Introduction

Macao is a small city that does not have any natural resources. After the opium war, foreign traders began to transfer their businesses to other places and as a result business in Macao declined, creating a gloomy situation.

Macao has always had a peaceful environment, as a result facilitating the development of working industries in the territory. The main working industries in Macao were the match, firecracker and incense industries, others included naval construction industry, wine brewery, soy, tobacco, bricks, soap, cane and ice, etc...The 50's and 60's were the most important decades in the match, firecracker and incense industries in Macao. But during the 70's and 80's the traditional working industries that played an important role in Macao's economy began to decline due to other industries like the manufacturing and textile industry.

Here on exhibit we find seven shops: the ritual-paper shop, grocery shop, wine shop, sauce and pickled fruit shop, tailor shop, jewellery shop and cosmetics shop. By way of recreating these shops we have brought back to life the old city of Macao during the 50's and the 60's. This period were the golden years for the traditional working industries in Macao. Products with labels "Made in Macao" were exported all over the world. Objects that will be on display comprise of firecrackers, matches, match box labels, association card of the incense industry, peanut oil labels, etc. The majority of which belong to the Museum of Macao's collection. Therefore the objects on display are testimony of the rise and decline of traditional industries in Macao, and are a reminder to us of this important historical chapter in Macao's History.