The mansion of the Macao gambling king Kou Ko Neng
- Edificio Fong Cheong, 165 R. do Campo de S. Lázaro
- Not open to the public
Special design
This three storey mansion is more than 100 years old. featuring expensive wood carvings from the hands of famous artists and hundreds of ‘Shou’ characters with real gold powder.
It’s so well preserved, rare in the downtown area. Even tough we cannot go inside, I still like the decorations on the wall.
The history of Kou Ho Neng
Born into a poor family, Kou Ho Neng lost his father at the age of five, and left his hometown when he was just a teenager. He made a living by playing drums and singing in the streets. In 1911, he came to Macao and set up a small stall called Tak Seng Company on Rua da Caldeira. He made his fortune when he formed the “Ten Friends Hall” an opium tobacco trading emporium. The company’s flagship casino in the middle of Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro, which was the most prosperous at that time.