Inside Asian Gaming

peninsula, on February 1, was the Ponte 16 integrated resort. Spanning 2.3 hectares in the Inner Harbour area of Macau, the resort is developed around the iconic clock tower at Pier No. 16, from which it takes its name. Pessimists point out that Ponte 16 sits away from the peninsula’s main Friendship Avenue strip, along which Wynn Macau, StarWorld, MGM Grand Macau and the old and new Lisboas are located. There is clearly an exaggerated sense of distance in tiny Macau, however. The image to the left centres on Ponte 16, and in the background to the right sprouts the towering lotus flower-shaped Grand Lisboa—the walking distance between the two is a mere 10-15 minutes. Ponte 16 and Grand Lisboa sit at opposite ends of Macau’s main thoroughfare, Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro (popularly-known as “ San Ma Lo ”). In the middle of the narrow and congested San Ma Lo is the bustling Senado Square,which has been Macau’s urban centre for centuries, and remains the most popular venue for public events and celebrations and a must-visit site for tour groups. The square, pictured below left, is paved in traditional Portuguese style, and is surrounded by pastel-coloured neo-classical buildings. Senado Square also marks the beginning of a pedestrian-only zone connecting St. Dominic’s Church to the St. Paul’s ruins (pictured to the right, and the landmark most identified withMacau,even after the arrival of the mammoth Venetian Macau). Many other monuments lie within walking distance of Ponte 16, including the A-Ma Temple and St. Joseph’s Seminary and Church. When tourists stand at the edge of Senado Square on SanMaLo ,to their left rises Grand Lisboa, while to their right, Ponte 16’s clock tower beckons. This is no coincidence. “We built the clock tower right in the middle of the street, so that it catches people’s attention,” explains Ponte 16 Deputy CEO Hoffman Ma.“Every single casino in that area wanted to be seen from that street.Everyone understands the most foot traffic is in that area. We get a lot of foot traffic from the fountain area [in Senado Square].” Location features According to Mr Ma, Ponte 16 is situated “in the old town of Macau, which has a lot of European elements, and a mix of Chinese.” The design of the resort itself reflects the cultural mix of its surroundings. Ponte 16 features a five-star hotel, Sofitel Macau at World Heritage The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) offers the following description of Macau on its World Heritage website: “Macau, a lucrative port of strategic importance in the development of international trade, was under Portuguese administration from the mid-16th century until 1999, when it came under Chinese sovereignty. With its historic street, residential, religious and public Portuguese and Chinese buildings, the historic centre of Macau provides a unique testimony to the meeting of aesthetic, cultural, architectural and technological influences from East and West. The site also contains a fortress and a lighthouse, the oldest in China. It bears witness to one of the earliest and longest-lasting encounters between China and the West, based on the vibrancy of international trade. UNESCO awards World Heritage status on the basis of ten criteria, four of which are met by Macau’s “Historic Centre”: Criterion (ii): The strategic location of Macau on the Chinese territory, and the special relationship established between the Chinese and Portuguese authorities favoured an important interchange of human values in the various fields of culture, sciences, technology, art and architecture over several centuries. Criterion (iii): Macau bears a unique testimony to the first and longest- lasting encounter between the West and China. From the 16th to the 20th centuries, it was the focal point for traders and missionaries, and the different fields of learning. The impact of this encounter can be traced in the fusion of different cultures that characterise the historic core zone of Macau. Criterion (iv): Macau represents an outstanding example of an architectural ensemble that illustrates the development of the encounter between the Western and Chinese civilisations over some four and half centuries, represented in the historical route, with a series of urban spaces and architectural ensembles, that links the ancient Chinese port with the Portuguese city. Criterion (vi): Macau has been associated with the exchange of a variety of cultural, spiritual, scientific and technical influences between the Western and Chinese civilisations. These ideas directly motivated the introduction of crucial changes in China, ultimately ending the era of imperial feudal system and establishing the modern republic. Ponte 16