"The Wickedest City, Macao. The ancient Portuguese colony of Macau, in the shadow of red China, exists gaily and exotically on the fringe of legality".
"A cidade mais perversa, Macau. A antiga colónia portuguesa de Macau, à sombra da China vermelha, vive alegre e exoticamente à margem da legalidade".
Nesta década Christopher esteve várias vezes no território. Desta vez chega a Macau a bordo do ferry Fat Shan que atracava no Porto Interior.
O adjectivo wicked significa perversa/imoral... (cidade do pecado) qualificativos associados ao jogo, ao ópio e à prostituição. Na década de 1950, finalizada a guerra, o Ocidente começava a 'redescobrir' o Oriente e o cinema ajudou a catapultar o nome do território como destino exótico. A baía da Praia Grande fazia lembrar uma paisagem mediterrânica (Monte Carlo, Mónaco) em plena China.
Nesta década Christopher esteve várias vezes no território. Desta vez chega a Macau a bordo do ferry Fat Shan que atracava no Porto Interior.
No jornal Pittsburg Post Gazette de 13 de Janeiro avança-se com os destaques desta edição da Holiday e escreve-se:
"Macao has the name of an Oriental pleasure garden where girls, gambling and opium are available round the clock. The reputation has been earned. A thrilling different article that you really want to read."
"Macau tem o nome de um jardim de prazer oriental onde as raparigas, o jogo e o ópio estão disponíveis 24 horas por dia. A reputação foi conquistada. Um artigo diferente e emocionante que vai realmente desejar ler."
No filme "The Lady from Shangai," de 1948, o termo "wickedest" já tinha sido usado a propósito de Macau num dos diálogos:Michael: I'll bet you a dollar I've been to the place where you were born.
Elsa: Chifu.
Michael: It's on the China coast. Chifu. It's the second wickedest city in the world.
Elsa: What's the first?
Michael: Macao. Wouldn't you say so?
Elsa: I would. I worked there...
E se regressarmos à década de 1920 voltamos a ver o termo "wickedest" associado a Macau.
No jornal The Evening Independent a 10 de Novembro de 1921: "This is a view of one of the main streets in the Portuguese city of Macao, which is proud of its reputation as the wickedest city in the Far East", é a legenda de uma fotografia do Largo do Senado vendo-se à direita os edifícios onde hoje existem os Correios e logo a seguir a Santa Casa da Misericórdia.
Antes, a 3 de Outubro de 1921, o mesmo jornal publica um artigo mais longo, assinado por Philip Simms. "This dying city of 75,000 souls is the wickedest town in the Far East and is proud of it. In facti since Hong Kong set itself up as a port, sin has come more and more Macao's stock in trade, until now gambling and opium-making and smoking are the city's mainstay and pastime. (...) The beautiful crescent-shaped harbor is silting up and all one sees there nowadays is a flatbottomed steamer or so from Hong Kong, or Chinese junks. Approached from the sea, the city looks deserted. But it isn't quiet. Ashore the streets are clean and unusually pretty, and very quiet. Great avenues of trees, centuires old, and beautiful parks, together with an architecture reminiscent of old Spain, make the place onde of the pearls of the Orient, different from anything else in China, or for thst matter, in the world. Under this calm old world exterior, lies exotic sins, unaldulterated and unsashamed. (...) gambling houses (...) Opium farms (...)
Na edição de 4 de Setembro de 1921 o jornal Richmond Times Dispatch também recorre ao termo "wickedest". O título é "Visit to wockedest city of east gives Monte Carlo's Air", Segue-se "Macau China holds title and town is proud of fact. Gambling and opiumdens open to world. City of 75,000 declared to be most immoral municipality in eastern hemisphere."
Antes, a 3 de Outubro de 1921, o mesmo jornal publica um artigo mais longo, assinado por Philip Simms. "This dying city of 75,000 souls is the wickedest town in the Far East and is proud of it. In facti since Hong Kong set itself up as a port, sin has come more and more Macao's stock in trade, until now gambling and opium-making and smoking are the city's mainstay and pastime. (...) The beautiful crescent-shaped harbor is silting up and all one sees there nowadays is a flatbottomed steamer or so from Hong Kong, or Chinese junks. Approached from the sea, the city looks deserted. But it isn't quiet. Ashore the streets are clean and unusually pretty, and very quiet. Great avenues of trees, centuires old, and beautiful parks, together with an architecture reminiscent of old Spain, make the place onde of the pearls of the Orient, different from anything else in China, or for thst matter, in the world. Under this calm old world exterior, lies exotic sins, unaldulterated and unsashamed. (...) gambling houses (...) Opium farms (...)
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