We are fond of collecting and looking into books on Philippine local history. Almost without exception, we find materials or information on the ethnic Chinese in these books, whether they are about history, description of localities in a province, a city or municipality. Moreover, those materials or information about the Chinese in local history are […]
In 265 B.C., during the Warring States Period, Xiao Cheng Wang (孝成王) ascended the throne in the state of Zhao (趙). But it was his mother, Zhao Tai Hou (趙太后) or the Empress Dowager, who was the real power behind the throne. Qin (秦), the strongest state then, took advantage of the situation and dispatched […]
Like many Filipinos, the country’s next president, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, is multiracial. In his case, though, Duterte is even more Chinese than President Benigno S. Aquino III. “My mother is a half-Maranao and half-Chinese. The lineage of incoming president Duterte would be half Cebuano from his father’s side and 25 percent Maranao and 25 percent […]
During the reign of Emperor Han Ai Di (漢哀帝 6-2 B.C.), He Bing (何并) was appointed as governor of Ying Chuan (颖川) prefecture. At the time, Zhong Yuan (鍾元), a native from Ying Chuan, concurrently held the positions of minister and military officer of the imperial court. He wielded great power and influence in the […]
Do you know how many Chinese in the Philippines lost their lives and properties during the three years of Japanese occupation? The “Summary of Overseas Chinese Affairs Statistics of 1946” report published by the Taiwan Overseas Affairs Office reveals that 12,000 of the 117,463 Chinese in the Philippines died during the Japanese occupation. This accounts […]
Mei Lan Fang (梅蘭芳 1894-1961) was a famed Peking Opera actor in China. When the Japanese invaded China and occupied Shanghai, Mei stopped his stage performances and lived in seclusion at home. Chu Min Yi (褚民誼), the executive secretary and minister of foreign affairs of the puppet government then under Wang Jing Wei (汪精衞), attempted […]
The May 30th Movement (五卅運動) was a major labor and anti-imperialist movement sparked by the killing of Chinese protesters at the Shanghai International Settlement (or concession) on May 30, 1925. The protesters were demonstrating against the Japanese No. 8 Cotton Mill whose Japanese foreman shot dead Gu Zhenghong (顧正紅), a labor leader, on May 15. […]
First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest | January 19-February 1, 2016 | vol. 28 nos. 15-16 | It is well known that Pedro Paterno, a prominent leader of the Propaganda Movement of the 19th century, is a Chinese mestizo, just like many leaders and famous figures of the movement. Not as known is the […]
The famous Chinese Volunteer Fire Brigade was organized mainly because of two fires that almost devastated Chinatown in Manila – the 1962 fire in Divisoria and the 1968 fire that started on Ongpin Street. These made the Chinese community realize they had to rely on themselves and get organized to effectively fight the fires they […]
First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino DigestSeptember 20-October 3, 2016 | vol. 29, No. 8 issue On April 24, 1911, Lin Jue Min (林覺民), then 24, a native of Fujian and schooled also in Japan, wrote his father and his wife a farewell letter (與妻訣別書) before joining the Guangzhou (Canton) uprising against the Manchu regime.Part […]