Explore Macau’s past with history blogger João Botas

Joao Bottas He likes to call his research on Macau history a hobby. More accurately, it is a “cottage industry”. For the past 16 years, the Portuguese journalist has maintained a website called Old Macau (Old Macau), which he updates daily. Much of the information comes from his personal collection of more than 5,000 documents and artifacts, including everything from coins and postcards to photographs and hotel souvenirs. In addition to this, Botas has written several books on Macau’s history, including one about the polyglot Macanese Manuel de Silva Mendes Another article about cities During World War II.

Ironically, the 52-year-old had little interest in history as a child. “I was interested in playing football, riding a bicycle, [going] Go to school and be with my friends,” he said.

[See more: Three inspiring women from history who have made their mark on Macao]

However, Bottas’ lifelong interest in Macau was sown when he and his family moved to Macau from Portugal in the early 1980s. Macau Middle Schoolwhose building is now part of the Macau Polytechnic University. He started his career in the media at Radio Macau in the early 1990s and returned to Portugal a few years later, where he currently works for Radio and Television of Portugal.

Botas continues to maintain a close connection with the city through his blog and books, and returns to Macau frequently. Earlier this year, he visited A lecture about 19th Century Diary The author of the book was an American traveler who visited Macau, Hong Kong and Guangzhou several times in the 1850s. Shortly after his trip, Bottas gave an interview to the Macau News.

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

How did your blog start?

When I arrived in Portugal [from Macao] Around 1993 or 1994, I felt that most people in Portugal and abroad sometimes had the wrong idea, or [a vague] An idea of ​​Macau’s history. Since we are in the Internet age, I thought I could do something about it.

My first thought was to write an Books about school The school I used to go to was Macau Liceu Middle School, which no longer exists. It was a very old school that was founded in the late 19th century. I started doing some research and found out a lot of information. Not just about the school, but also about the history of Macau, which I found very interesting and I thought a lot of people didn’t know. I said, “Oh, I have to do something.”

My next thought was [a blog] Simple [and objective language] Because I am a journalist. This is my language. I also want to use pictures to attract the attention of readers. I started writing around 2008, I think it has been more than 15 years. Since then, I have written an article about the history of Macau every day.

That’s really cool. What inspires you?

My idea is not to write for myself, but for the readers. After 15 years, I am very proud of the achievements of the project, with nearly 3 million visitors to date. Just last month, the blog set a new record. In just one month, we reached 68,392 page views. The previous record was set in 2015 – at that time, there were 53,000 page views.

For me it’s amazing to know that people are still very interested in this, because in my opinion these kinds of projects on the Internet, including blogs, usually don’t last too long. One, two, three, maybe four or five years, and then things start to fade away. As long as there are readers, I will continue to publish a new article every day.

[See more: Remembering Michael Rogge, the YouTuber who preserved old Macao through film]

Where do you get the historical artifacts featured on your blog?

I buy them when I go to Macau, on eBay and other sites, and from individuals. I have some very old readers who feel that leaving the files to me is the best way to preserve them.

What historical artifacts have you recently collected?

Souvenirs from the hotel. I just Central Hotelwhich just reopened last month. [I have] Dozens of photographs were taken by Portuguese soldiers stationed there between 1948 and 1951.

Do you interact much with your readers?

I get messages from readers almost every week. They want this, they want that. I try my best to meet their needs.

Sometimes people ask me about their parents. [and] Their grandfather was in Macau [and] They try to find information. Sometimes it’s hard, but I always try my best because, as I always say, if it’s about Macau’s history, I’m always here to help.

[See more: Hotel Central: Breathing new life into a Macao landmark]

What are the main challenges you face with blogging?

It’s hard for me to find time to do it because it’s a lot of work. It’s not my job – it’s my hobby. But I try [be disciplined].

What projects are you working on?

journal It’s my top priority right now. I promise [the US owners] I will do everything I can to get the book published. I have already translated the Macau section into Portuguese. Another project I am considering is a history of tourism in Macau. There is a lot to do this year – Luis de Camões 500th Anniversary And the first time [China] There is a flight connection to Portugal, so I have a lot to do.

How long are you away from publishing this diary?

This is very difficult because so far the responses from the Macau Foundation and the Cultural Affairs Bureau have been [have been] Negative, so I’m very disappointed about this. I’ll wait until the end of the summer. [see if they] I’ll get some yes in response. If not, I’ll do some kind of crowdfunding campaign to do it.