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(1) Macao in the Face of the Chinese Civil War

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After the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the whole Chinese public strongly demanded the recovery of Hong Kong and Macao (Macau).

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (ROC) put forward several plans to resolve the Macao issue, including the forceful recovery. The Portuguese Macao government prevented the Macao people from celebrating the Double Tenth Day (National Day) in October 1945. The Guangdong (廣東) provincial government thus sent troops to garrison and seal off Macao on the grounds that the Portuguese sheltered Japanese war criminals and pro-Japan factions. However, under the leadership of the Kuomintang of China (KMT, 中國國民黨), the Nationalist Government ordered to withdraw the Chinese garrison and lift the blockade of Macao in December the same year, considering the overall situation and the “integration of Hong Kong and Macao”. The recovery plan was hence temporarily put on hold. However, the Guangdong provincial government still repeatedly requested the Nationalist Government to negotiate with Portugal for Macao’s recovery.

With the government’s army steadily losing ground in the Chinese Civil War in the early 1949, the Portuguese Macao government feared that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP, 中國共產黨) would take the opening to recover Macao. It therefore seek military assistance from Britain and the United States, and augmented the defence of Macao. However, the newly established government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) took a different strategy of “long-term planning and full utilisation” to handle the Hong Kong and Macao issue. Given the unstable domestic situation and the special international status of the two cities, the PRC government remained them as international channels between China and the West. The December 3rd Incident in 1966 became an important turning point in Macao’s postwar history.

How did the competition between the KMT and the CCP in Macao end?

See answer below.

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Zhang Huichang (張惠長) served as the County Magistrate of Zhongshan County (中山縣), Guangdong Province, during the War of Resistance and the early postwar period.

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The Guangdong provincial government ordered Zhang Huichang, the County Magistrate of Zhongshan County, and Liu Shaowu (劉武), the Commander of the 159th Division of the garrison, to arouse the masses to demand Macao’s recovery on the Double Tenth Day in October 1945. The Portuguese Macao government then blocked the Border Gate on the grounds of maintaining social order and prohibited assembly and publicity. The Guangdong provincial government then claimed that dozens of Japanese criminals and pro-Japan factions were lurking in Macao and were sheltered by the Portuguese Macao government. Therefore, it sent troops to the vicinity of the Border Gate and completely sealed off Macao, banning the entry of vegetables, meat, and other goods. The Chinese army even held evening shooting drills in the surrounding areas of Macao.

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                                           General Zhang Fakui (張發奎), photographed after the victory of the War of Resistance in 1945.

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In Guangdong, General Zhang Fakui repeatedly proposed to Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) to recover Macao by force, saying that it was not just a matter of China’s sovereignty, but also to prevent Japanese criminals and pro-Japan factions from fleeing China. However, Wang Shih-chieh (王世傑), the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the ROC, opposed the recovery and proposed to prioritise the Hong Kong issue, which was agreed by Chiang. The National Revolutionary Army stationed near Macao withdrew and the blockade against the city was lifted on 26 December 1945.

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A photo of Chiang Kai-shek with Soong Tse-vung (宋子文) taken in 1946. Soong served as the Chairman of Guangdong Provincial Government from September 1947 to January 1949, during which he dealt with the Hong Kong and Macao issue.

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The PLA took over the Gongbei (拱北) area on 5 November 1949. Representatives from organisations including Kiang Wu Hospital, Overseas Chinese Association, and Preparatory Committee of Democratic Women’s Association, as well as workers from the typesetting room of Tai Chung Daily, set up a labour delegation. It set out from Kiang Wu Hospital to extend regards to the PLA garrisoned at Qianshan (前山) on 9 November. With the defeat of the ROC government in the Chinese Civil War and its moving to Taiwan (台灣), the PRC government established in October 1949 began to negotiate with Britain and Portugal on the Hong Kong and Macao issue. (Provided by Kiang Wu Hospital Charitable Association, cited from “Macao Memory”, Macao Foundation)

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A group photo of the labour delegation of Kiang Wu Hospital taken in 1949 in front of the school building. (Provided by Kiang Wu Hospital Charitable Association, cited from “Macao Memory”, Macao Foundation)

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Overseas Chinese groups and schools in Macao held an assembly with thousands of participants at Ping’an Grand Theatre on 20 November 1949 to celebrate the liberation of Guangzhou (廣州) and the founding of the PRC. The photo shows the programme brochure of the assembly. (Provided by Kiang Wu Hospital Charitable Association, cited from “Macao Memory”, Macao Foundation)

