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The term Macanese refers to a group of people of mixed races who have Portuguese ancestry. There are about 10 thousand Macanese living in Macau, where the population is about 550 thousand. It's a small but active group in Macau society.

CRI's Wang Wei tells you more about the life of the Macanese in Macau.

Chinese people are familiar with actresses Michele Lee and Isabella Leong Lok-sze, but most people are unaware that they're Macanese with Portuguese names. This is just one example of a special ethnic group living in Macau, the Macanese.

Ao Leong Wai In is the curator of an exhibition on Macanese life. He explains the history of this group of people.

"In the 16th century, the Portuguese first arrived in Macau. Later their family joined them. When their children grew to marriage age, some of them married local Chinese. They gave birth to the first Macanese."

Jorge Maneiras works for the government Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau. He is Macanese.

"My father's side which is Portuguese, and my mom's side which is half half, Portuguese and Chinese, and my grandmother was Chinese."

The Macanese are a distinct group in Macau. They speak Portuguese and most of them are Catholics. Their folk music and dance is featured in various cultural activities in Macau.

For over three hundred years of Portuguese rule in Macau, the Macanese had a prominent role in the region. Because of their ethnic and cultural background, they usually held important government positions and served as a link between local Chinese communities and Portuguese rulers.

Nowadays they are in all works of life, from business to politics, from arts to professionals. Their influence can be seen everywhere. One typical example is Macanese cuisine, as explained by Jorge Maneiras.

"Minchi, minchi is minced beef with a fried egg on top, you have it with rice. This is the icon of Macau cuisine. Then you still have the Portuguese chicken, desserts.

Most of them are quite influenced by the Portuguese. And then Macanese make a fusion between Portuguese and Chinese spices."

Fusion is exactly the word to describe the life of the Macanese. In their houses, Chinese decoration goes alongside western style furniture. They observe Christmas and Easter, and also celebrate Chinese New Year. Different elements mingle seamlessly into their lives.

Professor Hao Yufan, dean of the social sciences and humanities faculty at the University of Macau, says a Macanese wedding ceremony is a good demonstration of such fusion.

"I have one student who got married to a local Macanese. Their wedding seemed quite unique. In the morning they had a western catholic style wedding. In the afternoon it was traditional Chinese style wedding. It was very interesting to watch. Quite salient cultural difference. That is why Macau is a place where two civilizations intermingled with each other harmoniously."

The life of the Macanese is changing with the world. As Jorge Maneiras says, they are more internationalized.

"After the handover, over the past 15 years, before it was just Portuguese and Chinese, but now because of the influx of international community, you can see a new generation of Macanese, which is Portuguese with a Thai mother, or Macanese mother with a Mexican father, with Filipinos, much more diversity than just Portuguese and Chinese."

In this fast changing world, discovering how to keep the culture of the Macanese is a difficult task facing the community and the Macau people.

Jorge Maneiras says the local government is helping by funding language institutions, Macanese theaters, and cultural events. And it's up to every family and everyone in the community to pass the culture and traditions on.