Coloane (Cantonese: Lou Wan) is a former island in

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 ...

that is united with the island of

Taipa Taipa ( zh, t=氹仔, ; pt, Taipa, ) was a former island in Macau, presently united with the island of Coloane by reclaimed land known as Cotai. Administratively, the boundaries of the traditional civil parish Freguesia de Nossa Senhora do ...

by an area of reclaimed land known as Cotai. It is located at the southern part of Macau. Administratively, the boundaries of the traditional civil parish ( pt, freguesia) of São Francisco Xavier are coterminous with that of Coloane.

Etymology

Coloane was known in

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...

as ''Gau Ou Saan'' (九澳山 ''lit.'' "Nine-inlet Mountain" or transcribed in Portuguese as Ká-Hó) and ''Yim Jou Waan'' (鹽灶灣, ''lit.'' "Salt-stove Bay"). The Portuguese name "Coloane" is derived from the

pronunciation of ''Gwo Lou Waan'' (過路環, ''lit.'' "Passing-road Ring").

Geography

Coloane has an area of , is long and is from the

Macau Peninsula The Macau Peninsula is the most populous and historical part of Macau. It has an area of () and is geographically connected to Guangdong Province at the northeast through an isthmus wide. The peninsula, together with downtown Zhuhai, sits on ...

. The narrowest part of Coloane is . The highest points in Macau are eastern and central Coloane, with the highest point being the Coloane Alto (, Portuguese: Alto de Coloane). In the past, Coloane was separated from Taipa by the

Seac Pai Bay Seac Pai Van, Siac Pai Van (literally: Seac Pai Bay) is a former bay that separated Taipa and Coloane of Macau, China. Seac Pai Bay has been reclaimed from the sea as part of Cotai. See also * Praia Grande Bay * Hac Sa Beach Hac Sa Beach () ...

, which was crossed by a causeway, the Estrada do Istmo, connecting Coloane to Taipa. However

land reclamation Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclam ...

has physically connected the two islands and a new area for development called Cotai has been built between Taipa and Coloane, which is home to the Cotai Strip and several other casino projects. The northern shore of the parish is deep, and is the site of the Macau Deepwater Port. The eastern Hac Sa Beach (, Portuguese: Baía de Hác Sá) and the southern Cheoc Van Bay (, Portuguese: Baía de Cheoc Van) are popular swimming beaches.

History

From the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the res ...

onwards and until the Portuguese arrival in 1864, Coloane was a

sea salt Sea salt is salt that is produced by the evaporation of seawater. It is used as a seasoning in foods, cooking, cosmetics and for preserving food. It is also called bay salt, solar salt, or simply salt. Like mined rock salt, production of sea s ...

farm for China. After their arrival, the Portuguese made Macau an important trading port, but Coloane remained largely deserted, and was used as a base by

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

s until 1910. The island became more populated after the Estrada do Istmo causeway connecting Coloane with Taipa was completed in 1969.

Coloane Village

Coloane Village ( Portuguese: Vila de Coloane; ), located on the southwestern coast of Coloane, is the island's main settlement. The village centers on Eduardo Marques Square, which is a rectangle paved in cobblestones that are black, white and yellow, laid out in a wavy pattern reminiscent of the sea. The square faces a seaside

promenade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...

that traces the channel dividing Macau from the hills of China proper. At the eastern end of the square stands the Chapel of St. Francis Xavier, built in 1928. A

Tam Kung Temple Tam Kung () or Tam Tai Sin () is a sea deity worshiped in Hong Kong and Macau. In Chinese folk legends, Tam Kung was one of gods who could forecast the weather. He was born in Huizhou Prefecture. It was said that he could cure patients in h ...

is located at the southern end of Avenida de Cinco de Outubro (十月初五馬路). ;Temples (from north to south) * Sam Seng Temple (三圣宫), also called Kam Fa Temple (金花庙), located at 2 Rua dos Navegantes in Coloane Village. Dedicated to Kam Fa,

Kun Iam Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She w ...

and Va Kuong, it was built in 1865. *

Temple (Coloane), located at Travessa do Caetano. * Old Tin Hau Temple (天后古廟) in Coloane Village *

in Coloane Village. Dedicated to Lord Tam, a

Taoist Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Ta ...

god of seafarers, it was built in 1862. ;Churches *

Chapel of St. Francis Xavier Chapel of St. Francis Xavier (, pt, Capela de São Francisco Xavier) is a church located in Coloane, Macau, China. The chapel, built in 1928, is located on the southwestern coast of the island and stands near a monument commemorating a victory ...

