Illustrated Gazetteer of the Maritime Kingdoms, Vol. 21

Some die of illness, but those who survive can be kept for a long time as servants. They gradually learn to speak Chinese original: 華語 (Huayu). Their hair and beards are entirely curly and yellow.

Those residing in Macau, however, do not grow out their hair or beards. Among the women, there are both "white" and "black" varieties, a distinction that serves to separate the mistresses from the slaves. In total, there are some 430 households, with the total population being ten times that number.

The City of Macau

The city of Macau was first established by the Portuguese original: 佛朗機 (Folangji), a Chinese transliteration of "Franks" used to refer to the Portuguese during the late Ming Dynasty. During the Wanli reign period 1573–1620, Governor He Shijin ordered the destruction of Macau's city walls and observation platforms.

During the Tianqi reign 1621–1627, Xu Ruke was serving as the Acting Vice Commissioner of the Maritime Circuit. The "barbarians" of Macau the Portuguese came rushing to report that the Dutch original: 紅毛 (Hongmao), literally "Red Hairs," the common historical Chinese term for the Dutch were about to invade Xiangshan. They requested reinforcements, provisions, and building materials such as wood and stone to repair their defensive walls.

Xu Ruke spoke openly to the two provincial administrations, saying: "These cunning foreigners are merely testing our resolve." Sure enough, the alarm regarding the foreign invaders soon fell silent, yet the walls of Macau continued to be built at a rate of a hundred zhang a unit of length; a hundred zhang is approximately 330 meters per day.

Xu Ruke then dispatched the central army to garrison Macau. He issued a proclamation to the foreigners, saying: "The only reason these walls have not been destroyed yet is that you lacked the manpower to do so. I have come to help you tear them down." In less than two days, the fortifications were almost entirely razed to the ground. The foreigners could only look at one another in stunned silence, and from that point on, they became somewhat more cautious.

Today, the city is fully enclosed and contains a treasury. It features one large gate and three small gates. The artillery batteries...