While the rest of Macau prospers and hurtles into the modern era, No. 5 Patio de Lourenϛo Marques is an example of the parts of Macau that have been left behind. Tucked away down a narrow backstreet this elegant 2-storey building had long fallen into disrepair. It took the courage and determination of Macau resident and entrepreneur Lydia Chan Lai Chan to tackle a year-long renovation to bring the house back to life again.
For several months Lydia Chan was searching for a place for a studio workshop where she could pursue her interests in porcelain painting and have as a general gathering place for friends, students and clients.
When she first set eyes on No. 5, Patio de Lourenϛo Marques she fell in love! Situated on one of Macau’s historic pátios (圍) that pepper the old parts of the city, the house had long fallen into disuse, left vacant and dilapidated for many years, a tree growing through a crumbling wall, part of the roof caved in; never mind, Lydia saw the potential of this heritage beauty, it was the perfect place.
Patios are a unique urban feature in Macau; there are about 200, most having been organically shaped from winding lanes and low-rise buildings, often triangles or trapezoids, small, intimate and peaceful public courtyards hidden away from the busy commercial areas down narrow alleyways and serving as shared communal space for those who live around them. In the past residents preferred to build houses around the central courtyard so that they could easily share resources, work and social support. A refuge from the urban hustle and bustle the patios offer a glimpse into its multicultural heritage and community-oriented roots these public spaces feel worlds apart from modern Macau’s fast-faced lifestyle and shiny glass tower blocks.
Commissioned by Mr Ko Hoi Kee (this author recently met Mr Ko’s grandson in Macau) and designed by Hong Kong architect Mr Tam Tung, No. 5 was built in 1933. In 1981 it was transferred to Mr Ko’s relative Wen Tong. As the years went by the descendants of the Wen family gradually passed away and the property is currently owned by Sociedade De Investimento Predial Heep Wu Limitada company. “I found the owners on Facebook” Lydia exclaims, “and I persuaded them to rent to me, assuring them that I would take care of the house, that I would revitalize and bring it back to life.”
With determination she set about designing the renovations, supervising, financing and sometimes doing some of the work herself in order to resurrect this elegant old ‘lady’. A project not for the fainthearted it took over a year before Lydia was finally able to start moving in. “I had a design company, Olive Design, near the Red Market for about 7 years, 2015-2021, and a small construction team that did the renovation, so I knew what we were committing to.”
“The ceilings are wood, so they needed to be repaired and treated and we’ve added some ceiling fans for air circulation during the hotter months”. The white-washed walls are made of stucco on brick; patches of the stucco have fallen away and expose the brick and the chunambo grouting of sand, rice straw, clay, sugar and ground up oyster shells. Lydia has chosen to leave these as is so as to pay homage to the building’s heritage. “The oyster shells will have come from Guangdong. Did you know that ‘oyster mirror’ is an old name for Macau?”
Lydia has raised three sons. Johnson, the eldest, has recently relocated his Yuan Coffee business to No. 5 selling brewed specialty coffee and coffee beans from all around the world. Middle son Terron is married and living locally; his father-in-law is an expert at repairing wooden doors and furniture so played an important part in the renovations. And the youngest is Matthew who’s away at university in Canada. “While the children were growing up, I sold insurance, I’ve been a property investor buying and selling, and I was a volunteer for my church ladies’ group teaching cooking and flower arranging.” Now the boys have grown up “I want to do what I want to do. A few years ago, I learned porcelain painting. I love doing this as you can create what you want. And I want to share this with others.”
From the ground floor, up a flight of metal stairs the first floor is set out as one large main room, a smaller ‘snug’ and another room that doubles as a bathroom and store. The dominant feature here is the iron frame of a canopy bed. “We found this bed in the house and it’s become an ideal display space for some old painted porcelains” Lydia explains. “I want to make this upstairs area a place to show visitors my collection of some artefacts from old Macau and it can also be hired by local artists to use as a gallery to display their work.” Track lighting on the ceiling and a projector screen on the wall have been installed to support this purpose.
Hanging in one corner are several jackets, their name tags still intact and showing the tailors that made them. Their company telephone numbers are only 4 digits, compared with the 8 we have today. Wooden easels display photographs of the progress of the building’s renovation and old family photographs. The ochre, cream and grey floor tiles – their geometric design “from the 70’s” and colours muted over the years – have thankfully been preserved and add to the time-gone-by atmosphere.
A steep wooden staircase leads up to the roof which has been immaculately waterproofed and retiled. Two seating areas are laid out with an assortment of chairs and little side tables. “Most of the furniture in this house comes from friends and I pick up some from the streets” smiles Lydia. Even the curtains on the ground floor started off life as hand quilted bed spreads, found in Chiang Mai and caringly carried back to Macau. “I love to repurpose and to upcycle things that have been discarded and to give them new life, just like this house.”
With the relaxed, laid-back vibe that has been created in the house, bossa nova music playing in the background and a lingering smell of roast coffee beans and fresh baked goods, Lydia hopes that it can be a gathering place for tourists, for Macau locals, for young people who come to hangout and chat with friends, to and learn about the stories of Macau in the past. Especially teenagers that may have lost their way or are searching for their path in life, for Lydia, a Christian, “my mission is to help them discover what God wants them to do.”
Being involved with this revitalization project has given Lydia a sense of connection with her roots; her husband’s grandfather established a family business, Kinmen 1953, which provided fresh pork to restaurants in Macau. It became a well-established brand name that continues to this day so “when I discovered this building it seemed such a perfect fit for our brand.”
“Many of our restaurant clients were Portuguese; we would be asked what cut of pork would be best for this or that dish so we became familiar with a lot of their traditional recipes. Different families have developed different traditional recipes over the years.” A keen cook Lydia has set up a small kitchen on the ground floor and is continuing an important part of her family’s heritage to cook authentic, traditional specialty dishes like Tacho, a winter stew made from different cuts of park, ham and sausage … time consuming and filling, but soul food! Other dishes include Portuguese shrimp salad, seafood rice and handmade cured pork and cheese. She plays host to friends and clients who have the option to dine in or take away.
So what does Lydia appreciate most about living in Macau? “Macau is a friendly place; the Macau people have open hearts. And there are so many different and wonderful cuisines. I love old houses, our historic properties, they make me feel peaceful”, but “I do worry about how small businesses have such a struggle to survive these days.”
Article written by Suzanne Watkinson of Ambiente Properties, for the Macau Closer magazine. Photos by Suzanne