Changing Chinatowns

Philippines

Named after the Filipino word binundok, meaning mountainous, Binondo was established in 1594 by Spanish colonizers as a permanent settlement for Chinese traders in the Philippines.

Historians say the enclave was situated just across the Pasig River from the seat of the Spanish colonial government so officials could keep an eye on immigrants.

Intermarriage between new arrivals and locals gave birth to a vibrant fusion of Chinese and Filipino cultures that has defined aspects of life in Manila's Chinatown. The area is home to some 20,000 people today.

The best way to get to know Binondo is through its food. After all, some of Manila's oldest restaurants first opened in Chinatown — they were called panciterias because they sold pancit, or noodles. The oldest restaurant in the country, Toho Panciteria Antigua, opened in 1888 and is still serving customers to this day.

"When the Chinese came to Manila, they brought with them their ancestral culture and adapted to the local culture as well. You see it in the expressions of religion and food here in Binondo," cultural expert and Chinatown tour guide Ivan Man Dy, 46, told The Straits Times.

Dy, whose Chinese grandfather moved from Fujian to the Philippines in the 1930s, has conducted his famed Old Manila Walks and Tours for 19 years.

Binondo's narrow streets are lined with shops and stalls selling goods with quintessentially Chinese characteristics, from medicine to snacks like kwek-kwek (quail eggs deep-fried in crispy orange batter). People pray and light incense at streetside Buddhist shrines that often also display crosses and other Catholic imagery.

While social media helps to keep businesses alive, establishments must also come up with new ways to tantalize the crowds, said content creator and architect Mitch Ngo, 27, known as The Chinita Foodie online. She has drawn more than three million views for her foodie walking tour in Binondo, which she shares on social media.

" (They) have to do something new, or something that will catch people's attention, so (people) will buy from (them)," Ngo said.

New establishments like Apologue Coffee and Pastry, whose interior resembles a combination of library and apothecary, have also added to the Binondo buzz.

The cafe's menu pays homage to Binondo's Chinese-Filipino history through creations such as its signature Binondo Latte, which uses sticky ube with milk and espresso, and its Pei Pa Koa Latte, featuring the traditional Chinese herbal syrup used for cough and sore throat.