In 1996, Jason Wordie received a number of manuscripts relating to Portuguese stones and statuary in Macau. It was a work begun and developed by Lindsay and May Ride, which Wordie went on to finish and entitle “The Voices of Macao Stones”. The book came out in 1999, but the author quickly realized that it would not be easy to stop writing about the territory. ‘Macao – People and Places, Past and Present’ – the result of over six years of work – has now been published, and was recently presented at Portuguese Bookshop. The extensive book aims to be an overview of the social history of the area, from the sixteenth century to present time, looking at the architecture, different communities, writers and other artists, gastronomy and everything that people passing through have brought to the city.
“The first time I came to Macau was about 25 years ago. I stayed at Hotel Belavista and I remember it was an amazing experience”, says the author.
At the time, Wordie was working for the British Army, giving classes in Hong Kong, and on weekends he would escape to the neighbouring city.
“I was fascinated by Macau, it intrigued me from the beginning. I’ve never lived here, despite renting a house here”, he recounts. “What has always interested me is that Macau can be seen in two different ways: as a very small place, or as a place with a global dimension, like the people and the food that ended up here”.
Based on this thinking, ‘Macao – People and Places, Past and Present’ traces a map of the city, from north to south, district by district, always focusing on the people who are part of the history of the places.
“The way I wrote the book is that of a longstanding and frequent visitor. The book is not a guide, and cannot be seen as such”, says Wordie, who is also a regular columnist for The South China Morning Post.
Jason Wordie studied history at the University of Hong Kong, but is quick to point out that he never wanted to be a scholar, nor sees himself as one.
“I wrote two books about Hong Kong – one about Hong Kong Island and another about Kowloon – and Macau was supposed to be the third in this series. However, I realized that there was much more to do”, he explains.
In terms of the history of Macau, Wordie delves deep into the past.
“There is information about the sixteenth century, the seventeenth century, Japanese trade, and the collapse of this trade, the East India Company. I also discuss some of the most important Chinese figures, such as Ho Yin. They are an important part of the history”.
At times, the vision that we have of the territory’s past is distorted, according to Wordie, who also gives historical tours in Hong Kong, Macau and Guangzhou.
“People look at the old photographs in sepia, and they see the streets and say ‘how beautiful, how wonderful’. They forget about the terrifying opium and slave trade. People think ‘ah, the old Macau must have been wonderful’. Actually it was terrible. For most people it was horrible”.
“The past was not necessarily a better place. We often make the mistake of thinking that way”.
On the other hand, Wordie is passionate about the aura of shelter that the city has always preserved.
“Macau has always been a place of refuge for many people. People fleeing war and other conflicts, some fleeing themselves. Here they found a place where they could be something different to what they were in the past”.
Reflecting on the positive aspects of Macau’s past, Wordie highlights its contribution to the development of China.
“People also forget the role that this place played in the development of China. If not for Macau and people such as Ho Yin during the 1950s and 1960s, many materials would have never have come to China, a lot of money would never have come here”.
Jason Wordie still harbours a desire to tell stories about Macau – that of Pedro José Lobo, former president of the Legislative Assembly, and painter George Smirnoff, just to mention a few names that may result in new books in the future.
*Available at the Portuguese Book Store (Livraria Portuguesa)
