A classic art deco building, Red Market remains a thriving part of Macau’s community

By Rebecca Lo Translation by Amanda Mao, Azusa Zamami Photography by Gary Mak

Far from the glistening casino resorts dotting the Cotai Strip is an equally impressive structure built during the height of the art deco movement. Red Market is one of Asia’s few historic buildings that is still used for its original purpose. Indeed, it remains Macau’s best place to find live produce and receive some friendly tips on how to prepare it, and the market has ruled Rua da Bibeira do Patane for more than seven decades.

Over the centuries, Macau peninsula has seen successive land reclamations to meet the growing demands of its swelling population. Between 1866 and 1910, a wave of immigrants from China pushed the city beyond its walls and towards the sea to the north and west. At the same time, the makeshift street markets catering to newcomers lacked basic hygiene and regulation of standards. So in 1929 the government retained architect Julio Alberto Bastos Conde de Senna Fernandes to create a permanent structure for a number of rented stalls. Opened in 1936, the Edificido do Mercado Vermelho’s name alludes to the red brick cladding the entire building.

“Red Market is the only art deco building left in Macau that is still being used,” says dr hoyin lee, director of The university of hong kong’s architectural conservation programme. “The movement started in 1925 in paris, and spread all over the world. it was inspired by the industrial revolution, and emphasises vertical lines and geometry. red Market is a very typical art deco-style building, with its small corner towers and central clock tower – the clock was removed a few years ago after falling into disrepair. The red brick is painted regularly now, since it is a historic building.” at the time red Market opened, it was situated on the waterfront, which helped to facilitate the loading of goods. it had a courtyard at one end surrounded by a fence, later replaced by a red brick wall that surrounds the entire building. With a metal roof between the wall and main building, the former garden could be used for additional stalls while still regulating the market’s opening hours. inside, a central grand staircase leads upstairs to the first floor where fish is sold, and then to the second floor where meat hangs from giant hooks.

“I’m the second generation of pork butchers at this stall,” says to chi-chow, the proprietor of kong peng. inheriting the business from his father-in-law, to puts in a typical seven-day week at red Market, closing the shop only on public holidays. The busiest time is between 8am and 11am; by 1pm he can relax as customers slow down to a trickle. his wife and three staff take turns to skilfully slice the pink meat according to each customer’s needs. “spare ribs are our best seller,” says Mrs to. “When i first started working here and had to use such a huge knife, i was terrified! i would have nightmares about it. But now i’m used to it.” to thinks the reason for the lasting popularity of red Market is its community – and, of course, its produce. “some of our regulars drive from taipa. our pork is delivered fresh daily. and 90% of our chinese customers want to buy their food as fresh as possible. you can’t get that from a supermarket.”

Downstairs near the south entry, poultry seller Kam Lam-gang of chun Kei is relaxing over the day’s newspaper. He started selling at Red Market in 1980, and his chickens come mostly from Zhongshan or Zhuhai. For him, 3pm to 4pm is the busiest time, when he sells most of the 100 or so of his daily quota. While most of his customers purchase chicken for their own use, he also supplies restaurants and cafés. He saw a small dip in business with the recent avian flu scare, but now things are back to normal. “There will always be people who insist on fresh chicken, especially for the holidays,” he says. “Supermarkets initially did hurt my business. But in recent years, things have evened out.” near the north entry is dried goods seller Fung Kin-hei of Hei Kei Marine Products, who has been selling from the same stall for over 40 years. Macau is known for its salt fish, and dried fish both large and small line the ceiling of the stall.

“I first started in this stall when it was an outdoor garden,” recalls Fung. “They added the metal roof in 1969, but it can get very hot and stuffy in the summer here.” along with salt fish, Fung sells dried scallops, preserved tofu and other canned and dried goods, and gives advice on how to prepare a nourishing soup with his many ingredients. He agrees that while supermarkets have a more complete stock of products, his customers prefer buying from traditional markets. “chinese people are picky eaters,” he says. “Everyone loves fresh food.”