The 1896 census of Macao’s population was carried out on 13th February, the first day of the lunar New Year, which is traditionally the time when families gather in their homes. It reveals a wealth of information about the city at the time, most of it carefully presented by parish. In addition to the usual data households, there is a detailed breakdown of professions and literacy rates by nationality, and a summary of shops, which is reproduced below. Some of these trades, such as the typical production of salted fish and various forms of gambling, have persisted in Macao while others have faded away with the changing times. This is the case of the opium merchants, which employed 11% of the male workforce, and the less significant trade in firecrackers, betel nut, dung and urine.
|
No. of Shops
|
Trade
|
No. of Male Employees
|
|
24
|
Agencies
|
217
|
|
26
|
Pawnshop
|
188
|
|
14
|
Opium
|
84
|
|
2
|
Cotton
|
9
|
|
9
|
Firecrackers
|
68
|
|
136
|
Miscellaneous
|
615
|
|
15
|
Pork
|
111
|
|
2
|
Prawns
|
5
|
|
45
|
Rice and wine
|
441
|
|
29
|
Bamboo items
|
197
|
|
35
|
European cloth
|
127
|
|
1
|
Cakes
|
4
|
|
1
|
Preserved food
|
4
|
|
3
|
Copper items
|
16
|
|
2
|
Paper articles
|
8
|
|
1
|
Rattan
|
20
|
|
1
|
European drinks
|
1
|
|
8
|
Tobacconist
|
39
|
|
33
|
Scrap metal agent
|
137
|
|
41
|
Fish
|
319
|
|
19
|
Fantan (gambling)
|
297
|
|
32
|
Salted fish
|
265
|
|
64
|
Pacapio lottery
|
225
|
|
18
|
Items for Chinese worship
|
110
|
|
20
|
Poultry
|
104
|
|
12
|
Firewood
|
47
|
|
1
|
Munitions
|
13
|
|
1
|
Wholesalers
|
10
|
|
23
|
Fruit
|
139
|
|
11
|
Dried seafood
|
84
|
|
18
|
Vegetables
|
58
|
|
2
|
Lime
|
4
|
|
7
|
Dried meat
|
36
|
|
5
|
Furniture
|
25
|
|
1
|
Bottles
|
5
|
|
1
|
Glass
|
6
|
|
1
|
Olive oil
|
3
|
|
1
|
Dung
|
16
|
|
1
|
Salt
|
25
|
|
1
|
Gasoline
|
10
|
|
1
|
Shipping agents
|
1
|
|
1
|
Chinese noodles
|
6
|
|
11
|
Money exchange
|
85
|
|
36
|
Silk and cotton
|
247
|
|
7
|
Paper
|
52
|
|
17
|
Second hand clothing
|
121
|
|
4
|
Areca and betel nut
|
16
|
|
1
|
Jeweler
|
5
|
|
9
|
Crockery
|
45
|
|
7
|
Fresh seafood
|
42
|
|
1
|
Coconut
|
2
|
|
16
|
Shoes
|
108
|
|
6
|
Vae-Seng lottery
|
84
|
|
4
|
Silk and damask
|
30
|
|
2
|
Lights
|
12
|
|
5
|
Coal
|
32
|
|
1
|
Opium dregs
|
3
|
|
1
|
Ships chandlers
|
6
|
|
38
|
Cooked opium
|
578
|
|
1
|
Fish and seafood
|
5
|
|
2
|
Tallow Candles
|
33
|
|
5
|
Eggs
|
54
|
|
3
|
Roast meat
|
19
|
|
7
|
Tea
|
59
|
|
1
|
Bricks
|
5
|
|
1
|
Cattle
|
15
|
|
1
|
Matches
|
6
|
|
19
|
Timber
|
146
|
|
2
|
Shipping of crockery
|
4
|
|
2
|
Charcoal
|
14
|
|
1
|
Urine
|
24
|
|
2
|
Glassware
|
11
|
|
1
|
Bread
|
5
|
|
1
|
Preserved beans
|
6
|
|
10
|
Knick-knacks
|
58
|
|
1
|
Wine
|
11
|
|
895
|
TOTAL
|
6042
|
