The Portuguese in Ming China: Macau and the Canton Trade

In Episode 23 of The History of Portugal, Lucas and Luna dive into the tangled story of how a small Portuguese foothold on the Pearl River Delta grew into Macau, the longest-lasting European colony in China. We trace the first Portuguese landing at Tamão in 1513, the disastrous embassy of Tomé Pires that ended in a Beijing prison, and the 'luso-Chinese' accommodation that allowed traders to settle on a barren peninsula in exchange for tribute and cooperation with the Canton system. We meet the merchant-mandarin Leonor de Sousa, who negotiated the first legal trading rights; the corrupt haishidao (maritime defense intendants) who turned a blind eye; and the Chinese pirates who both threatened and collaborated with the Portuguese. We explore the unique hybrid society that emerged — where Jesuits studied Confucianism, Macau's Senate governed under Ming sovereignty, and the carreira da Índia brought silver from Japan and pepper from Malacca. No other episode covers the Ming dynasty, the Canton system, or the everyday reality of Macau's first century. #Macau #MingDynasty #CantonTrade #TomPires #LeonorDeSousa #TamO #PearlRiverDelta #JesuitsInChina #CarreiraDaNdia #PortugueseChina #SilverTrade #Haishidao #SenateOfMacau #LusoChinese #AgeOfDiscovery #History #FexingoHistory #ColonialHistory #Portugal #PortugueseEmpire Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo