João Ferreira do Amaral’s governance in Macao (Macau) and his assassination jeopardised the Sino-Portuguese relations and even brought skirmishes.
The Portuguese Macao government ruled Macao as if it was a Portuguese colony on no legal ground. Therefore, Portugal tried to force the Qing court (清朝) to cede Macao. In 1850, Portugal dispatched a fleet to Macao to reinforce its military in the Far East, but one of its vessels exploded. The Anglo-French forces conquered Beijing (北京) in 1860. With the help of the French envoy to China, the Governor of Macao Isidoro Francisco Guimarães negotiated with the Qing officials in Beijing in 1862, during which they concluded the Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Friendship and Trade. However, the treaty became void in 1864 after the Qing court refused to ratify it when certain terms were found threatening China’s sovereignty over Macao.
How did the Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Friendship and Trade challenge China’s sovereignty over Macao? |
See answer below. |
Portuguese soldiers breached the Border Gate and occupied the P’eng-Lim Fortress on 25 August 1849.
The grave of Vicente Nicolau de Mesquita in the Cemetery of St. Michael the Archangel.
The statue of Vicente Nicolau de Mesquita stood at the Senado Square until it was torn down during the December 3rd Incident in 1966. It was later sent back to Portugal. (Online photo)
Three days after João Ferreira do Amaral’s assassination on 25 August 1849, 25 Portuguese soldiers captured the Border Gate for revenge and more of them assembled. 500 Chinese soldiers stationed at the nearby P’eng-Lim Fortress fired cannons at the Border Gate. The Second Lieutenant Vicente Nicolau de Mesquita took 36 soldiers and a cannon with him to conquer the P’eng-Lim Fortress under the Qing bombardment. However, the Portuguese had no intention to move further and soon withdrew to Macao.
A stele in the Monument Garden, Taipa, commemorating the warship Dona Maria II lost in an explosion.
In 1850, the Portuguese court appointed Pedro Alexandrino da Cunha the Governor of Macao, and dispatched three warships: Dona Maria II, Dom João I, and Iris, to strengthen Macao’s defence allegedly. However, Dona Maria II exploded during the Portuguese King’s birthday celebration on 29 October 1850, causing huge casualties among officials and soldiers. The Portuguese Macao government then erected a memorial stele near Taipa Fortress, where the explosion took place. The newly-appointed governor died from illness not long after the explosion.
Some scholars believe that Cunha and the warships were a Portuguese military expedition to China, but the plan was interrupted by unforeseen events.
Isidoro Francisco Guimarães took office as the Governor of Macao in 1852. Although he managed to normalise the Sino-Portuguese relations, his top agenda was to persuade the Qing court into recognising Portuguese administration over Macao.
After the Anglo-French forces conquered Beijing in 1860, the French envoy to China arranged negotiations between Isidoro Francisco Guimarães and the Qing court in 1862 when they drafted the Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Friendship and Trade.
Now known as the Old Court Building, the governor’s residence in Praia Grande Bay was constructed in 1859. It also served as the Portuguese Macao Government’s office in earlier years.
Praia Grande Bay in 1854.
A-Ma Temple in 1853.
The Macao Peninsula in the 1870s.
How did the Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Friendship and Trade challenge China’s sovereignty over Macao? |
The ninth article of the treaty stipulated that the Qing emperors would be entitled to appoint officials responsible for trade management and regulation in Macao. However, the Portuguese replaced the word “officials” with “consuls”, indicating Macao was a Portuguese territory. The Qing court refused to ratify the treaty unless the Portuguese revised it. In the end, the treaty became void. |
Photo courtesy of Mr. Alex Lou, Vice Chairman of The Heritage Society, unless otherwise specified.