Considering the story behind this place you are standing at Praca de Ferreira do Amaral is more than just a traffic hub. Once upon a time this area was just a corner of the sea. It only appeared after the 1930s reclamation.
Today this vast space of Praca de Ferreira do Amaral covers approximately 40000 square meters. Its name was officially designated in 1974. But it was known by another name before that. It was called Rotunda de Ferreira do Amaral. The area we now call Praca de Ferreira do Amaral was once part of Avenida Sidonio Pais. Part of it became Prince Henry Avenue in 1939.
Look around. Can you imagine a bronze equestrian statue standing here? Roughly in 1939 such a statue arrived in Macau. It depicted Governor Ferreira do Amaral riding a horse. Locally people called it the bronze horse statue. Officially it was the Monument to Ferreira do Amaral. The statue travelled from Lisbon to Macau. Then it was temporarily stored near the 一世船政公署. In 1940 it was installed here with the horse facing south.
In May 1940 the area became Rotunda de Ferreira do Amaral. People also called it Bronze Horse Plaza. It became a tourist spot. From the 1950s tea kiosks and coffee stands sprung up around the rotunda. In 1964 the Lisboa Hotel was built northeast of the rotunda. After that the area was also called Lisboa Circle.
In 1974 the Municipal Council renamed it Praca de Ferreira do Amaral. The Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge opened that same day.
Big changes came to Praca de Ferreira do Amaral in the 1990s. The government wanted to improve traffic flow. They also wanted to remove the statue. In 1992 the statue was dismantled. It was packed up and sent to Lisbon. The statue is now in the Alameda da Encarnacao in Lisbon.
Praca de Ferreira do Amaral was redeveloped. It became larger with an underground carpark and shopping area. This redevelopment finished in 1994. Praca de Ferreira do Amaral became over 7000 square meters. It had two underground levels. The first level was a carpark. It was officially named Silo Ferreira do Amaral. It had car and motorcycle spaces. The second underground level was a shopping mall. It contained shops. The surface became a large leisure area. It had trees and Portuguese pavement. There were stairs and ramps to the underground levels. Two rows of sculpted columns stood in the center.
Redevelopment continued in the 2000s. The aim was to improve traffic. In 2005 Praca de Ferreira do Amaral was redeveloped again. The surface became a four lane roundabout. An underpass was built.
This Praca de Ferreira do Amaral now covers about 40000 square meters. The underpass has three lanes. There are entrances and exits to Prince Henry Avenue and Friendship Avenue. There is also an underground carpark. The surface has a bus interchange.
It had more than 20 bus routes. It is now Macau’s busiest bus stop. Unfortunately this second redevelopment was linked to corruption. The Secretary for Transport and Public Works O Tin Lung was accused of accepting bribes.
Today Praca de Ferreira do Amaral is a busy transport hub. It is also a place with a long and interesting history.