Lighthouses of China: Macau

The People's Republic of China (PRC), known officially as Zhōnghuá (中华), has a lengthy coastline, many large harbors, and a large number of lighthouses. The country is divided into 23 provinces and 11 other province-level regions of various special types.

Macau (also spelled Macao) is located on the south coast of China, directly across the Pearl River (Zhūjiāng) estuary from Hong Kong. Like Hong Kong, Macau is a province-level special administrative region (SAR) of China, separate from the surrounding Guangdong Province. The territory includes the tip of the Macau Peninsula and two islands, Taipa and Coloane, which have been joined by fill.

Settled by Portugal in 1557, Macau was the both the first and the last European colony in China. It remained under Portuguese control until it was returned to China in December 1999.

Macau has an international airport and is also accessible by high-speed ferries from Hong Kong. The 55 km (34 mi) Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, the world's longest over-water fixed link with a series of three cable-stayed bridges, an undersea tunnel, and four artificial islands, opened to traffic in October 2018.

Portuguese and Chinese are official languages in Macau.

Aids to navigation in Macau are presumably maintained by the port authority, Macauport S.A.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume P of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. NGA numbers are from NGA Publication 112.

General Sources
Lighthouses in Macau
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
World of Lighthouses - Macau
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Online List of Lights - China
Pphotos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas. Macau photos are by Andreas Köhler.
Leuchttürme Chinas auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard images posted by Klaus Huelse.
Navionics Charts
Navigation chart for Macau.


Guia Light, Macau, January 2018
photo copyright Andreas Köhler; used by permission

Lighthouses
*
Guia (Fortaleza da Guia, Dongwangyang)
1865 (Carlos Vicente da Rocha). Reactivated (inactive 1874-1910); focal plane 108 m (354 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 13.5 m (44 ft) round tapered concrete-clad stone tower with lantern and double gallery. Lighthouse painted white with gold trim; lantern roof painted red. Lightphotos.net has Andreas Köhler's photo seen above, Trabas has Köhler's closeup photo, Adrian Furby has a good 2006 photo, a 2008 closeup is available, Portuguese Wikipedia has an article on the lighthouse with several good photos, Wikimedia has additional photos, Lighthouse Digest has a photo by Xavier Leroy, Marlon H. Borowski has a 2019 street view, and Google has a satellite view. Huelse has a historic postcard view showing a very different lantern structure. One of the world's great lighthouses, the Portuguese Farol da Guia was the first western-style lighthouse built in China. However, after only nine years of operation it was damaged by a typhoon in 1874 and remained out of service until 1910. Beautifully restored in recent years and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, it is one of China's best known and most visited lighthouses. In recent years it has been the subject of an extended controversy, as preservationists have protested plans for high-rise buildings that may block the view (and the light) from the lighthouse. The lighthouse is built within the walls of the Fortaleza (fortress) da Guia, completed in 1638. Located atop Guia Hill near the southeast corner of the Macau Peninsula. Fortress open daily, tower closed. Site manager: Macau Cultural Affairs Bureau (Guia Fortress, Chapel of our Lady of the Snows, and Lighthouse). ARLHS MAC-001; Admiralty P3416; NGA 19640.
* Porto Exterior Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 52 m (170 ft); continuous white light. Approx. 10 m (33 ft) square black skeletal tower atop a tall apartment building. Trabas has Köhler's photo and Google has a street view and a satellite view. This was originally the middle light of the range but the front light has been discontinued. Located in downtown Macau. Site open. Admiralty P3427.01; NGA 19644.1.
* Porto Exterior Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 67 m (220 ft); continuous white light. Approx. 10 m (33 ft) square black skeletal tower. No photo available and the light is not seen in Google's satellite view. Located on a steep, forested slope about 300 m (0.2 mi) northwest of the front light. Site and tower closed. Admiralty P3427.1; NGA 19644.2.
* Banco da China
Date unknown (building completed in 1991). Active; focal plane about 175 m (575 ft); white light, pattern unknown. Light mounted atop the 38-story Bank of China building. Lightphotos.net has a photo, Trabas has Köhler's photo, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Located in downtown Macau. Site open. Admiralty P3438.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North and West: Pearl River | East: Hong Kong

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Posted November 17, 2008. Checked and revised March 12, 2024. Lighthouses: 4. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.