The Oriental Kiosk of Laurenco Marques

Few cities have been as important to fostering trade between China and Europe than Laurenco Marques, now better known as Maputo in Mozambique. The Portuguese developed it as a crossroads between the Orient and Europe. Laurenco Marques was himself a sixteenth century Portuguese trader who have the port his name. Ships stopped en route and then of course during the Second World War the evacuation ships from China often passed through Laurenco Marques. So perhaps not so surprising that an “Oriental Kiosk” and restaurant would be a prominent waterfront business catering to those already homesick travellers or Chinese sailors. Don’t know much else about it and obviously I think it is long gone in Maputo – but interesting all the same.