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Tsinoy Culture

Relative Finder: Breast pocket patch

A relative-finding quest can trigger chain reactions which sometimes go on and on. Our family had a reunion with long-lost China relatives in 2010. The reunion’s itinerary included meeting family friends with the same Chinese surname Chan (曾 Zeng). That meeting sparked yet another successful search for a friend’s family. While scouring letters and photographs […]

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Culture Tsinoy Culture

Kaisa: An undertaking of trust

Exactly 22 years ago today, on Jan. 19, 1999, the Kaisa Heritage Center and Bahay Tsinoy, a museum of Chinese in Philippine life, housed in the three-story Kaisa-Angelo King Heritage Center Building, formally opened to the public with the late President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino as the guest of honor. The “mother” organization, Kaisa Para Sa […]

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Chinese in PH Local History Tsinoy Culture

Lions of Mingsheng Wenyang

First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest, January 19-February 1, 2016. | The lion dance is fast becoming an integral part of Manila’s cultural landscape. At the forefront of the revitalized lion dance scene is a new generation of Tsinoy sports associations, which uphold the values of authentic tradition, professionalism and inclusivity. In this issue, […]

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Chinese in PH Local History Culture Tsinoy Culture

Architecture of the Manila Chinese Cemetery

First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest | November 1-14, 2016 | vol. 29 | No. 11 | The vast necropolis in the north of Manila’s Sta. Cruz district, consisting of the North, La Loma and Chinese cemeteries, is a veritable museum to the evolution of Western and Chinese architectural styles and their adaptation and […]

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Culture History Philippine History Tsinoy Culture

The case of Chieng Liang-un: Buddhist, laborer, undocumented

First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest, September 20-October 3, 2016 | vol. 29, No. 8 issue | Originally titled “Buddhist, Laborer, Undocumented: The Case of Chieng Liang-un in Leyte, 1891.” | The case of Chieng Liang-un is contained in one of the Chinos bundles (SDS 13044) at the National Archives of the Philippines. His […]

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Idioms...Hokkien style Tsinoy Culture

When words fail, use idioms…Hokkien style (27)

First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino DigestSeptember 6-19, 2016 | vol. 29 | No. 7 issue 放屎糊壁邊 pang sai ko pia pen wipe bowel on the wall grossly insulting gesture 掛羊頭賣狗肉 kua yun t’ao bue kao ba hanging goat’s head but selling dog’s meat doing dishonest business 賬簿隔格 siao p’o ke k’ang drawing lines on […]

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History Philippine History Tsinoy Culture

Tsinoys of Dumaguete

First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino DigestSeptember 6-19, 2016, vol. 29, no. 7 issue The story of the Uy Matiao family is an example of how the Chinese entrepreneurs who settled in the island of Negros have diversified their activities.Uy Eng, a native of Fujian and the founder of this family, arrived in Dumaguete around […]

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Culture Idioms...Hokkien style Tsinoy Culture

When words fail, use idioms… Hokkien style (102)

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 […]

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Culture Idioms...Hokkien style Tsinoy Culture

When words fail, use idioms… Hokkien style (101)

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 […]

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Chinese in PH Local History Culture History Tsinoy Culture

Tsinoy 2020: International conference on the state of scholarship on the Chinese in the Philippines

Tsinoy 2020 was not just about the phenomenon of Chinese living in the Philippines, calling this nation of islands home. It was a gathering of thoughtful scholars, historians, sinologists and people who became interested in the history and heritage of the Chinese as vital contributions to Philippine studies. German sinologist Prof. Martin Woesler, at the […]