Macau, located on the southeastern coast of China, has extensive geography and is a rare transit point for the sea route from west to east. The Portuguese operated maritime intermediary trade through Macau, selling raw silk and silk from China to Europe via Goa; to Japan via Nagasaki; to the Americas via Manila and directly to Southeast Asian countries. After the Opium War, three iconic industries emerged in Macau: opium trade, coolie trade, and gaming. Macau's manufacturing industry has also emerged, including shipbuilding, tea making, firecrackers, silk reeling, brick burning, burning ash (cement), straw mats, and incense. Around the middle of the last century, with changes in market demand, beads, rattan, porcelain, and camphor wood carved furniture were once popular, and turned to become the most representative traditional handicraft industry in Macau. In 1999, with the SAR policy and the liberalization of gambling rights, many foreign-funded enterprises established new international casinos in Macau. The gaming industry has now become an important part of Macau's economy.