Government Headquarters of the Macao Special Administrative Region

Government Headquarters of the Macao Special Administrative Region

The Government Headquarters of the Macao Special Administrative Region is located on Avenida da Praia Grande in Macao, with its main entrance facing Nam Van Lake. It consists of three buildings and gardens, covering an area of approximately 7,700 square meters, with a total floor space of about 10,000 square meters.

The Government Headquarters was formerly the Governor's Palace of Macao, serving as the office of the Governor of Macao. It was constructed in 1849 under the supervision of Viscount de Sá da Bandeira. In 1881, then-Governor of Macao José Maria da Silva Mendes Leal purchased the property for 21,000 Macanese patacas to serve as his official residence. It is a typical Portuguese-style building with two floors, and its exterior has undergone multiple modifications over time.

The building once housed the meeting hall of the Legislative Assembly of Macao, but after the inauguration of the new Legislative Assembly Building in Nam Van Lake in 1999, it was relocated. The walls of the palace were once adorned with portraits of successive governors of Macao from the mid-19th century onwards; however, these portraits were secretly returned to Portugal when Portuguese authorities withdrew in 1999, leaving only replicas. Outside the gate, there is an iron fence and short wall, and along the original seawall, there used to be guard posts equipped with two cannons, which were removed more than 50 years ago.

After the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region, the building became the Government Headquarters and underwent costly renovations. Currently, the front section of the building is mainly used for receiving guests and holding events by the Chief Executive and Secretaries. The ground floor includes the Executive Council meeting room, a multi-purpose conference hall, the Lotus Hall, and the press room. The second floor houses the Office of the Chief Executive, the Executive Council Secretariat, and reception and banquet halls – the Green Hall, Yellow Hall, and Blue Hall.

Attraction Address: No. 131, Avenida da Praia Grande, Freguesia de São Lourenço, Macao

Transportation: Take bus No. 9 or 16 in Macao and get off at Hotel Royal and walk to the destination