The Macau Peninsula has a gate built on the northern isthmus, for how long did it serve as a border?
Portas do Cerco The Portas do Cerco is an area in Nossa Senhora de Fátima, Macau, China. Located on the northern tip of the Macau Peninsula, it is known by its border gate separating Macau from mainland China. The gate was built in 1849 to replace a crumbling wall that was erected in 1573 to mark the border of the Portuguese colony. It was the site of the Passaleão Incident, a clash between the Qing dynasty and the Kingdom of Portugal in 1849 over the death of Macau's governor Ferreira do Amaral. Led by Colonel Mesquita, Portugal won the small battle which led to the extension of Macau's border northwards. At the limit of said expansion, the Portas do Cerco was built with the inscription "A pátria honrai, que a pátria vos contempla" (Portuguese for "Honor your motherland, for your motherland looks over you") on the façade on its inner arch in 1849. For the next 155 years, the gate served as the border between Macau and China.
Battle of Shancaowan The Battle of Shancaowan (), also known as Battle of Veniaga Island (Portuguese:"Batalha da Ilha da Veniaga") was a naval battle between the Ming dynasty coast guard and a Portuguese fleet led by Martim Afonso de Mello that occurred in 1522. The Ming court threatened to expel Portuguese traders from China after receiving news that the Malacca Sultanate, a Ming tributary, had been invaded by the Portuguese. In addition, Portuguese pirates had been conducting slave raids on the Chinese coast, kidnapping children to sell in Portuguese Malacca, which received widespread condemnation by the common people and the court. Portuguese traders were executed in China and the Portuguese embassy was arrested, with their freedom promised on the condition that the Portuguese released and returned Malacca to its sultan. Martim Afonso de Mello arrived at the Pearl River but was blockaded by a Ming fleet. After two weeks without being able to gain a foothold in China they decided to run the blockade and managed to escape with the loss of two ships and several dozen men. The battle was fought off the northwestern coast of Lantau Island, Hong Kong at a location called Sai Tso Wan today.