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Chinese in PH Local History

Genesis of mestizos

First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 25, no. 4 (July 24-August 13, 2012): 8-10. Editor’s Note: The paperback edition of the author’s book, Chinese and Chinese Mestizos of Manila – Family, Identity, and Culture, 1860s-1930s, was launched at Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City. The author is Tsinoy who now lives and teaches at […]

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Culture

Chinese Buddhist temples of the Philippines (13)

Editors Note: This is the 13th 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. 13. Mabuhay Temple 岷尼拉佛光山萬年寺656 P. Ocampo Street, Malate, Manila | […]

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Culture

Chinese Buddhist temples of the Philippines (12)

Editors Note: This is the 12th 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. 12. Iloilo Fo Guang Yuan 怡郎佛光緣13-A Fuentes Street, Iloilo City […]

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Student Page

Reflections: Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum

The first thing one notices upon entering the exhibit hall are the walls lined with black and white photos of the people of Nagasaki during the Second World War. These pictures depict war efforts that probably happened all around Japan: children doing farm work, women volunteers making care packages and keeping morale up, defense task […]

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Life

Kyoto: Showcase of tradition & modernity

Founded in 794 A.D. and modeled after the ancient Chinese city of Chang’an (today’s Xi’an), Kyoto was Japan’s imperial capital for more than 1,000 years until it was replaced by Tokyo in 1869. The name Kyoto translates into “capital city,” fashioned after the Chinese for capital city (京都 pronounced kian to Hokkien, the ancient Tang […]

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Chinese Culture Philosophy

Catholics and Hungry Ghosts

First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 28, no. 5 (August 4-17, 2015): 8-9. Prior to the arrival of Buddhism in China in the first century of the Common Era, the seventh lunar month was already the customary time for praying for the dead. Taoist rituals already existed for this purpose. As Buddhism inculturated and […]

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Gems of History

Chinese tsai-a-tiam

The Chinese sari-sari (variety) store, popularly known among the Chinese as tsai-a-tiam (菜仔店), is a thing of the past. The younger generation of Chinese may not have the chance to see a Chinese sari-sari store anymore even in Chinatown or Chinese districts in Manila or the provinces. They may not have even heard of it […]

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Culture

Chinese Buddhist temples of the Philippines (11)

Editors Note: This is the 11th 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. 11. Chu Un Temple 慈恩寺246 V. Rama Avenue, Cebu City […]

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Chinese in PH Local History

Mestizos: flexible identities

First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 25, no. 4 (July 24-August 13, 2012): 9. Dr. Jose Rizal, Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, Anna Dominique Coseteng, Mariano Limjap, Claudio Teehankee are familiar names. They have one thing in common, all of them have Chinese forebears. For centuries, Chinese have intermarried with Filipinos. During the Spanish colonial regime […]

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Chinese Culture

Chinese surnames

During the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), the book A Hundred Chinese Clan Names became popular. In it are collected all the Chinese surnames in use at that time, arranged in four-character lines of which all even-numbered ones are rhymed. Although there is no coherence in subject and no apparent connection between one line and the […]