Popular Culture

• Chinese and Japanese have traded and have had cross-cultural interactions with the people groups in the Philippines for centuries, so there is plenty of influence from China and Japan
• Most of the Chinese influence in the Philippines comes from Hokkien Chinese culture, and generally Southern Chinese culture
• Philippine Hokkien


  A local dialect of Chinese Hokkien, and is a heritage language for many Chinese Filipinos

  
• 哥仔 (ko ͘-iá)

  Kuya

  
• 阿姊 (a-chí)

  Ate
• Hokkien Chinese words have made their way into the vocabularies of many local Filipino languages, including Tagalog, Cebuano, and Kapampangan

  
• Words for older brother and older sister in Tagalog, Cebuano, and Kapampangan


  • Kuya
  • Ate
  • Koya
• Hokkien loanwords in Tagalog

  • Buwisit
  • Ginto
  • Pakyaw
  • Hikaw

  
• Buwisit


  Out of luck, unlucky
• Ginto


  Gold bar
• Pakyaw


  To submit by bundles, wholesale buying
• A unique aspect to the mixing of cultures in the Philippines is the existence of Hispanicized-Hokkien surnames, Hokkien inspired surnames which only exist in the Philippines due to this cultural exchange

  
• Hispanicized-Hokkien surnames in the Philippines

  • Cojuangco
  • Ganzon
  • Limsiaco
  • Pechangco
  • Tancingco

  
• Other surnames of Chinese origin in the Philippines

  • Chua
  • Dizon
  • Yap
  • Tan
  • Lim
  • Sy
  • Ong
  • Uy
• Rare ceramics from the 14th century found on the Pandanan shipwreck site in Palawan, now on display at the National Museum of the Philippines
• Ancient ceramics from Fujian found in the Philippines date back to the Song and Yuan Dynasties

  
• The oldest Chinatown in the World is in the Philippines in Manila. Binondo (岷 倫 洛) was established as a settlement opposite Intramuros on the Pasig River
• The Spanish era was when waves of Chinese immigrants settled in the Philippines and set up new livelihoods and businesses, and many of these people's descendants would become influential in Filipino history
• Chinese architectural elements in the Philippines

  • Chinatown Arch in Binondo, Manila
  • Guardian lion statues in front of Spanish-era churches
  • Carved Ivory Madonna with Chinese facial features
  • Capiz shell windows on bahay-na-bato style homes
  • Curved roofs reminiscent of Chinese-style roofs

  
• The octagonal bell-shaped tower in Binondo Church reflects this pagoda-like Chinese influence in style
• Papel de Japon has traditionally been associated with Christmas. Originating in Japan, papel de japon has been used to decorate parol lanterns
• Siopao


  The local Filipino version of the Chinese baozi or steamed bun with filling
• Pancit


  The local version of noodles, coming from Hokkien pân si̍t (便食), meaning "dish that is conveniently cooked", literally "easy food"

  
• Lumpia


  The local version of spring rolls, coming from Hokkien lūn-piá (潤 餅)
• Batchoy


  A noodle soup dish made with pork offal, chicken stock, and pork cracklings, with the etymology coming from the Hokkien word Bah-chúi (肉 水)

  
• Lomi


  Thick egg noodles eaten at carinderias, especially in Batangas, coming from the Hokkien word 撈 麵

  
• Balut originally comes from Southern China. This duck embryo dish has spread to the Philippines, Vietnam, and Cambodia
• Siomai


  A common street food item in the Philippines, coming from Hokkien sio-māi or Cantonese siu¹ maai⁶⁻² (燒賣)
• Lugaw


  Derived from Chinese rice congee
• Mami


  A noodle soup attributed to a Chinese immigrant Ma Mon Luk and is made with wheat flour noodles and includes wonton dumplings

  
• Kutsinta


  A rice cake made from tapioca and rice flour, coming from the Hokkien word kué-tsín-thâu (粿掌頭)
• Soy sauce


  A major ingredient in Filipino cuisine, with the Tagalog word toyo coming from the Hokkien tāu-iû (豆油)
• Halo-halo


  A local version of the Japanese kakigori, created by Japanese immigrants in the Philippines in the 1920s

  
• Kawali


  The local version of the Chinese wok or frying pan, with the term coming from the Malay word kuali, which also comes from the Tamil word kuvaḷai (குவளை)
• Dishes such as pancit and lomi have been traditionally eaten with chopsticks, with the Tagalog word for chopsticks being "sipit"
• Round fruits are on display during New Year celebrations, coming from a Chinese superstition that round things symbolize good luck
• Eating Pancit on someone's birthday is meant to give them a long life
• Ang Pao (红包) are used to hold aguinaldo, or Christmas money, during Christmas
• Even feng shui principles have influenced the design of buildings and how to create a harmonious space in the Philippines
• Mahjong is also a common game played in the Philippines, with a local version of the game