土生葡人是因应葡萄牙地理大发现的特殊历史环境,由葡裔男性在澳门与当地各族裔女性“嫁接”并繁衍出来的新族群。本文从族群、宗教、语言和文化等方面勾勒出澳门土生葡人的大致概貌,并描述这个族群在东西融汇和交往过程中担当的重要角色。
The Macanese is a new ethnic group formed during Portugal's Age of Discovery, descended from Portuguese men who travelled to Macau and "engrafted" with women of different ethnics. This article outlines the general picture of Macanese in terms of ethnic, religion, language and culture, and describes their important role in east-west integration and process of communication.