Macau e a China no pensamento de Martinho de Melo e Castro

Abstract

Written in 1773, by the Secretary of State for the Affairs of Marinha e Ultramar, Martinho de Melo e Castro, the document ‘Notticias e Reflexões sobre a Cidade de Macao’ defined the main lines of the administrative reformation which was implemented in Macao ten years later. Martinho de Melo e Castro, sharing the Marquês de Pombal’s reformist spirit, based his work on the large documentation found in the Portuguese and Macao’s archives and on the testimonies of Macao’s visitors. Besides detailed information about the society, the economy and the administrative organization of this Portuguese territory in China, the author gives us his perspective on the Chinese people and his vision about the relations that Portugal should maintain with the Middle Empire.