sides by a simple convex wall, the Baroque style is accentuated by an ornate detail.

In terms of urban layout, Macau has the characteristics of a Portuguese mediaeval city, reflecting both commercial and defensive features. The city is centred on churches and public buildings with large open spaces around them, mainly on Tarragon Street and Largo do Senado, where two main streets and seven alleys converge. Construction work was allowed to proceed at will, especially in Portuguese areas where no regulations were enforced. The early urban pattern of Macau was influenced by external factors, and military structures such as city walls and forts were further built. Macau was attacked successively in 1604, 1607, 1622 and 1627. In 1622, the responsibility for defending the area was transferred from the Chinese authorities to the Portuguese, and on this basis, Portugal carried out urban expansion in Macau. After the 17th century, the expansion of interests brought by European voyages led to the competition among European colonies. In order to defend against other powers, the Portuguese successively built forts and city walls, such as the Great Fort built in 1617, which was the core of the former military defence line and had the spatial characteristics of mediaeval Portuguese cities.

By signing the unequal Treaty of Good Trade between China and Portugal, Portugal seized the right to govern Macau. The mixed control of Macau was transformed into the single control of Portugal, with the governor holding real power. During this period, the government launched a series of continuous urban development and renovation plans, and Macau began its overall development and planning [12]. Besides, the rapidly developing British-occupied Hong Kong gradually replaced the status of Macau. Under such background, at the end of the 19th century, its urban development conditions and the improvement of the port planning became particularly important; these actions laid the first half of the 20th century Macau city size and pattern. At this time, the development of Macau was not confined to the Macau Peninsula. Coloane and Taipa gradually became part of the urban development of Macau. In the early 20th century, the city was further developed with the construction of public buildings such as the Port Authority Building, the Post Office building and the Jinghu Hospital. New types of gaming-related buildings. New types of gaming-related buildings, Chinese residential buildings, temples, ‘Art Deco’ style buildings, with continuous gallery buildings as the main features [13]. In addition to construction, municipal projects are also under rapid construction projects, including land reclamation, construction of wharves, ports and roads, installation of public lighting and the establishment of gardens, as well as the construction of crisscrossing road networks, including the new roads that will be the main roads of Macau for a long time to come.

A representative building of this period is the Coloane Library, built in 1911. The front door has six thick columns, the capitals are carved with decorative patterns and there are prominent triangles in the middle of the roof, with southern European classical colour. Another example is the Taipa House Museum, which was built in 1921 in the style of a Portuguese villa. The main colour of the museum is turquoise. The building is a combination of round arches, square columns and arc lintels, accompanied by white lines.

During the period of urban decline and regeneration, on the one hand, Macau continued to carry out infrastructure construction and land reclamation in new ports and other areas to expand the city scope. On the other hand, the restoration of a large number of historic buildings and the overall protection of the urban landscape were carried out. The surrounding reclamation area has been intensively developed with a number of high-rise buildings and industrial zones, including iconic buildings such as the new and old Lisboa Hotels. The Portuguese did not seize Macau by means of war; so, there was no large-scale destruction or change of urban buildings or structures, and the urban buildings were preserved in a coherent form of stratification. On the cultural level, the preservation of Macau's historic buildings mainly has the following four significances: (1) Macau's historical buildings are a comprehensive embodiment of Eastern and Western architectural art, (2) it is an important witness of Catholicism and Christianity in China and even the Far East, (3) it is the common embodiment of Chinese and Western multi-culture and (4) it is the orderly expression of Chinese and Western living communities [14].

Since 1974, the protection of Macau's cultural heritage has become the focus of the city's development, and the revitalised reuse of buildings has promoted the regeneration of Macau's buildings. In the early stage, the protection only focussed on single buildings, expanded the scope of protection and the concept of biochemical protection. In addition to single buildings, attention began to be paid to the front space and historic blocks [14]. Therefore, the main architectural renovation method in this period was to replace and update the functions on the premise of basically preserving the architectural appearance. The typical projects included the renovation of the San Diego Battery, the reconstruction of the Army Club building and the renovation of the residential complex.

Macau buildings have a distinctive way of retaining their traditional style, such as the building of Edificio Sede do BNU Macau, which has attracted attention because of its Aficio design. The building itself is majestic and steady, a typical Western style classical architecture. From 1996 to 1997, the original building was expanded to retain the original ground floor building, making it responsive to the street and the front and connecting to the history. On this basis, a large number of curved mirror glass facades were used, and 17 floors of modern buildings were added [15]. The reconstruction maintains the harmonious coexistence of old and new architectural styles, which is a good example of the protection and utilisation of old building facades in Macau.

In terms of urban space, the Macau government hopes to accelerate the revitalisation of the declining historical city through the renovation of the street scene so as to continue the personalised texture of Macau. A typical example of revitalising Macau's historic urban area is the renovation of the Largo do Senado, which transforms the most active civic space in the historic urban area into a commercial pedestrian street. The renovation contents include the ground pavement and the repair of the historic buildings on both sides of the block. Among them, the ground pavement has chosen the characteristics of Portuguese maritime civilisation, and the black and white wave patterns made of gravel makes the walking space unique. Today, the Largo do Senado and it's around has become a famous landscape in Macau.