Mauricio, Kathleen Ann A.

RPH

BSA 1-22 March 30,2019

“The History of the Filipino Chinese”

In every aspect of the Philippine life, there is a chinese presence, it found its way there long before

the Philippines recorded History, The Chinese and the Filipinos has long been partners in trade,

being neighbors linked in navigable waters it formed exchanges that has been natured that affects

each other’s way of life1. Relationship between the Chinese and Filipinos predate magellan’s

arrival by many centuries.2 When the Spaniards colonized the Philippine islands the Chinese

filipino or the tsinoys worked along with their other Filipino countrymen under the spanish crown.

The Chinese also served as the backbone of spanish colonial economy, with the growing number

of Tsinoys3 it lead the spaniards to fear and distrust them which led to persecution and harassment.

Oppressed as the colonized subjects were, the chinese shared with the Filipinos strong sentiments

which found expression at the dawning of nationhood in their fight as one for independence,

notable tsinoys who contributed during swings of the country’s history with it’s struggle for

freedom, economic, social and political stability. Truly, the tsinoys are imbedded in the Philippine

History as a great part of it. They are a mixed of Chinese and Filipinos who has been molded

through the centuries by Philippine life.

1
Wall Text, The Tsinoy, The Chinese Who Is Filipino: A Shared Destiny. Bahay Tsinoy,
Manila.
2
Kaisa Heritage Center. Bahay Tsinoy - Museum of the Chinese in the Philippine Life.
Manila.
3
Also referred as Chinese Filipinos mostly born of Filipino and Chinese parents
 The early contacts with the chinese began During the ice age because land bridges

connected the Philippines to the rest of asia4. Through the land bridges tribes from south China are

known to have reached the Philippines, The most prominent evidence of these early contacts are

the rice terraces, and domestication of farm animals such as pigs, and they also buried their dead

in jars5Chinese pottery and porcelain ware have been recovered in archeological excavations all

over the country especially in burial sites.6 It wasn’t long before the sinking of land bridges began,

therefore new modes of contact between the chinese and the Filipinos via seas began. Sung dynasty

annals in the 10th century noted the beginnings of trade relations. In the Ming dynasty annals in

the 15th century7, a record of diplomatic relations was found which cited the appearance of native

chiefs in mindanao carrying tributes to the chinese imperial court and their return bearing gifts

from the emperor. By the 16th century, Chinese Filipino trade relations had become a way of life

in coast all over the archipelago. The Song ming records also validates this trading relations as

there were records of how their negotiations took place and how the chinese traded with the

Filipinos during these periods8. Early religious figurines and icons carved by the Chinese showed

unmistakable chinese influence. Religious vestments, sculpture, and church decorations often

show Chinese motifs. Many chinese in the Philippines practiced religious syncretism9, the unique

product of Catholic and Buddhist intermarriage.

4
Kaisa Heritage Center. Bahay Tsinoy - Museum of the Chinese in the Philippine Life.
Manila.
5
Wall Text, Early Migration Influence. Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.
6
Wall Text, Pottery. Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.
7
Wall Text, Early Contacts: Shared Beginnings. Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.
8
Zhenping, Wang. "Reading Song-Ming Records on the Pre-colonial History of the
Philippines." 2008-03.
9
A kind of mixed worship evolved among the Chinese mestizos, The unique product of
Catholic and Buddhist intermarriage. They burned incense and lighted candles before the image
of the blessed Virgin who became a representation of Kuan Yin, a Buddhist feminine deity or
 When the spaniards settled in the Philippines more chinese came, during the spanish

colonial period the chinese were confined in a Parian10 it was first established in 1582 just outside

intramuros. The chinese who resided here provided labor and goods to the colonial city examples

of it are chinese goldsmiths, clothes vendor, chinese peddlers, public reader and many more, to the

spaniards they earned highly therefore they had to pay the most taxes unlawful taxation without

without notice was known to cause the occasional uprisings and the spanish massacres. In 1603,

the entire parian population of 20,000 was wiped out following chinese revolt. Due to the

massacres and fires, the spaniards changed the location of the parian 9 times11 Centuries of

relations saw chinese influences on all aspects of Philippine culture. The art of printing12 is among

the most significant contributions of the chinese. During the spanish reign at the end of the 19th

century life became even more difficult because of spanish harassment. Hence , The chinese started

to form institutions for self-protection, The chinese also built their first school, hospital and

cemetery. The Chinese Mestizos commonly lived in what was called as “bahay na bato”, the

typical mestizo house house synthesizes the historical legacies and cultural influences of the

Chinese Mestizo origins. The sari-sari store originated from the cabecilla system of the 1850’s,

usually a large wholesaler of imported goods. What became the sari-sari were the retail agents of

the cabecilla in rural areas.13

Mat-su, protector and patroness of seafarers and the black Nazarene of Capalonga, also
worshiped as Pao Wang Shan Shi
10
Parian or Pantin, historic name Parian de Arroceros was an area adjacent to Intramuros
built to house Chinese merchants in Manila in the 16th and 17th centuries during the Spanish
occupation of The Philippines.
11
Wall Text, The Parian. Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.
12
The art of printing is among the most significant contributions of the chinese. The first
three books in the Philippines all of them catechisms, were printed by ken yong of binondo, al in
1593.
13
Kaisa Heritage Center. Bahay Tsinoy - Museum of the Chinese in the Philippine Life.
Manila.
 Centuries of oppression suffered by both both chinese and Filipinos molded a shared

sentiment for freedom and independence which they expressed in the intermittent revolts against

the spanish rule, Chinese mestizos being middle class and being able to adapt the ideologies of the

west they began to fight for political reforms it was not long before the chinese mestizos and their

other countrymen fused their cry for freedom as one nation14. The chinese mestizos or tsinoys are

a huge part of the revolt for our freedom from spain, without some of the notable Tsinoys the

course of History in the Philippines will not be as it is today. Some of the notable Tsinoys are The

