This Binondo museum shows us the birth of Philippine economy

You may consider the Philippines’ current relationship with China, strained at best. But hundreds of years ago, both countries enjoyed a harmonious and productive relationship, and Binondo, a tiny district in the middle of Manila, was at the center of it all.

This Filipino-Chinese relationship and its enduring impact on the rest of the country for centuries to come is explored in the Chinatown Museum, created by township developer Megaworld as part of its series of museum ventures all over the country, following the opening of the Iloilo Museum for Contemporary Art in Mandurriao last year.

Binondo’s new interactive museum, located in Lucky Chinatown Mall, has 18 galleries that feature historical events and scenes that were pivotal in shaping the cultural and economic thread of Binondo.

What is highlighted in most of the exhibits are the trade and industries that were born in Binondo, directly contributing to the economy as a whole and indirectly as well, since many of our business leaders and tycoons lived and grew up in that district (Megaworld’s Andrew Tan included). 

The museum hopes to drive tourism to Chinatown, and reveal to visitors the importance of Binondo in our history.

“Today, we look at Manila, and it’s so deteriorated but we should realize that in fact, Manila is such an important city in the world,” explains anthropology professor Dr. Fernando Zialcita at the launch. “This museum reinforces something I’ve always believed in since childhood: that Binondo is really unique. It’s such a small place, it’s just an island, but it’s so diverse—there are furniture makers, opium dens, restaurants, pharmaceuticals, wonderful shops, then religion—everything is here in this little island.”

In the shadow of Catholicism

In one of the first galleries in the museum, a looming replica of Binondo Church dominates the space in lieu of a Chinese pagoda or temple, and the scent of fresh sampaguitas hanging from baskets complete the experience. The exhibit recounts how Dominican priests founded Binondo Church in a mission to convert almost all of the Chinese population in the area to Catholicism.

A Silk Market under surveillance, and opium dens

The Alcaiceria Gallery represents the Alcaiceria de San Fernando, a market constructed in 1752 under a Royal Decree to serve transient Chinese wherein they could conduct their trade in a spot that was far from the military in Intramuros, but where they can still be closely monitored. “Alcaiceria” loosely translates to “silk market,” and though this was strictly controlled within its eight walls, this blossomed into various trades that gave birth to many industries in the country.

Here, an archway opens to an exhibit filled with baskets and bolts of silk, with a traditional tailoring shop beside it. And tucked into a nook is a reproduction of a dimly lit opium den—a “trade” that is not often discussed in history, although these smoking dens were ubiquitous in colonial Binondo (the Alcaiceria even had a legalized opium lab within it back in the day).

One of the highlights of the area is the tobacco industry exhibit, which holds artifacts such as tobacco-making paraphernalia and vintage tobacco labels. Museum curator Janine Cabato says these pieces “…came from only one collector, and this collector was very generous. They have no way of showing these items, but this is what the museum is for.” Binondo was an important part of the tobacco industry as it was the site of La Insular, one of the biggest tobacco factories in the country.

Mestizo de Sangley

A room decorated like a sala of an affluent family from the 1800s serves as a gallery dedicated to the Mestizos de Sangley, which describes those born from a Chinese father and a native Filipina mother. Once used as a derogatory term in the Spanish Colonial era, succeeding generations of this mixed Chinese ancestry were privileged to have better education and social status, which helped them pave the way for a more progressive country. 

On one wall is a display of whimsical figures that were reproduced from Tipos del Pais, Spanish colonial paintings by the likes of Justiniano Asuncion and Damian Domingo showing Filipino residents in various vernacular dress, from the mestizas and the ilustrados to the indios and merchant Chinese.

The Wall Street of the Philippines

A wall panel decorated with paper bills of various Philippine currencies through the years represents the economic power of Chinatown with the Manila Stock Exchange, which was established in Binondo at the Insular Life Building on Plaza Cervantes in 1927. Because of this, Escolta Street in Binondo was called the “Wall Street of the Philippines,” with the Manila Stock Exchange transferring to Tektite Tower in Pasig City only as late as 1992 (the “younger” Makati Stock Exchange was opened in Ayala Avenue in 1963).

The many iconic buildings of the pre-war Commercial Business District are featured in the Escolta gallery, which is equipped with Buddha Boards wherein museum visitors can try their hand at calligraphy, or in painting the old Binondo landscapes. One such building that is still operational, and which has been transformed into a cultural hub is the First United Building (FUB), formerly called the Perez-Samanillo building, is still owned by the Sy-Lianting family until now.

Panciteria, panaderia, hopia

Food is the highlight of every Chinatown, and the Flavors of Binondo Gallery does not disappoint. One exhibit is built to mimic an authentic panciteria complete with pancit canton, chicken feet, various baskets of dimsum, and Peking duck drying by the window—all mouth-watering but made of plastic. The exhibit of Polland, Binondo’s famous hopia seller is especially delightful with its glass estantes filled with its hopia variants and the evolution of its packaging from 1971 to present.

Rotating galleries to celebrate a community

Aside from the permanent exhibits, there are four other galleries that hold rotating exhibits that change every three to four months. The first is of St. Stephen’s High School and the contribution of its illustrious alumni to society in the Rosario Gallery; the second is of “Galing Binondo” vintage postcard exhibit in collaboration with PHLpost in the Meisic Gallery; and the third is a contemporary take on the Tipos del Pais by Bernadette Selina-Wolf paint on coconut shells.

“The main goal of the museum is to tap the community, so for the opening exhibit, we have St. Stephen’s High School,” says Cabato. “We also want to hopefully, tap other societies and communities to exhibit, because this museum is really about Chinatown as a community.”

“What I like about the museum is that it’s site specific because it’s focused on a specific district,” Dr. Zialcita adds. “I think we need district museums because people have to know how their district began. What were the different achievements of the district? Who were the people who lived in the area before? That gives a better sense of urban pride.” And pride of a culture is what the Chinatown Museum celebrates—a culture that is mixed, but still very Filipino, nonetheless. — LA, GMA News

Lucky Chinatown Mall Bldg. A, Reigna Regente cor. Dela Reina Streets, Binondo, Manila. Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm.  P150 for adults and P100 for students. Visit their website at chinatownmuseum.org.