This chapter introduces the main themes and arguments of the book. It places Macau in the history and historiography of the Second World War in China and in Portugal, and contrasts Macau with other foreign-ruled territories in China, such as the International Settlement and the French Concession in Shanghai. The chapter also revisits the history of Sino–Portuguese relations in Macau, framing the enclave’s Second World War experience in a larger context of global connections, ambiguities and relative autonomy unfolding since the sixteenth century.