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The Tak Sing passenger ship mooring in Macao’s Inner Harbour. The ship rescued 56 soldiers from the PLA ships to receive treatment in Macao during the Wanshan Archipelago Campaign. (Collected by Mr. Lei Kun-min, provided by Macao Association for Historical Education, cited from “Macao Memory”, Macao Foundation)

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A massive naval battle broke out between the forces of the KMT and the CCP at Wanshan Archipelago near Macao in May 1950. It was reported that gunshots were heard and even artillery fire were seen from urban areas because the battlefield was close to Macao. Although the war did not directly affect Macao, the passenger ships travelling between Macao and Hong Kong were interrupted. For example, the Tak Sing passenger ship was shelled because it strayed into the blockade area of the PLA. Fortunately, there were no casualties.

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The expansion of a school building in Taipa triggered conflicts between the police and the people on 15 November 1966, which touched off the December 3rd Incident. Macao was frequently affected by the domestic situation after the PRC was found, with the December 3rd Incident on the list.

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The masses destroyed the statue of Vicente Nicolau de Mesquita at the Senate Square during the December 3rd Incident. Vicente Nicolau de Mesquita led the Portuguese army to defeat the army of the Qing dynasty (清朝) and occupy the Border Gate in the Pak Shan Lan Incident in 1849.

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The police firing tear gas at the demonstrators at a street clash during the December 3rd Incident. (Photographed by Mr. Fung Cheuk-wah, provided by the Photographic Society of Macao, cited from “Macao Memory”, Macao Foundation)

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The December 3rd Incident was a major event in Macao’s history. It arose from the long-lasting misgovernance of the Portuguese Macao government, including inaction, administrative confusion, low efficiency, widespread corruption, and increasing ethnic conflicts. In addition, Macao was influenced by the Cultural Revolution unleashed in mainland China. These eventually led to massive unrest.
To get more poor children educated, the Taipa grassroots applied to the Works Bureau of the Portuguese Macao government for the expansion of Fong Chong School of Taipa in 1966. However, the negotiations and applications for the project permit failed 24 times. Therefore, the workers started construction on their own in November. Administratively, Macao was then divided by the Portuguese Macao government into the Municipality of Macau governing the Macao Peninsula, and the Municipality of Ilhas governing Taipa and Coloane islands. Rui de Andrade, the then Acting Director of Administration Bureau of the Municipality of Ilhas, found scaffolding in front of the Fong Chong School of Taipa on his way to work on 15 November and immediately sent police to stop the expansion project. The workers’ refusal inflicted conflicts with the police, causing 24 injuries. The police also arrested a reporter of Macao Daily News. The event was known in history as the Taipa Incident, which then escalated and spread to the Macao Peninsula.
A conflict broke out in front of the Office of Governor of Macao around noon on 3rd December, which escalated into a massive commotion when some pro-Beijing leftists broke into the Office of Governor of Macao, sang revolutionary songs, read Quotations from Chairman Mao aloud, and overturned the police vehicles. The police then used batons and anti-riot vehicles armed with water cannons to drive away demonstrators. As the news spread, an increasing number of people joined the demonstration. Statues symbolising the Portuguese colonial rule were destroyed, and some government agencies were attacked. The masses stormed the police station at around 4:30pm. The riot police then fired tear gas behind the closed station gate and even opened fire that caused two deaths. The Governor of Macao then imposed martial law and a curfew at 6pm. Several people were shot dead in the streets in the following days. Eight people (also said to be 11 people) were killed, more than 200 people injured, and dozens arrested in this December 3rd Incident.
After the conflict on 3 December, the PRC government demanded the Governor of Macao José Manuel de Sousa Faro Nobre de Carvalho to sign a “confession” through the Guangdong authority and Macao leftist associations. The Portuguese Macao government accepted the demands of Chinese representatives in Macao after nearly two months. In addition to making an apology and compensation to the dead and injured, the Macao Portuguese government also accepted the demand of the PRC government to ban KMT’s activities in Macao.

How did the competition between the KMT and the CCP in Macao end?

After the ROC government retreated to Taiwan, Macao still maintained the organisation and institutions of the KMT branch while the pro-Communist groups carried out civil activities in Macao. The competition between the two parties continued in Macao. After the December 3rd Incident in 1966, the Portuguese Macao government accepted the demand of the PRC government of banning the KMT activities and the display of signs and flags related to the KMT in Macao. The pro-KMT organisations and institutions completely withdraw from Macao since then.

Photo credit: Fotoe (pictures 1-3), Macao Foundation (pictures 4-7, and 10), and misc. photo sources.