(聖方濟聖堂), of the Freguesia de São Francisco Xavier (聖方濟堂區). The chapel, built in 1928, is located on the southwestern coast of the island and stands near a monument commemorating a victory over pirates in 1910. The chapel used to contain some of the most sacred

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tang ...

s in Asia, including the remains of 26 foreign and Japanese Catholic priests who were crucified in

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in th ...

in 1597, as well as those of some of the Japanese Christians who were killed during the

Shimabara Rebellion The , also known as the or , was an uprising that occurred in the Shimabara Domain of the Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan from 17 December 1637 to 15 April 1638. Matsukura Katsuie, the '' daimyō'' of the Shimabara Domain, enforced unpopular p ...

in 1637. They are now located in the Museum of Sacred Art, opened in 1996 next to the Ruins of St. Paul's. Another relic was a bone from the arm of St. Francis Xavier, who died in 1552 on Shangchuan Island, from Macau. This relic has been transferred to St. Joseph's Church.

Lai Chi Vun Village

Estrada de Lai Chi Vun begins at the intersection Estrada de Seac Pai Van and Estrada do Campo in the north and ends at Largo do Cais in the south. The towering banyan tree at the northern end of the marks the northern entrance to Lai Chi Vun Village (荔枝碗村), whose name is associated with its abundance in lychee trees in the past and its bowl-shaped bay. The shipyards that once lay beyond the village are nowadays left in disuse. The single-storey business premises of Veng Lok Shipyard and of Association of Shipbuilders of Macao-Taipa-Coloane are located inside the small courtyard to the right of the road atop the hill. All the way down the road to the western side is the one-storey office building of the Customs office of Coloane in Portuguese architectural style. Coloane Pier, which was once the only entry and exit point of Coloane is located along the waterfront facing Largo do Cais the southern end of the road. The Lai Chi Vun shipyards are being evaluated to determine whether they meet the MSAR's legal definition of cultural relics. The site is potentially significant because Macau's shipbuilding industry began at the shipyards and because of the formation of a historical village near the area.

Tourist attractions

;Temples * Hung Shing Temple in Hac Sa Village * Sam Seng Temple (三聖站廟), in the Ka Ho (九澳) area, in the northeastern part of the island *

Temple (Ka Ho) *

A-Ma Mazu or Matsu is a Chinese sea goddess also known by several other names and titles. She is the deified form of the legendary figure Lin Mo or Lin Moniang, a Fujianese shamaness whose life span is traditionally dated from 960 to 987. R ...

Statue (媽祖像), built on October 28, 1998 (

lunar calendar A lunar calendar is a calendar based on the monthly cycles of the Moon's phases ( synodic months, lunations), in contrast to solar calendars, whose annual cycles are based only directly on the solar year. The most commonly used calendar, t ...

: September 9) ;Churches *

* Church of

Our Lady of Sorrows Our Lady of Sorrows ( la, Beata Maria Virgo Perdolens), Our Lady of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows ( la, Mater Dolorosa, link=no), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are names ...

(九澳七苦聖母小堂), in the Ká-Hó area ;Others * "Fernando", a Portuguese restaurant at Baía de Hác Sá, is famous amongst locals in Macau and visitors from

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

* Hac Sa Park *

Macao Giant Panda Pavilion The Macao Giant Panda Pavilion (; pt, Pavilhão do Panda Gigante de Macau) is a zoo in Seac Pai Van Park, Coloane, Macau, China. The Panda Pavilion is a nature park containing multiple animal species ranging from gorillas, flamingos, monkeys, ...