Christmas in Macau (Holy House of Mercy of Macau (Portuguese: Santa Casa da Misericórdia; Chinese: 仁慈堂大樓), China (part of Historic Centre of Macau, UNESCO world heritage site)

            Really difficult to shoot at all here as it was raining a lot... 

Wikipedia: Macau (Chinese: 澳門), also spelled Macao (pron.: /məˈkaʊ/), is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China (PRC), the other being Hong Kong. Macau lies on the western side of the Pearl River Delta across from Hong Kong to the east, bordered by Guangdong province to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east and south. The territory's economy is heavily dependent on gambling and tourism, but also includes manufacturing. A former Portuguese colony, Macau was administered by Portugal from the mid-16th century until 1999, when it was the last remaining European colony in China. Portuguese traders first settled in Macau in the 1550s. In 1557, Macau was rented to Portugal by the Chinese empire as a trading port. The Portuguese administered the city under Chinese authority and sovereignty until 1887, when Macau became a colony of the Portuguese empire. Sovereignty over Macau was transferred back to China on 20 December 1999. The Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of Macau stipulate that Macau operate with a high degree of autonomy until at least 2049, fifty years after the transfer. Under the policy of "one country, two systems", the PRC's Central People's Government is responsible for the territory's defense and foreign affairs, while Macau maintains its own legal system, police force, monetary system, customs policy, and immigration policy. Macau participates in many international organizations and events that do not require members to possess national sovereignty. According to The World Factbook, Macau has the second highest life expectancy in the world. In addition, Macau is one of the very few regions in Asia with a "very high Human Development Index", ranking 23rd or 24th in the world in 2007 (with Japan being the highest in Asia; the other Asian countries/regions within the "very high HDI" category are Taiwan, Hong Kong, Brunei, Qatar, Singapore, and South Korea).

Holy House of Mercy of Macau (Portuguese: Santa Casa da Misericórdia; Chinese: 仁慈堂大樓), is an historic white building in Senado Square, Macau, China. Established as a branch of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia, it was built in 1569 on the orders of the Bishop of Macao. It was a medical clinic and several other social welfare structures in early Macau. It later served as an orphanage and refuge for widows of sailors lost at sea. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Historic Centre of Macau". The facade of Scottish Church College in Kolkata, India has a resemblance to the facade of Santa Casa da Misericórdia, Macau.

Taken on: December 29, 2012

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Camera: Canon EOS 650D, f/4.5, 1/20 sec, 18mm, ISO 400 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 650D
Lens:	EF-S15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
Aperture:	f/4.5
Exposure Time:	0.05 sec (1/20)
Focal Length:	18mm
ISO:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4.4 (Windows)
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