Categories
History

From blood to barter: Shared history, heritage, destiny

There are ample historical records of relations between the Philippines and China. They reveal strategies for evangelizing China, trade routes and revolution. They show the strategic importance of the Philippines to Spanish attempts to christianize China, and to profit from the Manila-Acapulco Galleon trade. They delve into the origins of Chinese-looking Igorots to the north, […]

Categories
History

Phil-Sino connection

Rare are the friendships that weather the good times and bad, bringing friends through thick and thin and last more than a millennium. Such is the historical friendship between the Philippines and China, a relationship that has been chronicled as early as the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Exchanges existed at all levels, from vibrant trade to […]

Categories
Life

Mira Nila

One reason I love visiting historical houses is the fact that I always learn something from the visits. By carefully studying their architecture, the houses’ interiors and contents, the lives of the people that lived there and the times they lived in can be discerned. Such was the case when I recently visited Mira Nila […]

Categories
Soul of China

Zhang Sheng: a patriot beyond compare

A fter conquering the Liang (梁) capital, Jian Kang (建康, now Nanjing), Liang’s renegade general Hou Jing (後景) sent an army led by military superintendent Hou Zi Jian (侯子鑒) from the middle army to besiege Wu Xing (吳興) prefecture in September 549. Wu Xing’s defending army was small, its fighting capacity weak. Its mayor, Zhang […]

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Tsinoy Beats and Bytes

Water woes

The sight of water pails lined up in long rows that snake through blocks of houses, waiting for the water tanker or the fire trucks to fill them up, isn’t new. We’ve seen a lot of this during water service interruptions, especially in the summer. The difference this time is that it’s happening even before […]

Categories
Kidnap Watch

Casino-related crimes cause alarm

Crimes related to casino or online gambling are on the rise. They no longer just result in torture and extortion but also in kidnapping, suicides and outright homicide and murder. The incidents are rising because the victims rarely cooperate with authorities to pursue the case and punish the perpetrators. Thus, in many of these cases, […]

Categories
Health

Food as medicine

D o you have high blood pressure? Ideal blood pressure is 120 over 80. And high blood pressure means you have a blood pressure more than 140 over 90. By shifting to a whole food plant based diet (WFPH), plus regular walking of 30 minutes to one hour a day and seven to eight hours […]

Categories
History

PACS: Promoting PH-China relations through the years

This June, we commemorate the 34th year of our diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. Since 1975, there have been a lot of positive developments in our improved relations. Economics and trade agreements, science, technology, cultural and people-to-people exchanges have enhanced cooperation and better understanding between our two countries. In recent years, a […]

Categories
History

Chinese sources on the Philippines: New narratives on PH-China relations

For several generations, general understanding on precolonial Philippines has always been viewed from the perspectives of scholars, chroniclers, and historians of its erstwhile colonial masters: Spain and the United States. Recent scholarly studies on ancient Chinese sources and new discoveries of accounts on China by Spanish priests reveal new and alternative insights on the Philippines […]

Categories
Life

Xavier School holds its inaugural TOXSA

“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys to will unlock the door to personal excellence.” — Confucius The true measure of an academic institution’s greatness can be found in the achievements of its alumni. Xavier School, a Jesuit Catholic college preparatory school, is […]