Casa Garden - Multicultural Macau

The impressive villa remains a symbol of multicultural Macau.

Built in 1770 and set in tranquil gardens, Casa Garden (now the headquarters of the Orient Foundation ) was once the residence of Portuguese merchant Manuel Pereira and was later occupied by the British East India Company.

Qing law imposed tight restrictions on foreigners trading in the port of Canton (Guangzhou) from the 1700s, so many made Macau their home. As trade expanded, so did the overseas community. Some married and raised families here.

And as the Protestant cemetery next door to Casa Garden reminds us, many of them died in Macau.

Today, Casa Garden is an epitome of Macau's timeless hybridity and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Next to it stands the Camões Grotto, believed to be where the Portuguese "Prince of Poets," Luís de Camões, finished his epic masterpiece Os Lusíadas.