Lilau Square

Lilau Square

Lilau Square is a plaza located on the northern side of Mount Hill in Macau. Due to the square and its surrounding historic buildings, it has been designated as a Macanese architectural, historical, and cultural heritage area. Starting in 2005, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Historic Centre of Macao.

Legend has it that during the Ming Dynasty, an elderly woman built a water pool here to store mountain spring water for residents to draw and drink, so people called the pool “Lilau.” The Portuguese name “Lilau” means mountain spring, indicating that this place was once one of Macau’s water sources. Where there is water, people settle. Early Portuguese settlers in Macau gathered here, making it one of the oldest residential areas. An old Portuguese folk song from Macau says: “Drink the water of Lilau, and you’ll never forget Macau; either make your home here or return after a long absence.”

To preserve the cultural character of the area, the Macao Portuguese government carried out a series of restoration projects, preserving two century-old banyan trees in Lilau Square, adding classic-style street lamps, and replacing the pebble-paved ground with marble. The restoration work was completed in January 1996, and the European charm of Lilau Square and its nearby buildings was preserved.

The original Lilau spring still exists, situated at a high point at the end of Lilau Incline, not within Lilau Square itself.

“亚婆” or “阿婆” both mean “old woman.” Since the Cantonese characters “亚” (aa3) and “阿” (aa3) are homophones, many place names in Cantonese often switch between these two characters. The official name used in Macau is Lilau Square.