Zhou Chu (周處) of the kingdom of Wu (吳) had lost his father at a young age during the Three Kingdoms Period (222-280 AD). By the time he turned 20, he was already a man of great strength that no ordinary person could match. But he had never cared to learn good manners and right […]
Ferdinand Blumentritt (1853-1913), best friend of our national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal, was one of the greatest experts on Philippine history, culture, language and geography in his day. He was an Austrian and had never been to the Philippines. Yet here we are referring to him in relation to the Chinese in the Philippines. […]
Born during the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420 AD), Shi Seng Fu (釋僧富) did not let poverty be a barrier to education. He would read books even at night, using the light from burning firewood. By the age of 20, he could comprehend Chinese classic texts and historical annals. Shi Seng Fu decided to become a […]
A report that appeared in the Aug. 15, 1900 issue of Qing Yi Bao (清議報), a Chinese journal published in Tokyo, lauded Filipino revolutionaries who had refused to give up the fight even after America set up a military government in the Philippines at the turn of the 20th century. The report, “Recent Situation in […]
In this issue, we have two stories of honesty and cleanliness in two high-ranking officials during the Han Dynasty (221 BC-220 AD). Both of them are surnamed Wang (王). The first is Wang Jie (王吉) of first century BC. When he was still young, he lived in Chang’an (長安), the capital then, to study. The […]
Ateneo de Manila University Press recently came out with A Visit to Manila and Its Environs, an English translation of a Dutch book by Jacob Adolf Bruno Wiselius published in 1876. Wiselius, a controller with the Dutch colonial administration in Java, visited Manila and neighboring Laguna province in 1875. He had prepared well for his […]
On June 12, the nation celebrated our 113th year of independence. Between 1946 and 1962, our country celebrated Independence Day on July 4, the day we attained self-governance from American colonial rule. Our nation declared independence twice. The first time was when our country became the first Asian republic, throwing off the yoke of Spanish […]
In April 313 A.D., Liu Cong (劉聰), emperor of Han Zhao of the Sixteen Kingdoms, installed his highest concubine Liu E (劉娥) as queen and decided to build a palace for her. After learning about this, Chen Yuanda (陳元達), military officer of the court, declared that the construction would not only drain the treasury but […]
My previous column on “Balagtas and Binondo” mentioned that Balagtas’ deep immersion in the volatile environment of Binondo reached a crucial stage during the violent October 1820 massacre. The event must have jolted the foundations of his personal convictions and impelled what could have been his political epiphany. But what is the October 1820 massacre? […]
While still abroad, news that I get from the Philippines are still predominantly on the spate of extrajudicial and vigilante killings in the war on drugs. The public, long despairing of seeing an end to heinous crimes, majority of which are committed by drug-crazed people, are lauding President Rodrigo Duterte and the Philippine National Police […]