GOMBURZA15 The GOMBURZA are chinese-mestizos16 They are the first martyrs of the

revolution, They are secular priest who advocated the Filipinization of Catholic parishes. THe

propaganda movement gained momentum during the last decade of the 19th century in the hands

of illustrados who campaigned for reforms through writings which they published or read publicly

in Madrid17. A part of this movement is no other than Jose P. Rizal, His novels Noli Me Tangere

and El Filibusterismo which depicted a disturbing picture of the oppressive spanish regime, served

as inspiration for the propaganda movement. On his return in the Philippines in 1892 he founded

a secret society the La Liga Filipina. Rizal was declared national hero during the american

regime18. Emilio Jacinto “The brains of Katipunan” is also a Tsinoy, he spearheaded the secret

society’s struggle towards achieving its goals. He was Bonifacio's adviser, and was elected

secretary and fiscal to the Katipunan’s Supreme council19. Another is Pedro Paterno, a prominent

member of the reform movement he wrote the first filipino novel in spanish, Ninay. Along with

14
Wall Text, A Nation Had since Been Born. Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.
15
Jacinto Zamora, Jose Burgos, and Mariano Gomez
16
“”Meztizos” appeared as a separate legal classification in the mid-18th century
referring to chinese-indiosAs Catholics these children of baptized chinese and Filipinos
identified themselves with Spain and the Philippines.
17
Wall Text, The Propagandist. Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.
18
Wall Text, Jose P. Rizal (1861-1896). Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.
19
Wall Text, Emilio Jacinto (1875-1899). Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.
his other collections of poems, sampaguita, his writings were attempts at defining the national

sentiment of the Filipino20. And there was Gregorio Sanciangco, his book, El Progreso De Filipinas

written in 1881 dealt with needed infrastructure, tax and fiscal policy, educational reforms, land

policy and economic problems21. Another is Gregorio del Pilar he was an ardent nationalist, Del

pilar offered his services to the rebel army when the revolution broke out22.

Some notable Tsinoy Personalities in different aspect of Filipino culture such as religion,

entertainment and others are Saint Lorenzo Ruiz Born in Binondo to a Chinese father and Filipino

mother, Lorenzo Ruiz is the first canonized saint of the Philippines23. Over the media and

entertainment some personalities are Jose Mari Chan, Jose Mari Chan’s fame lies in his music. His

melodic compositions are known by heart all over the archipelago24. Another is Betty Go-

Belmonte, She made her mark in the Philippine media as co-founder of the Philippine daily

inquirer, and helped established the Philippine star, both circulated and read nationwide25.

Being a Filipino Chinese and Chinese culture being integrated into the Philippine culture and

society being called “intsik” doesn’t necessarily mean that they are less Filipino than we are, it

should be taken into account that just like our other ancestors like the malays and other nomads

who ventured into the land bridges, the chinese are one of those, some of their culture has been

deeply integrated in our because we have been trading for hundreds of years. Them and our other

country men participated for our fight for freedom and just like any of our countrymen, The

Tsinoys are not bystanders they have toiled and sacrifice to this nation that they call their home.

20
Wall Text, Pedro Paterno (1857- 1911). Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.
21
Wall Text, Gregorio Sanciangco. Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.
22
Wall Text, Gregorio del Pilar (1875- 1899).Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.
23
Wall Text, Lorenzo Ruiz, First Filipino Saint. Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.
24
Wall Text, Jose Mari Chan. Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.
25
Wall Text, Betty Go-Belmonte. Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.
 Bibliography

Kaisa Heritage Center. Bahay Tsinoy - Museum of the Chinese in the Philippine Life. Manila.

Wall Text, A Nation Had since Been Born. Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.

Wall Text, Betty Go-Belmonte. Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.

Wall Text, Early Contacts: Shared Beginnings. Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.

Wall Text, Early Migration Influence. Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.

Wall Text, Gregorio del Pilar (1875- 1899).Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.

Wall Text, Gregorio Sanciangco. Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.

Wall Text, Jose Mari Chan. Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.

Wall Text, Jose P. Rizal (1861-1896). Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.

Wall Text, Lorenzo Ruiz, First Filipino Saint. Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.

Wall Text, Pedro Paterno (1857- 1911). Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.

Wall Text, Pottery. Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.

Wall Text, The Parian. Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.

Wall Text, The Propagandist. Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.

Wall Text, The Tsinoy, The Chinese Who Is Filipino: A Shared Destiny. Bahay Tsinoy, Manila.

Zhenping, Wang. "Reading Song-Ming Records on the Pre-colonial History of the Philippines."

2008-03.

Documentation