Praias no século 19

"Macao has good sea bathing, very pretty walks and a good road for a drive (...) escreve Robert Bowne Minturn em 1858.

Nove anos depois, William Frederick Mayers no livro "The treaty ports of China and Japan" refere-se assim às praias de Macau:

"A good beach for sea bathing exists beyond the Guia Fort at Cacilhas Bay, whilst Bishop's Bay, a small cove between two jutting hills beyond the western extremity of the Praya affords a still more convenient bathing place. No bathing machines or building have ever been attempted notwithstanding the advantages they would afford to visitors and ladies can only bathe with the aid of extempore dressing rooms constructed with the mat covering of boats or canvas screens. The beaches are shallow for some distance from the shore but with numerous inequalities of which inexperienced bathers should beware."

Na verdade, no final desse ano de 1867 duas das referidas "máquinas de banho" seriam instaladas na baía da Praia Grande frente ao hotel Oriental.

No Verão de 1897 o jornal "Echo Macaense" abordava a Praia da Bella Vista e informava que se ia construir um barracão nessa praia para promover distracções e quebrar a monotonia da sociedade macaense. A praia da Bella Vista, escreve o jornal, era “onde muitos dos residentes d’esta cidade, nacionaes e estrangeiros, costumam ir tomar banhos” . 

Sobre as praias de Macau já no início do século 20 sugiro o testemunho de 1905 da autoria de James Dyer Ball.