The surname 施 (Shi in Mandarin, Sy or See in Hokkien) ranks 97th among the most populous family last names in China. However, among the Chinese in the Philippines, Sy has fifth place. The most famous Sy in the Philippines nowadays, of course, is Henry Sy of Shoe Mart. Cebu’s Gaisano clan and Hapee toothpaste […]
First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 21, no. 7 (September 9, 2008): 5,13. The spectacular 2008 Olympic games in Beijing ended with astounding success. Chinese all over the world rejoiced over the momentous event, it being the first in China’s history. Not only did China host the event with flying colors, but the breadth […]
Previous issues of Tulay introduced the origins of the 10 most populous surnames in China, namely: 李 (Dy, Dee in Hokkien), 王 (Ong), 張 (Tiu), 劉 (Lao), 陳 (Tan), 楊 (Yu), 黄 (Ng, Uy), 趙 (Teo), 周 (Chiu), 吳 (Go). Now, we will present the origins of other Chinese surnames following the order of the […]
Editor’s note: In the Mid-Autumn Festival dice game, the prize categories are named after these examination titles. The first to sixth prize categories are named as zhuang yuan, bangyan, tanhua, jinshi, juren and xiucai, respectively. To select capable people to help govern the country, Emperor Wen Di of the Sui Dynasty (581-618) established an imperial […]
Editors Note: This is the 32nd 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. 32. Phu Shian Temple (普賢寺 (定慧寺)25 Beverly Hills, Lahug, Cebu […]
In 983 A.D., Yao Tan (姚担) was appointed by Emperor Song Tai Zong (宋太宗, 976-998) as a palace official to tutor the crown prince, Yi Wang (益王). Yi Wang was known to be spendthrift, outspoken and unbending. Earlier, he had spent millions to build a rockery (artificial hill) in his palace. Upon completion, he hosted […]
First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 24, no. 7 (September 6-19, 2011): 14-15. Ever heard of the three Rs? Most of us learned about “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” in school. For the 24th birthday of Kaisa Para Sa Kaunlaran, we introduced the four Rs – reduce, reuse, regift, recycle – and launched the first Regift […]
Editors Note: This is the 31st 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. 31. Lam Hua Temple (南華寺)Sabang District, Tacloban City | Tel. […]
The surname Go is the 10th most populous in China. It is 吳,Wu in Mandarin. Wu clan members are actually related to the Zhou clan. They descended from the same royal ancestor. Their history is a very touching one. In the early 11th century BC, Gu Dan Fu (古亶父), who founded Zhou (周) State in […]
Hokkien, on the tongues of Tsinoys, has grown and evolved, taking on a life of its own. Sometimes words simply fail us. With some creativity, Tsinoys have strung together words to form colorful phrases that simply hit the bull’s eye. Here are some expressions unique to Hokkien as favored by Tsinoys. Idioms, expressions Hokkien pronunciation […]