Categories
Culture

Chinese Buddhist temples of the Philippines (17)

Editors Note: This is the 17th of a series about the 36 Chinese Buddhist temples of the Philippines. Much of the information is from a thesis of Venerable Chuanmiao (Hsuan Chuang University, 2008), a Buddhist monk affiliated with the Thousand Buddha Temple in Quezon City. 17. Poh Chong Temple (寶藏寺) 35 C. Benitez Street, Cubao, […]

Categories
Life

Coffee shop etiquette

First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 28, no. 5 (August 4-17, 2015): 13 I used to dislike the smell and taste of coffee. Over the years, however, I find myself arranging meetings and study dates at coffee shops. What started as an occasional drink of the bitter-tasting liquid out of a ceramic mug (during […]

Categories
Culture

Chinese Buddhist temples of the Philippines (16)

Editors Note: This is the 16th of a series about the 36 Chinese Buddhist temples of the Philippines. Much of the information is from a thesis of Venerable Chuanmiao (Hsuan Chuang University, 2008), a Buddhist monk affiliated with the Thousand Buddha Temple in Quezon City. 16. Ocean Sky Chan Monastery (海天禪寺)716 J. Abad Santos St., […]

Categories
Soul of China

張 (Tiu/Zhang) in the Philippines

More than 90 million Chinese carry the surname 張 (Tiu in Hokkien, Zhang in Mandarin). Together, they represent the third largest group in China with the same family name. The name carries with it more than 5,000 years of history, with intimate ties to both royalty and warfare. Its origin has to do with the […]

Categories
Health

Baking soda: an effective home remedy

Tired of using chemicals and drugs? The good news is that the ordinary baking soda is an effective and multipurpose aid for your health and beauty. The United State Pharmacopoeia had been aware of its health benefits for more than a hundred years. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, an alkaline substance that has the ability […]

Categories
Culture

Chinese Buddhist temples of the Philippines (15)

Editors Note: This is the 15th of a series about the 36 Chinese Buddhist temples of the Philippines. Much of the information is from a thesis of Venerable Chuanmiao (Hsuan Chuang University, 2008), a Buddhist monk affiliated with the Thousand Buddha Temple in Quezon City. 15. Baguio Buddha Temple (碧瑤 普陀寺)Assumption Road, Baguio City (near […]

Categories
Gems of History

Spaniards and Chinese: first encounter

Most people, including historians, think that there were no female Chinese immigrants in early Philippine history. Data from 1870 show there were only 193 female and 22,807 male Chinese in the Philippines. Early Chinese immigrants in the Philippines seem, logically, to be generally made up of Chinese males who went overseas to seek better livelihood […]

Categories
Life

Icings on the cake of success

First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 28, no. 5 (August 4-17, 2015): 16, 15. On a rainy day with pockets of floods dotting the city, I arrived early at Icings Cakes Breads and Café for an appointment with the Tong family in their flagship restaurant on Sct. Dr. Lazcano Street corner Tomas Morato Avenue […]

Categories
Culture

Chinese Buddhist temples of the Philippines (14)

Editors Note: This is the 14th of a series about the 36 Chinese Buddhist temples of the Philippines. Much of the information is from a thesis of Venerable Chuanmiao (Hsuan Chuang University, 2008), a Buddhist monk affiliated with the Thousand Buddha Temple in Quezon City. 14. Manila Buddha Temple 普陀寺1155 Masangkay Street, Sta. Cruz, ManilaTel.: […]

Categories
Origins

王 (Ong) in the Philippines

With a family tree that has stretched over 3,100 years, it is no wonder that the Chinese surname 王 (Ong in Hokkien, Wang in Mandarin) is the second most populous surname in China. More than 50 million people in China bear this surname. Furthermore, the migration of the Wang family to Fujian in the early […]