Portas do Cerco, Border checkpoint in Nossa Senhora de Fátima, Macau.
Portas do Cerco is a border checkpoint complex in Nossa Senhora de Fátima, Macau, combining a historical Portuguese gate structure with a modern immigration facility at the northern edge of the peninsula. The site connects two distinct architectural periods at a single crossing point between Macau and mainland China.
Portuguese military authorities built the original gate in 1849 after removing an older Ming dynasty wall from 1573 that had previously marked the boundary. This change reasserted Portuguese control over the northern approach to the peninsula.
The inner arch displays the Portuguese inscription 'A pátria honrai, que a pátria vos contempla', reflecting colonial influence on this border structure. Travelers passing through still see this carved phrase above them as they move between the territories.
The checkpoint processes travelers between Macau and mainland China through a two-floor system, with entry procedures on ground level and exit formalities above. During peak hours, longer queues form regularly at both levels.
During the 1952 border incident, Portuguese African Troops engaged in a seventy-five-minute exchange of fire with Chinese Communist border guards at this location. The confrontation marked one of the few direct military conflicts in Macau's late colonial period.
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