On China's doorstep, Macau weaves an identity as integration looms

That day sparked his lifelong love for Patua, a creole language from Macau's 442-year colonial history that mixes Portuguese, Cantonese and other influences, now rarely spoken and classified by UNESCO as "critically endangered". "It's a Macau-born thing... For so many centuries, the old Maquista used this language as a means of communication aside from Portuguese," said Fernandes, 63, a lawyer who writes and directs Patua plays. Twenty-five years after colonial ruler Portugal handed control back to Beijing...