The current devised Emblem of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China came into use on 20 December 1999, when the sovereignty of
Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
(Macao) was
transferred from
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
to the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. The
emblem
An emblem is an abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a king or saint.
Emblems vs. symbols
Although the words ''emblem'' and '' symbol'' are often use ...
is now referred to officially as the "Regional Emblem" ().
Description
The regional emblem features the same design elements as the regional
flag of Macau
The flag of Macau, officially the regional flag of the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (; pt, Bandeira regional da Região Administrativa Especial de Macau ) is light green with a lotus flower above the ...
in a circular setting. The outer white ring is shown with the caption of the official name of the territory in
traditional Chinese character
Traditional Chinese characters are one type of standard Chinese character sets of the contemporary written Chinese. The traditional characters had taken shapes since the clerical change and mostly remained in the same structure they took at ...
s (as opposed to the
simplified form): "" (Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China) and the Portuguese short form, "Macau".
History
The coat of arms used by
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
followed traditional
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an styles:
The first coat of arms used in Macau was used until the end of the 19th century. It features the arms of Portugal surrounded by the saying ''Cidade do nome de Deus, não há outra mais Leal'' (
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
for "City of the Name of God, there is none more Loyal").
In 1935, most Portuguese colonies were given coats of arms that followed a standard design pattern. For Macau, a dragon was used for the part of the shield featuring a design unique to each colony.
The last coat of arms of colonial Macau, used until 1999, shown here in its most simple form, was used in banknotes, coins, stamps, official documents and appears also in the facade of the "Banco Nacional Ultramarino" in Lisbon.
File:Brasão de Macau (1850s-1910).svg, First coat of arms
File:Lesser coat of arms of Portuguese Macau (Used until 1935).svg, Second coat of arms
File:Lesser coat of arms of Portuguese Macau.svg, Simple coat of arms (1935-1999)
File:Coat of arms of Portuguese Macau (1935-1951).svg, Coat of arms (1935-1951)
File:Coat of arms of Portuguese Macau (1951-1976).svg, Coat of arms (1951-1976)
File:Coat of arms of Portuguese Macau (1976-1999).svg, Coat of arms (1976-1999)
File:Macau.PNG, Simplified coat of arms (1976-1999)
See also
*
Flag of Macau
The flag of Macau, officially the regional flag of the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (; pt, Bandeira regional da Região Administrativa Especial de Macau ) is light green with a lotus flower above the ...
*
Emblem of Hong Kong
The Regional Emblem of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China came into use on 1 July 1997, after the transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China.
T ...
References
External links
Lei n.º 6/1999 Utilização e Protecção da Bandeira e do Emblema RegionaisRegulamento Administrativo n.º 5/2019 Disposições concretas relativas à utilização das Bandeiras e Emblemas Nacionais e Regionais e à execução instrumental e vocal do Hino NacionalDesigns of the colonial coat of arms of Macao in 1934 Reference code(s): MO/AH/AC/SA/01/14775- Webpage from the Archives of Macau website about several proposed coats of arms for Macau in 1934; none of which were adopted.
National symbols of the People's Republic of China
Coat of Arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
Chinese heraldry
{{Heraldry-stub