A governor's 1849 assassination triggered a forgotten military clash between China and Portugal
The 1849 assassination of a Portuguese governor in Macau sparked a brief but pivotal military clash that permanently altered the relationship between Chinese imperial forces and European colonial powers in the region.
In 1849, Governor João Maria Ferreira do Amaral sought to assert Portuguese sovereignty over Macau by refusing to pay rent to the Qing dynasty and taxing local Chinese residents. His aggressive policies led to his assassination by a group of seven Chinese men, including a farmer named Shen Zhiliang.
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