Philippine E-Journals

An Overview of Binondo’s History

Teresita Ang See | Richar T. Chu

Discipline: Philippine History

 

Abstract:

Binondo in recent years is associated with 168 Mall and Tutuban Shopping Mall, a new phenomenon related to the influx of new Chinese immigrants to the Philippines, as well as the corollary increase in the number of Overseas Filipino Workers’ (OFW) families. This paper explores the different factors that contribute to the creation, expansion, diminution, revitalization – in short, the ever-changing dynamics that make up Binondo and the Chinatown within it. Tracing first the historical developments, like the rise of Chinese immigration and the convenience of travel in the 19th century, through the American and Japanese occupation and the challenges of the post-war era, the paper highlights the changes that have happened and are happening in the heartland of the ethnic Chinese minority in the country. In particular, the paper elucidates why and how the community of Tsinoys have evolved through generations of close interaction with their fellow Filipinos.