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MACAU, CHINA—Macau News reports that a cannon was uncovered during construction work in the Inner Harbor area of the city of Macau, which is located on coastal islands in the South China Sea. Ming Dynasty officials leased the area to Portuguese traders in the mid-sixteenth century A.D. The region then became a Portuguese colony in 1887 until 1999, when it was transferred to China. Officials from the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the Municipal Affairs Bureau, and the Customs Service are investigating the site and examining the cannon. To read about early Chinese cannons, go to "Weapons of the Ancient World: Fire Lances and Cannons."
