Binondo

Binondo
Constituent andCentral BusinessDistrict ofManila
Other transcription(s)
•Chinese	Mân luân Lạc
Binondo skyline at night
Nickname: Chinatown
Location withinManila
Country	Philippines
Region	National Capital Region
City	Manila
Congressional District	Part of3rd District of Manila
Barangays	10
Founded	1594
Founded by	Luis Pérez Dasmariñas
Area
• Total	0.66 km2(0.26 sq mi)
Population (2020)
• Total	20,491
• Density	31,000/km2(79,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+08:00(Philippine Standard Time)
Zip codes	1006
Area codes	2
Languages	Hokkien Tagalog Mandarin

Binondo
Traditional Chinese	MânLuânLạcKhu
Simplified Chinese	MânLuânLạcKhu
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Mínlúnluò Qū Bopomofo ㄇㄧㄣˊ ㄌㄨㄣˊ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄑㄩ Wade–Giles Min2-lun2-lo4Ch'ü1 IPA [mǐn.lwə̌n.lwô tɕʰý] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Màhn lèuhn lok kēui āu Jyutping Man4 leon4 lok3 keoi1 au1 IPA [mɐn˩ lɵn˩ lɔk̚˧ kʰɵɥ˥ ɐw˥] Southern Min HokkienPOJ Bîn-lûn-lo̍h-khu

Binondo(Chinese:Mân luân Lạc;pinyin:Mínlúnluò;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:Bîn-lûn-lo̍h) is a district inManilaand is referred to as the city'sChinatown.Its influence extends beyond to the places ofQuiapo,Santa Cruz,San NicolasandTondo.It is the oldestChinatownin the world, established in 1594by the Spaniards as a settlement nearIntramurosbut across thePasig Riverfor Catholic Chinese; it was positioned so that the colonial administration could keep a close eye on their migrant subjects.It was already a hub of Chinese commerce even before the Spanish colonial period. Binondo is the center of commerce and trade ofManila,where all types of business run byChinese Filipinosthrive.

Noted residents includeSaint Lorenzo Ruiz,the Filipinoprotomartyr,andVenerableMother Ignacia del Espiritu Santo,founder of the Congregation of theReligious of the Virgin Mary.

Etymology

Numerous theories on the origin of the name "Binondo", and that of "Tondo", its neighboring district, have been put forward. Philippine National ArtistNick Joaquinsuggested that the names might have been derived from the archaic spelling of theTagalogterm "binondoc"(modern orthography:binundók), or mountainous, referring to Binondo's originally hilly terrain.French linguist Jean-Paul Potet, however, has suggested that the river mangrove (Aegiceras corniculatum), which at the time was called "tundok" ( "tinduk-tindukan" today), is the most likely origin of the term, with the 'Bi- "prefix in" Binondo "indicating Binondo's location relative to Tondo.

History

TheEscolta,the 'Broadway of Manila' (c. 1899)

Bridge of Binondoc in Manila, early 19th century. Original caption:Pont de Binondoc à Manille.FromAventures d'un Gentilhomme Breton aux iles Philippines(1855) byPaul de la Gironière.

Calle Rosario (Modern-day Q. Paredes St.), 1915

Founded in 1594, Binondo was created by Spanish GovernorLuis Pérez Dasmariñasas a permanent settlement for Chinese immigrants (the Spanish called the Chinesesangleys) whoconvertedtoCatholicism.It was across the river from the walled city ofIntramuros,where the Spaniards resided. Originally it was intended to replace thePariannear Intramuros, whereSangleyChinesemerchants and artisans were first confined. The Spanish gave a land grant for Binondo to a group of Chinese merchants and artisans in perpetuity, tax-free and with limited self-governing privileges. The area also served as a midpoint in betweenParián(modern-dayArroceros Urban Forest Park) andSan Nicolas,since way beforethe Spanish conquest of Manila in theBattle of Manila (1570),a Sangley Chinese community had already settled in Baybay (former name ofSan Nicolas, Manila)nearTondoon the north bank of thePasig riverdirectly on Binondo's west.

The SpanishDominicanfathers made Binondo their parish and succeeded in converting many of the residents to Catholicism. Binondo soon became the place where Chinese immigrants converted to Catholicism, intermarried withindigenousFilipino women and had children, who became the Chinesemestizocommunity. Over the years, the Chinese mestizo population of Binondo grew rapidly. This was caused mainly because the lack of Chinese immigrant females and the Spanish officials' policy of expelling or killing (in conflicts) Chinese immigrants who refused to convert.

