ENCYCLOPAEDIA of Rebellions

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Revolt of the Faitioes 1846

Synopsis
Following the appointment of Ferreira do Amaral as the new governor of Macau in 1846, a series of measures were applied to reduce the influence of the Chinese authorities and effectively impose a colonial rule over the territory. Among these measures was a new monthly tax to be paid by the owners of ‘faitiões’ (Chinese junks). From October 3, 1846, any Chinese boatman who refused to pay the tax was sentenced to prison, which led to growing protests that quickly turned into a violent insurrection when, on October 7, dozens of armed Chinese boatmen occupied the inner harbor of the city. The following day, they were joined by a mob of over a thousand people from the Chinese community, thus turning into an open rebellion – the most serious one – against Portuguese rule in Macau. Equipped with artillery pieces they opened fire to a military force of Portuguese sepoys. As a war veteran, the governor’s response was quick and energetic, bringing reinforcements to the Portuguese forces with the assistance of a warship. This resulted in a decisive blow to the rebellion. Several Chinese died while no casualty among the Portuguese was accounted. In response, the Chinese of Macau decided to withhold supplies by closing the markets. However, under the threat of further military actions by the Portuguese, the shops eventually reopened in the morning of 9 October. While order had been restored, further actions to increase colonial power at the expense of Chinese authorities would eventually lead to the assassination of the Portuguese governor in 1849.
Additional info

Starting date: . Ending: . Duration: 2 days. Name in sources: Revolta dos Faitiões. Location: Macau Country (current): Macau. Monarchy: Portuguese. Main participants: Indigenous. Number of participants: >500. Main reasons & motivations: Anti-colonial, Fiscal. Leadership: Lung-Yo-Ki, Chu-Fuen, Aong. Relevance: high.

Further reading
BOLETIM do Governo da Provincia de Macau, Timor e Solor, n. 40, 8th October 1846. GARRET, Richard J. (2019). The Defences of Macau: Forts, Ships and Weapons over 450 years. Hong Kong: HK University Press. PEREIRA, A. Marques (1870). As alfândegas chinesas de Macau. Macau: Tip. J. de Silva, pp. 41-4.
Cite this entry

(2023) "Revolt of the Faitioes 1846", in J. V. Serrão and M. S. Cunha (coord), Rebellions in the Early Modern Iberian World. (accessed on ).