The Portuguese took possession of Goa (India) in 1510 and Malacca (Malaya) in 1511, gaining control of the sea route to the East Indies. In Malacca they saw Chinese merchants trading silk, porcelain and pearls for spices, ginger and gold thread. This prompted the Portuguese to sail north to China to trade.
They arrived in Macau in 1514, and in 1557 obtained permission to settle there on payment of an annual rent, setting a precedent for European countries to lease land in China.
Credit : History Museum of HK.
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