Britcham Macao – The Alternative (and Scandalous) History of Macao and the British: Indecisive Invaders, Tavern Keepers, and Piratical Ruffians – October 23 2025

I’ll be at Britcham Macao on October 23 at the Ritz Carlton (51st floor!) – billed as a “Cultural Supper Club”, so hope they like my choice of subject!

The Alternative (and Scandalous) History of Macao and the British: Indecisive Invaders, Tavern Keepers, and Piratical Ruffians

When it comes to Anglo-Macao relations there’s a forgotten history of botched invasions, bored traders, despicable pirates and dodgy publicans – before they all left for Hong Kong in the 1840s.  Now these British reprobates are all forgotten, probably because they contributed nothing but trouble for the Portuguese administration!! But surely their misdeeds, crimes and adventures deserve some recognition? Paul French, New York Times bestselling author of Midnight in Peking and, most recently, Her Lotus Year: China, The Roaring Twenties and the Making of Wallis Simpson, recovers Britain’s miscreant history in early Macao in this presentation based on his new collection of essays, Destination Macao.