Immigrants From Inland China And The Early Development In Macao

This article aims to inspect the immigrants who came from the hinterland of China participating in developing in the historical process of Macao,especially carries on a full range of historical research for the early development of Macao.It tries hard to display detailedly and systematically the whole process when the outback immigrants took part in activities before the opening port of Macao, economic development and transformation after the opening port of Macao. Meanwhile, it will make an evaluation about those immigrants who had an effect on three aspects,including politics,economy and Mazu culture in the period of the early development in Macao.This article is divided into five parts.The second, third and fourth chapters go on historical research on each stage about those immigrants in Macao before its opening port,after its opening of economic developments,as well as its transformation,in the way of discussing on those immigrants involving in political,economical,Mazu cultural and social activities.And it caused a series of changes accordingly. As for the immigrants from the inland China, the early development in Macao dated from the end of Southern Song dynasty. After Zhang shijie was defeated, the immigrants from Southern Song dynasty scattered and later settled here.On the whole, the early development in Macao can be parted three periods. The first period is from the end of Southern Song dynasty and the early Yuan dynasty to Jiajing thirty--two years in Ming dynasty (the year of 1553). The first group of immigrants from inland China arrived in this area and set out to take part in the early development in Macao. The second period is from Jiajing thirty--three years (the year of 1554)in Ming dynasty to Chongzhen thirteen years (the year of 1640) in Ming dynasty. In particularly, international trade business in Macao has experienced a golden age and reached a new peak in Wanli six years (the year of 1578) in Ming dynasty.Strong economic strength of those immigrants from the inland China promoted the further development of Mazu culture in Macao.However, they still did not have political status at all. The third stage is from Chongzhen thirteen years (the year of 1640) in Ming dynasty to Daoguang twenty—nine years (the year of 1849) in Qing dynasty.For some reasons, re—export trade took on a falling look in Macao in this period. The economical condition was in the state of degradation.It is at this critical moment that the outback immigrants actively made great contributions to the transformation of economy successfully in Macao.After the Opium War, immigrants from the inland China controlled almost in every economical field.So we can see clearly that the economy of immigrants has changed the dependent type in the early phase into a mastering one. Economic lifeline in Macao has been entirely in the hands of inland immigrants.After the year of 1880,with the Chinese people holding government's key positions, immigrants from the inland China achieved their "political expression" through varieties of ways. The prosperity of Mazu culture in Macao may benefit from their growth of economical and political power of those immigrants. So more and more temples have been repaired and expanded during this period.The fifth part is a brief conclusion.