Chou Yau Chou Yau was one of the important Chinese merchants of Macao during the 19th century who had acquired Portuguese nationality. He was commended with the Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa by the King of Portugal and conferred as second grade officer by the Qing government and gifted with official headwear. Amongst the different Chinese merchant families of modern Macao, the Chou’s family was the most historic one. It had lived in Macao for eleven generations, since the reign of Emperor Kangxi of Qing dynasty, as indicated in its genealogical records. By the time of Chou Yau，it was the fifth generation of the family.

As a wealthy family, the father (Chou Fong Hin) of Chou Yau had left his children with a massive amount of estate properties as inheritance upon his death. They were shared between Chou Yau and his elder brother Chou On (Chou Ying Tat). In 1882, Chou Yau engaged in the silk industry by opening a silk reeling factory at building no.3 of Rua de Pedro Nolasco da Silva. In 1890, he transformed it into a manufactory of silk fabrics.