In 1603, a Chinese revolt took place led by Juan Suntay, a wealthy Chinese Catholic. It was put down by joint Spanish and Filipino forces led byLuis Pérez Dasmariñas.In the aftermath most of the 20,000 Chinese that composed the colony were killed. The revolt took place right after a visit to Manila by three official Chinese representatives who disclosed they were searching for "a mountain of gold". This strange claim prompted the Spanish to conclude that there was an imminent invasion from China in the making. At the time the local Chinese outnumbered the Spaniards by twenty to one, and Spanish authorities feared that they would join the invading forces.The Chinese afterward played down those events in an attempt to preserve their commercial interests. In 1605, a Fukien official issued a letter claiming that the Chinese who had participated in the revolt were unworthy of China's protection, describing them as "deserters of the tombs of their ancestors".

During the briefBritish occupation of Manila,between 1762 and 1764, Binondo was damaged during thecapture of the city.The new governor of Manila,Dawsonne Drake,formed a war council which he termed the "ChottryCourt ". Drake imprisoned several Manilans on charges known" only known to himself ", according Captain Thomas Backhouse, who denounced Drake's courtas a sham. Binondo became the main center for business and finance in Manila for the ethnic Chinese, Chinese mestizos and Spanish Filipinos. During the Spanish colonial period, manyesteros(canals) were constructed in the Binondo area, from where they entered thePasig River.Among the many who married at the historic Binondo Church wasAndres Bonifacioin 1895, who became a hero of thePhilippine Revolution.

BeforeWorld War II,Binondo was the center of a banking and financial community which included insurance companies, commercial banks and other financial institutions from Britain and the United States. These banks were located mostly alongEscólta,which used to be called the "Wall Street of the Philippines".

After the war and new development, most businesses began to relocate to the newerZobel de Ayala family-ledareaofMakati.During the financial crisis of the early 1980s under thepresidency of Ferdinand Marcos,it had the moniker "Binondo Central Bank", as the local Chinese businessmen engaged in massiveblack markettrading of US dollars, which often determined the national peso-dollar exchange rate. Given its rich historical and financial significance, Binondo is said to have one of the highest land values nationwide.

The Binondo was plot setting for the episode "Mata" and "Mukha" of the 2010 horror filmCinco.

Barangays

The most populatedbarangayin Binondo is Barangay 293.
Zone 27:287, 288, 289, 290, 291
Zone 28:292, 293, 294, 295, 296

Zone/Barangay	Land area (km2)	Population (2020 census)
Zone 27
Barangay 287	0.1277 km2	2,546
Barangay 288	0.03718 km2	2,538
Barangay 289	0.04449 km2	1,017
Barangay 290	0.05753 km2	1,093
Barangay 291	0.1064 km2	2,279
Zone 28
Barangay 292	0.05359 km2	2,846
Barangay 293	0.1273 km2	3,465
Barangay 294	0.05067 km2	1,881
Barangay 295	0.02587 km2	1,531
Barangay 296	0.03502 km2	1,195

Places of interest and events

Celebration of Chinese New Year in Binondo, Manila (2024)

• Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz
• Plaza Moraga
• Plaza Cervantes
• Binondo Church
• Escolta Street
• Ongpin Street - Various Chinese vendor establishments and Chinese commercial space/building on the area. Several tea houses, restaurants, and hawker-style stalls that serve authenticdimsumand Chinese cuisine can be found along Ongpin Street. As such, this area has become popular as a gastronomic and cultural hotspot. Locals and tourists are known to embark on a what is called as aBinondo Food Crawlto sample the cuisine along Ongpin Street.
• Chinese New Year
• Lucky Chinatown Mall
• Chinatown Arch
• Jones Bridge
• One Financial CenterManila Chinatown by Anchor Land is a 45-story Grade-Aofficeat 531 Quintin Paredes Street, Binondo, the tallest inManila.It features sleek, low-e-glass curtain wallfaçade, with lobby drop-off and 9multistorey car parkwith 5 high-speedelevators.

In literature

Binondo was mentioned several times in the novels of Dr.José Rizal,for example, inNoli Me TangereandEl Filibusterismo.

Gallery

• 
  A street sign in Chinatown
• 
  Binondo, with theManila City Halland theUnited Nations station
• 
  Binondo, withQuiapo, Manila,thePasig Riverand theArroceros Forest Park
• 
  Chinatown(Plaza Santa Cruz), Third Welcome Gate (Arch of Goodwill) to Ongpin Street towards Binondo
• 
  Buildings along the Pasig River in Escolta
• 
  Manila Chinatown Welcome Arch during the Chinese New Year (2020)

See also

• El Hogar Filipino Building
• Juan Luna Building(next to El Hogar Building)
• Davao Chinatown
• Philippine Hokkien
• Hokaglish
• List of ethnic enclaves in Philippine cities

Sources

• Van der Loon, Piet (1966)."The Manila Incunabula and Early Hokkien Studies, Part 1"(PDF).Asia Major.New Series.12:1–43.

External links

• Media related toBinondoat Wikimedia Commons
• Binondotravel guide from Wikivoyage