WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Macau, China’s first and last European colony, was under Portuguese rule for over 400 years until it returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1999. Those 400 years of Portuguese rule made a big impact, shaping the city’s unique East-meets-West culture.

Detailed explanation-2: -Macau was settled by Portuguese merchants in 1557, during the Ming dynasty and was subsequently under various degrees of Portuguese rule until 1999. Portugal’s involvement in the region was formally recognised by the Qing dynasty in 1749.

Detailed explanation-3: -Macau is a special administrative region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China. It was leased to Portugal in 1557 as a trading post in exchange for a symbolic annual rent of 500 tael. Despite remaining under Chinese sovereignty and authority, the Portuguese came to consider and administer Macau as a de facto colony.

Detailed explanation-4: -The short answer in the cases both of Macau and Hong Kong is that once China had decided it was not in their interest to allow either territory to continue under foreign control there was nothing either Portugal or Britain could do to retain them.