WICKED “GEM OF THE ORIENT."

Dunstan Times, Issue 3472, 9 June 1930, Page 2

WICKED “GEM OF THE ORIENT."

LIFE IN SINFUL MACAO. Reckless, sinful- Macao is being rediscovered as the haven of robbers, pirates, gamblers, dope fiends, and fugitives from justice front all parts of the world. In her had moods, according to her latest explorer, Macao, half-Portuguese, halfChinese, is fiee in her manner- -she gambles. reeks of opium fumes, and encourages all the “concomitant sins.” On the other hand, writes Aleko K. Lilies iu "Asia” (Now York), Macao smiles at you, innocent as a churchgoing maiden on an Eastern morn, and you can accept her thus without being deceived. If you want her good, she is good, wo arc assured, and if you want her bad, she will certainly oblige you. Meanwhile

“The outer appearance of this oldest European colony in China is charming indeed. Hidden, away in a bay surrounded hy mighty hills, the long rows of pink, blue, and' yellow bouses along the waterfront seem like a pie-o of Latin America, unexpectedly dropped here arid forgotten.

••The thousands of junks and sampans appear incongruous in this •’ .v--ideT.ul -.et ting, until you finally remember that ihe Latin is actually the intru ling clement. “Macao was once a very important commercial city, important enough for both the Dutch and the British to covet it, and for the Chinese to desire its return. In 1557 the Sou of Heaven, grateful to the Portuguese for their ruthless but effective methods of handling pirates, granted to them this strip of land comprising some two and a half square, miles. “It was not til] 1857. however, that Ihe permanent o cupation hy Portugal of Macao and the adjacent islands of Verde. Taiga.’and Coloane was confirmed by treaty. “Since the establishment, in 1841, of the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong, only forty-odd miles to the cast, Macao lias ceased to play the important role, of intermediary in Oei idenlal-Oriental trade. ■'To-day it is only a sheltering harbour for a large fleet of fishing-junks. Its pro duels, chiefly preserved fish, firecrackers, wine-, and incense-sticks, are of no great impqrlan o to the civilised world. “As a colony Macao would have been a financial and administrative burden to (lie home Government at Lisbon, except that, as d happens, it has been considered a gold-mine, thanks to the opium, the gambling and the hundreds of brothels. “Though pointed out by the tourist'agencies as the ‘Monte Carlo of the Orient.’ Macao bears very little resemblance to Monte Carlo with'its palatial Mbncgasquc Casino. As a matter of fact, there is no -casino in Macao, but there are twelve dingy, opium-reeking fan-tan dens, frequented by a public that certainly wears no dress-suits. “On a wai’iii siiinmci day you may he rubbing elbows with half-naked coolies, road dusty farmers, or fugitive embezzlers, ragged and stupefied with drugs, all types remote from the .stiff-shirted gentlemen of lbe Riviera. And that is probably one of the reasons why J find Macao so much more inf cresting than Monte Carlo. Deauville, or half-a-dozen other such places in different corneas of the earth. “The moral reputation of Macao has never been good. One has the feeling Unit (lie Portuguese have never wanted it to be good. “On the other hand, they do not like the fact advertised. A scholar wrote a history of Hie colony not so long ago, and the mere fact that iic mentioned the gambling and opium monopolies as the most important sources of income, caused the Macanese Government to buy the whole printed edition, and order it destroyed He. in i onscqncnec, finds Tlong Kong more healthful than Mir .-.0, ana prefers to stay

In fart, says this contributor to "Asia," the gambling passion seems to rule the people of Macao. It is impossible to' take a casual look at any street, lie tells us, an* not see groups of men. women, and even children, hanging over the fan-tan mat as they play with beans or buttons, or watching the "bones" roll the aces and sixes. Gambling, it is asserted, is in progress in every temple courtyard, near some praying fisherman's wife, perhaps, or at the foot of the smouldering incense-burner. Tn street; or temple courtyard, it appears, you do not have to pay taxes to the Government, because the game is only for the sake of a few coppers. Thus it dots not conflict, with the interests of the licensed gambling houses, which are after silver coins and bank-notes. Then, it is point-ed out that—"The .Macao Government derives a very large income from the monopoly granted to the [Tan-tan Syndicate. How many hundreds of thousands of dollars are paid yearly, it has been impossible to find out with certainty. ]n one house the inforjiiniion is Given you that the price is S6OO DOO. while at the house next door, you are loid that the syndicate pavs more than $1,000,000. "Once I was given the figure of $1,800,000, or SSOOO per day, "out T have reason to believe that the actual figure looms somewhere just above $1,000,000. "During the tourist season, the steamers are met by the hotel-runners, the unavoidable coolies, and the master-let -mo-s'lowyou-thc-town men Chinese like Opium Charlie and Fan-tan John, or halfcastes like the Loafer ami Harry the Dope. Thev pounce upon ihe tourists and faith fully show (hem (lie 'secrets' of Macao, extracting a modest I'ee of a dollar oi two, Willi this newly acquired capital they depal t hurriedly to the nearest fan-tan den. only lo lose every ;c,it. They have not the sense lo quit in time- and get away with the proceeds. "The Chinese c ften gambles lo the last etil in bis money-belt, and 'hen comes and begs for a dollar, or even fur your •'Opium < 'liai lie, for instnuce. has two wives, and his plea to me i.- always the Mune: 'Master, give me a dollar: must buy food i'o, the w ive.s." '"