The majority of the younger population speak English; international delegates are strongly advised to prepare taxi cards and/or maps to help you get around the city. However, bus transport is easy and the network is extensive covering almost all corners of Macao.
Macao is very safe for travellers with low crime rates. Victims of the very few crimes in Macao are typically not travellers though tourists must exercise reasonable vigilance in casinos and night venues. The only risk to you and ICE2015 is the typhoon though it rarely hit us in September. It is therefore important you keep us updated with your email and contact information. |
VisaNationals of many countries enjoy free entry into Macao but you are strongly encouraged to double check with most updated policies with the local Chinese embassy/consulate. Click here for some useful information and links.
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Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)The Macao government has advised its residents to avoid travelling to South Korea because of the MERS-outbreak there. At present, there is NO health-related travel advisory related to the MERS situation in Macao and the immediate region. All updates are reflected here as soon as they arise. Meanwhile, please feel free to browse the following websites if necessary:
- Macao Health Bureau Infectious Disease Information [link] - World Health Orgaisation on coronavirus infections [link] |
A few wonders of wonderful Macao
Visitors are often intrigued with the harmonious fusion of Portuguese and Chinese cultures in Macao. Indeed, they are often puzzled with things like street names and spellings, which most of the locals take it for granted. As the official languages of Macao are Chinese and Portuguese, which Chinese is in turn spoken in either Cantonese (the one we use in Macao) or Mandarin dialects, while English is widely-used, we are very particular of spellings and names, which naturally confuses most tourists! For the usual English-speaking visitor, you wouldn't find yourself in too much trouble except wondering why we are weird at times...
The following is a list of frequently wondered aspects by visitors to Macao. We've compiled them below for your reference, and we will be growing the list as questions are sent in and we deem worthwhile to share with everybody.
The following is a list of frequently wondered aspects by visitors to Macao. We've compiled them below for your reference, and we will be growing the list as questions are sent in and we deem worthwhile to share with everybody.
#1 - Macau and Macao - is this a common spelling mistake?
According to Ubaldino Couto, Latin was the primary 'European language' used in the 1500s and Macao was the spelling adopted. When the word was translated into Portuguese, the -cao would be translated to either cão or çao which means a dog and nothing respectively, and cao wouldn't yield a valid Portuguese pronunciation. As languages are phonetic based, the spelling was changed to -cau instead to reflect the original pronunciation. After years of colonial rule which created lots of inconsistencies and confusions with regards to spellings and naming of places, the post-colonial government standardised all spellings and encouraged consistency throughout Macao. Hence, Macau is considered the official Portuguese spelling and Macao the English translation which reflects its Latin origins. Nobody bothered to authenticate these claims but we thought the story is plausible so we adopted his theory.
Registered names such as Macau Government Tourist Office, University of Macau and Macau Grand Prix adopted the Macau spelling so these are used as how they are originally and officially used. However, in all other contexts, Macao is used instead. |
#2 - Is Macao an island?
Yes and no, hmm.. both. Macao is a collective term for Macao the peninsula and Taipa and Coloane the islands, Cotai the reclaimed lands, and Hengqin the site where University of Macau is located. Macao is a peninsula which is connected to China by an isthmus towards the north, and three bridges to Taipa in the south. Taipa and Coloane is now a huge island as the Cotai was reclaimed in between them. Cotai is where you frequently hear 'The Las Vegas Strip of the Orient'. To the west of Taipa is the island of Hengqin. Due to shortage of land resources, the Central Government loaned sections of the island to Macao, and the first of which is the University of Macau new campus. Click on the map to see a larger version of these interesting places.
Therefore, Macao refers to us - a mere 30.3 sq km piece of land - but also the peninsula where most action take place, including our conference. To get around Macao, please click here. |
#3 - What is the difference between Macao, Hong Kong and China?
Macao and Hong Kong are special administrative regions (SARs) of the People's Republic of China. Macao and Hong Kong were ruled by the Portuguese and British up until 1999 and 1997 respectively where sovereignty was returned back to China. Macao and Hong Kong adopt a 'one country, two systems' policy where Macao and Hong Kong are fully independent from China but still considered as part of the country.
We found an interesting amateur video online so we've just embedded here for your viewing pleasure. If you're still unsure, drop us a line and we'll be happy to explain. |
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#4 - What does 'Macanese' refer to?
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Macanese does not refer to the people of Macao in general but a distinctive group of Eurasians who are of both Portuguese and Chinese ancestry. They are typically mixed race, be in Macao for a couple of generations, and have strong roots in Portuguese, speak the language and generally have weird names - yes, Ubaldino is one. The Macanese people have their own food where delegates will be able to cook one or two dishes during the conference, their own creole patuá, and pretty much their own thinking and cultural identity. The people of Macao are called 'the people' and they are either Chinese, Portuguese, Macanese, Australian, Filipino, and so on...
If you're interested in the Macanese culture, perhaps the adjacent video is a starting point. |
#5 - What is your name?
In the spirit of think global, act local, the majority of people in Macao have an 'English' name, which is often very different from their own Chinese names. Don't be surprised that our President, Fanny's real name isn't Fanny but Chuk Kwan instead but we've been calling her Fanny for years! Likewise, celebrity chef Martin Yan, action heroes Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee were never Jackie nor Bruce.
However, many 'ethnically Chinese' people in Macao grew to prefer non-English names, so many use Portuguese, French, Spanish, Japanese, and Korean names, who are not necessarily in anyway related to these cultures. Similar to English names, many prefer to use shortened versions which were affectionately called by family and friends. Conference co-chair Ubaldino is more known as 'Dino' but not all shortened names are easily identified. Professor Leonardo Dioko is known as 'Don' and nobody dared ask why. This is not uncommon though... |
Flying Over Macau from Sergio Perez on Vimeo. |
Macao, a bird's eye viewThis video was a sensation in 2014 when it was posted online. It was filmed, edited and created by an amateur videographer (a Macanese!).
We thought delegates would be interested to see Macao from another perspective so with Sergio's permission, we've embedded it here for your viewing pleasure, again. |
After reading the above list of weird aspects of Macao, we hope you're not frightened of us but are attracted to come and see it for yourself. Do drop us a line if you have queries.