Cultural Mapping by
Heritage Management Programme Year 4
All or Nothing
Macao is a city full of entertainment, amusement and games are accompanied by the development of this city, people want to seek for the opportunities to spend gold on one throw. Some people come back with fruitful results, while some of them lose money. Gambling has become a love or hate entertainment in people’s mind. The gaming industry is the footstone of Macao's economic development. As the times change, entertainment venues are facing more and more fierce competition. The gambling stalls all over the streets were no longer returns, once the streets where the lantern lights are dim slowly fade out of people’s sight. But the clamant memories at that time are still vivid in people's minds. We are introducing the nightlife in the inner Harbour to explain the story of the “all or nothing” at that time, it hopes that everyone can understand the significance of the connection between the game and the place in Macao.
New Central Hotel
Macao is a city full of entertainment, amusement and games are accompanied by the development of this city, people want to seek for the opportunities to spend gold on one throw. In all ages, games have been an essential element in Macao, gambling is one of the major categories. Fantan, was the favorite game in Macao, it was the most popular game in Macao during the legalization of gambling industry in the 19th century. There were more than 200 Fantan stalls operating in Macao. In the late 19th century, Macao began to be famous for gambling, and received a designation “Monte Carlo of the Orient”. If the people talks about Fantan in Macao, it must mention the New Central Hotel. New Central Hotel was the most luxurious hotel in Macao before, its became a symbolic icon of Macao during the development of the first and second gambling companies. Under the leadership of the first gambling company “Hou Heng Company”, it established the Fantan casino on the fifth and sixth floors of the “President Hotel” at that time. In addition, Fu Tak Iong and Kou Ho Neng believed this hotel had great potential, they acquired it in 1932 and changed its name to “Central Hotel”. Fortunately, Macao coincided with the alternation of gambling management rights, “Tai Heng Company”, which formed by Fu Tak Iong and Kou Ho Neng continued to operate as the second-generation gambling company in Macao. In 1937, the "Central Hotel" became the flagship casino at that time. However, the "Central Hotel" soon faced challenge, the International Hotel opened. Fu and Kou decided to add five more floors. Finally, it built into an eleven floors high hotel, which called “New Central Hotel”. For this hotel, the casino was set up on fifth and seventh floors, and later served as Macau’s flagship casino until Stanley Ho obtained the gambling management rights in Macao. The casino of the New Central Hotel was closed on 1st January 1962. After that, it has become a cheap hotel due to the lack of investment. Fortunately, the New Central Hotel receives the new investment nowadays, it may have the opportunity back to its glorious days.
References:
Tam, A. (2009). Fan tan: a game of “four”. Retrieved 05 May from https://wgm8.com/fan-tan-a-game-of-qfourq/
澳門特別行政區政府博彩監察協調局. (2021). 澳門博彩業歷史. Retrieved 05 5月 from http://www.dicj.gov.mo/web/cn/history/index.html
陳志洪. (2010). 番攤桌面遊戲. 澳門理工學院. 9789996520129
故城回憶. (2014a). 新中央酒店：澳門首座摩登酒店（上）. Retrieved 05 5月 from https://memorymacau.blogspot.com/2014/10/blog-post.html
故城回憶. (2014b). 新中央酒店：澳門首座摩登酒店（下）. Retrieved 05 5月 from https://memorymacau.blogspot.com/2014/10/blog-post_7.html
Casino Macau Palace
This ship is also called the Sea Palace, gambling ship, it belongs to Macau Tourism and entertainment Co., Ltd. the reason why it has the name of gambling ship is that it built the casino on the ship, which is unique. It is a Chinese-style ship, covering an area of 2.578 square meters, with a building area of 930 square meters and a building height of 11 meters. It was completed in 1996, with a luxurious appearance and several floors high. The style of painting and the carving of dragons are antique. There are all kinds of Chinese and Western gambling inside the ship, from Poker, One-armed Bandit, Pai Gow, and Mahjong, complete in all varieties. It was opened 24 hours a day. What's more, there is also the nickname of "thief ship". It's because the gamblers who used to gamble had a little more money. Just as we all know that it's not easy to win money in gambling, it's easy to lose money. The gamblers who lost money are just like being stolen by this ship. Also, it was only inferior to the Macao casino in Lisboa. Therefore, it was called "thief boat. The boat was converted from the "Pearl Riverboat", which is a joint venture between Macao tourism and entertainment Co., Ltd. and Shun Tak Group Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of leyaiproperties limited, and was purchased for 36.815 million yuan. The designer is Liang Guoben. He is a senior architect, responsible for the planning and supervision of construction projects. However, the ship was not so gorgeous at the beginning. It was formerly called Macao palace and opened on May 26, 1962. In 1995, the "Pearl Riverboat" was used to decorate it more magnificently. It was officially named the Imperial Palace amusement park. In the same year, it was officially opened and operated in Inner Hong Kong for three years. In 1998, it planned to move to the current site of Friendship Road (the old wharf in outer port) to continue the business. It was towed back to Guangzhou for more than ten days. There was a restaurant on the third floor, and there are many restaurants and food shops on the shore nearby. Because many coolies, fishermen, and dock workers used to eat and drink in restaurants, they naturally came to the palace to "fight". However, since the opening of Macao's gambling rights, more and more new casinos have been opened in the new port area, the Casino Macao Palace casinos were even more desolate. They were facing the fate of being eliminated soon. From 2008 to now, they had been vacant in the base of the chopstick, but their gorgeous appearance can still see.
