Binondo

Binondo (Chinese: 岷倫洛; pinyin: Mínlúnluò; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Bîn-lûn-lo̍h; Tagalog: Distrito ng Binondo) is a district in Manila and is referred to as the city's Chinatown.^[2] Its influence extends beyond to the places of Quiapo, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas and Tondo. It is the oldest Chinatown in the world, established in 1594^[3][4][5][6] by the Spaniards as a settlement near Intramuros but across the Pasig River for Catholic Chinese; it was positioned so that the colonial administration could keep a close eye on their migrant subjects.^[7] It was already a hub of Chinese commerce even before the Spanish colonial period. Binondo is the center of commerce and trade of Manila, where all types of business run by Chinese Filipinos thrive.

Binondo
Constituent and Central Business District of Manila
Other transcription(s)
• Chinese	岷倫洛
Filipino-Chinese Friendship Arch
Nickname:  Chinatown
Location within Manila
Country	Philippines
Region	National Capital Region
City	Manila
Congressional District	Part of 3rd District of Manila
Barangays	10
Founded	1594
Founded by	Luis Pérez Dasmariñas
Area
• Total	0.66 km2 (0.26 sq mi)
Population  (2020[1])
• 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	岷倫洛區
Simplified Chinese	岷伦洛区
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Mínlúnluò Qū Bopomofo ㄇㄧㄣˊ ㄌㄨㄣˊ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄑㄩ Wade–Giles Min2-lun2-lo4 Ch'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 Hokkien POJ Bîn-lûn-lo̍h-khu

Noted residents include Saint Lorenzo Ruiz, the Filipino protomartyr, and Venerable Mother Ignacia del Espiritu Santo, founder of the Congregation of the Religious 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 Artist Nick Joaquin suggested that the names might have been derived from the archaic spelling of the Tagalog term "binondoc" (modern orthography: binundók), or mountainous, referring to Binondo's originally hilly terrain.^[8][9] 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.^[10]

History

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

Founded in 1594, Binondo was created by Spanish Governor Luis Pérez Dasmariñas as a permanent settlement for Chinese immigrants (the Spanish called the Chinese sangleys) who converted to Catholicism. It was across the river from the walled city of Intramuros, where the Spaniards resided.

Originally it was intended to replace the Parian near Intramuros, where Sangley Chinese merchants 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 between Parián (modern-day Arroceros Urban Forest Park) and San Nicolas, since way before the Spanish conquest of Manila in the Battle of Manila (1570), a Sangley Chinese community had already settled in Baybay (former name of San Nicolas, Manila) near Tondo on the north bank of the Pasig river directly on Binondo's west.^[11]

The Spanish Dominican fathers 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 with indigenous Filipino women and had children, who became the Chinese mestizo community. 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 Chinese immigrants who refused to convert and casualties during Chinese revolts against the Spanish.

Plaza Caldero de la Barca in Binondo with the view of Binondo Church

In 1603, a Chinese revolt took place led by Juan Suntay, a wealthy Chinese Catholic. The Chinese were at first successful and slaughtered the Spanish governor general Luis Pérez Dasmariñas and his Spanish forces. 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 and Luis tried attacking the Chinese first. At the time the local Chinese outnumbered the Spaniards by twenty to one, and Spanish authorities feared that they would join the invading forces. However, Filipinos loyal to the Spanish outnumbered the Chinese and the Filipinos saved the surviving Spanish and put down the revolt. In the aftermath most of the 20,000 Chinese that composed the colony were killed.^[12] 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".^[13] New Chinese migrants repopulated Binondo.

During the brief British occupation of Manila, between 1762 and 1764, Binondo was damaged during the capture of the city. The new governor of Manila, Dawsonne Drake, formed a war council which he termed the "Chottry Court". Drake imprisoned several Manilans on charges known "only known to himself", according Captain Thomas Backhouse, who denounced Drake's court as a sham.^[14]

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, many esteros (canals) were constructed in the Binondo area, from where they entered the Pasig River. Among the many who married at the historic Binondo Church was Andres Bonifacio in 1895, who became a hero of the Philippine Revolution.

Calle Rosario (modern-day Quintin Paredes Street), 1915

Before World 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 along Escólta, which used to be called the "Wall Street of the Philippines".

After the war and new development, most businesses began to relocate to the newer Zobel de Ayala family-led area of Makati. During the financial crisis of the early 1980s under the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, it had the moniker "Binondo Central Bank",^[15] as the local Chinese businessmen engaged in massive black market trading 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 film Cinco.

Barangays

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

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 authentic dimsum and 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 a Binondo Food Crawl^[16] to sample the cuisine along Ongpin Street.
• Chinese New Year
• Lucky Chinatown Mall
• Chinatown Arch
• Jones Bridge
• One Financial Center Manila Chinatown by Anchor Land is a 45-story Grade-A office at 531 Quintin Paredes Street, Binondo, the tallest in Manila. It features sleek, low-e-glass curtain wall façade, with lobby drop-off and 9 multistorey car park with 5 high-speed elevators.^[17]

In literature

Binondo was mentioned several times in the novels of Dr. José Rizal, for example, in Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.

Gallery

• 
  A street sign in Chinatown
• 
  Binondo, with the Manila City Hall and the United Nations station
• 
  Binondo, with Quiapo, Santa Cruz, the Pasig River, and the Arroceros Forest Park
• 
  Buildings along the Pasig River in Escolta
• 
  Manila Chinatown Welcome Arch during the Chinese New Year (2020)
• 
  Buildings along the Pasig River at night with the Binondo-Intramuros bridge at far right

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