First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 23, no. 15-16 (January 18-31, 2011): 5. Desperate times call for desperate measures. When enemies come, there are many ways to protect oneself: run away and hide, change your name, wear a disguise, and so on. These practices are as old as time, especially in China. Self defense […]
First published in Tulay Monthly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 1, no. 1 (June 12, 1988): 4, 11. When I was in high school, I was fitted for contact lenses, after wearing eyeglasses since I was in third grade. The day it was accomplished the doctor – a kindly, rather enthusiastic man called me to his desk and […]
First published in Tulay Monthly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 1, no. 1 (June 12, 1988): 3, 9. Archaeological and anthropological studies as well as ancient Chinese re-cords indicate that thousands of years before the Spaniards set foot on the Philippine islands, the Chinese were already plying the route from Southern China to all parts of the Philippines […]
In 1948, a few years after the close of World War II, the number of the Chinese in the Philippines decreased in proportion to the country’s total population. Of the 121,702 Chinese in the Philippines, 2,126 were cooks and 963 were carpenters. Interestingly, there were 1,114 Chinese bankers, 1,669 domestic helpers, 181 family drivers, 99 […]
In the minds of many people, there is a prevailing perception that most, if not all, the Chinese in our country are businessmen. But is it true? Based on the 1903 census, among the 41,035 Chinese in the Philippines, there were 2,931 cooks, 2,508 carpenters, 1,363 shoemakers, 1,355 messengers, 998 servants, 549 bakers, 495 blacksmiths, […]
First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 14, no. 18 (February 19, 2002): 8-9, 13. It’s Valentine’s Day. Tulay looks into several facets of Tsinoy relationships. Jackie Co’s “Queridas” depicts the colorful and deceitful life of mistresses. A mother writes to her daughter about race relations in life and in love while Stephanie writes to […]
First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest, August 6, 2002, p. 11 Selbevußstein,” my philosophy professor intoned in that stiff, upper-lipped German way, and I was positively enamored. It reminded me of the time when as a child, I would pass by the Goethe Institute and wonder if I should study guttural German when I […]
First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 23, no. 13, (December 7-20, 2010), 5. The Chinese surname 許 (Co in Hokkien, Xu in Mandarin) ranks ninth among the Chinese surnames in the Philippines and 28th in China. Of the Philippines’ 15 presidents, two are heirs of the surname Co – Corazon Cojuangco Aquino and Benigno […]
Chinese surname 余 (Yi in both Hokkien and Mandarin) ranks 29th among Chinese in the Philippines and 40th in China. Most Tsinoys with surname Yi in the Philippines are Cantonese. The Cantonese pronunciation of 余 is also Yi, and spelled Yee, Yi, or Yu. The origin of surname Yu originated from a famous government official […]
T he holiday season is a good time to get together with friends, family, colleagues. It is also a time for sharing with the less fortunate. Here are a few tips to keep the times merry, avoiding hazards that can spoil the season. Kitchen safety. In many households, the kitchen is busier as food is prepared […]