References:
澳門建築師協會. (1999). 澳門現代建築. 中國建築工業出版社.
戈春源. (2004). 賭博史. 華成圖書.
環球旅人. (2007). Episode 4 – 將永成歷史的海上皇宮！. Retrieved 05 5月 from http://trafolife.com/131/episode-4-%E5%B0%87%E6%B0%B8%E6%88%90%E6%AD%B7%E5%8F%B2%E7%9A%84%E6%B5%B7%E4%B8%8A%E7%9A%87%E5%AE%AE%EF%BC%81/
Kam Pek Casino
The Casino KamPek is located in Travessa do Aterro Novo. In the 1800s, the business of exporting slaves in Macao is in the peak during the time 1865-1870.the location was used to be the largest company of exporting slaves in Macao and given the name “The Big Barracoon”. Soon and later, “The Big Barracoon” fell with the collapse of the slavery business in 1880. In 1962, Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macao, S.A (STDM) was found by Stanley Ho and his then partners Teddy Yip, Yip Hon and Henry Fok. The same year, The new casino monopoly concessionaire was registered by the company and it was granted a monopoly on gambling in Macao for the next 40 years. Constructing gaming and tourism as the major economic activities and foundation of the development in Macau. The opening of Casino Kam Pek led a upward trend in gambling Mahjong during 1960s-1970s. The Casino Kam Pek became the inevitable choices for gamblers to play Mahjong as it is the only legal casino for playing Mahjong in Macao. Nowadays, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, S.A (SJM), the Subsidiary company of STDM.
References:
金豐居士：《柴船尾巷口“知咕洋行”》，載《訊報》2007年1月13日。
澳門特別行政區政府博彩監察協調局. (2021). 澳門博彩業歷史. Retrieved 05 5月 from http://www.dicj.gov.mo/web/cn/history/index.html
金碧文娛中心正式啟用（2002 年 12 月 21 日）。正報，P01 版
Video Ref
金豐居士：《柴船尾巷口“知咕洋行”》，載《訊報》2007年1月13日。
澳門特別行政區政府博彩監察協調局. (2021). 澳門博彩業歷史. Retrieved 05 5月 from http://www.dicj.gov.mo/web/cn/history/index.html
澳門特別行政區政府博彩監察協調局. (2021). 第135/91/M號訓令(麻雀法定博彩規則). Retrieved 05 5月 from http://www.dicj.gov.mo/web/cn/rules/Mahjong.html
金碧文娛中心正式啟用（2002 年 12 月 21 日）。正報，P01 版
Tak Seng Pawnshop
Tak Seng On Pawnshop was founded by Kou Hening and built in 1917. The function of pawnshop is to provide mortgaging and loaning services. In Macao, tradition pawn shop can divide three types. They are “TONG” “ON” and “NGAT”. Redemption period, access of the pawnshop and interest are the elements to devide them. Among all type of pawnshops, TONG has the longest due date. NGAT is the shortest. NGAT charge interest is higher than TONG and ON. TONG needs to have more access than ON and NGAT.
Pawnshop was highly related to local community and gambling industry in the past. Local people pawn their properties just as quilt to get more cash if necessary. They usually pawn clothes, jewels or tools. Small or middle company may pawn their product to get more cash to resolve the financial crisis. Gambler pawn their personal belonging to pawnshop to get more cash in order to gamble again.
The pawnshop in nowadays in very different with the traditional in the past. Modern pawnshop majorly serves gamblers unlike the pawnshop the past. Moreover, modern pawnshops are located next to Casino. Unlike pawnshops in the past, they located business area or near casino. The size is smaller, and the setting is different as well.
In Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro (Sam Ma Lo) area, there are lots of large-scale pawnshop in the past. However, the financial gown and the development of bank industry leading the pawnshop to decline. The price of daily product is lower and lower. The value to pawn them is lower and lower as well. The demanded to traditional pawnshop from local citizens decreased. On the other hand, modern pawnshop can attract gambler in order to survive in Macao. Tak Seng On Pawnshop is the pawnshop still have the best condition since it is a The Heritage Exhibition of Traditional Pawnshop Business.
References:
勞健偉 (2019). Explore the Macao Chinese traditional pawnshop business in 20th century
民政總署 (2013). 澳門舊街往事
