澳门地处珠江口西岸,自古以来是中国的领土。自秦代始,澳门与邻近地区已归属南海郡番禺县,南宋时期属于香山县恭常都。16世纪之初,澳门仍是一个小渔村。至16世纪中叶,作为天然避风港的澳门渐渐成为外国使团和商人来华开拓远程贸易的必经要道。 Macau is located on the west bank of Pearl River Estuary and has been China’s territory since ancient times. Since the Qin Dynasty, Macao and its neighboring areas have been assigned to Panyu County, Nanhai County. During the Southern Song Dynasty, Gongshan County belonged to Gongshan County. At the beginning of the 16th century, Macau was still a small fishing village. By the middle of the 16th century, Macao, as a natural safe-haven, had gradually become a necessary passage for foreign missions and businessmen to come to China for developing long-distance trade.