Chinese Roots Run Deep in Cebu
Long before the Spaniards came to Philippine shores, the Chinese were here centuries before the latter to do business with Filipinos. Coming in even way before the year 1000, China had “harmonious trade and tribute relations” with Southeast Asia.
But there have been records too that establish that Filipinos have also gone to China for tribute missions. Cited in Chinese annals, the earliest of several of such journeys were sent by at least 10 rajahs and sultans from the 11th to 15th century.
Nevertheless, the Chinese traders who came to the country became “cultural brokers who introduced a wealth of knowledge and technology to the natives,” according to “Tsinoy: the Story of the Chinese in Philippine Life.” And these Chinese contributions to Filipino culture are the former’s lasting legacy to a country that had been thoroughly bombarded by Western influences.
The Chinese’s first and most obvious influence, especially early on in Philippine history, is largely economic, especially in the extension of credit. Early pioneering industries were in textile, lumber, hardware, cigar, and cigarette manufacturing.
Down the line, when some of the traders settled and intermarried with the natives, “they build better houses and taught their families technology… for better ways of living.” These technologies were bringing water down from the mountain; jewelry-making; commercial farming, fruit growing and vegetable gardening; sugar extraction and refining; and masonry. That is why there are lot of Filipino words borrowed from Chinese vocabulary related to the transferred technology, such as “pothaw” (steel), vegetables “petsay” and “toge,” and “kaha” (cauldron).
Of course, Chinese cuisine was a massive influence. It has brought the varieties of “pancit” – “miki,” “misua,” “mami,” “bihon,” “lomi,” “sotanghon”; processed foods from soy beans – “taho” and “tuyo”; and Filipino favorite feasts – “siopao,” “siomai,” “batsoy,” and “lumpia.”
Chinese elements were also found in objects used in everyday life – “bakya” and “sabun.”
On May 25, during “Gabii sa Kabilin,” the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (Sacred Heart Parish) will showcase Chinese influences in Filipino life through a variety of exhibitions: 1st station – history of the church and close ties with the Chinese community; 2nd station – venerating ancestors; 3rd station – lives of different Jesuit missionaries; and 4th and 5th stations – Chinese influences in society through food, words, and many others. In the 5th station – a sakayan will be displayed.
Fr. Felipe Bacalso, S.J., assistant parish priest, added, “The Jesuits in Cebu are almost synonymous with the Chinese. This might be because the first Jesuit missionaries in Cebu came from China, and worked with the Chinese communities here.”
Gabii sa Kabilin opens the doors of 27 participating museums and sites from 6 p.m. to 12 midnight to visitors with the P150 ticket. The theme of this year’s “Gabii sa Kabilin” is “Balangay,” a tribute to Cebu’s pre-colonial culture and in preparation for the 500th anniversary of Magellan’s arrival and Chistianization of the Philippines. “Gabii sa Kabilin” is spearheaded by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI).