XAVERIAN'S CORNER

Tracing the Roots of the Tsinoy
Marty Go (7G) , Hoofprint Staffer

Posted Thursday, 15-Dec-2005 11:50 AM

      Last December 1, the grade 7 students, had a field trip to historic Intramuros. Three places were visited: Bahay Tsinoy, San Agustin Church and Museum and Fort Bonifacio, which are all found in Intramuros. The field trip was made in relation the lesson on Chinese-Filipino(Tsinoy) history.

       The place where we learned many things which were important to our Chinese heritage was Bahay Tsinoy. The place was a museum dedicated to the Chinese Filipinos, the Ethnic Chinese. It contained many facts about the lifestyle of the Chinese who lived here in the Philippines a long, long time before the time of the Spaniards until the present. This museum is a tribute to the Tsinoys because of what they have accomplished in the country. There are so many important things that the Chinese contributed which have influenced the Filipino- Chinese of today.

       Next stop is San Agustin Church and Museum. In the church, we discovered that a Chinese built the San Agustin church. Proof of this is the two Chinese stone lions in the entrance of the gate and church. When we came in, we also discovered that a body of a hero is buried in the church beside the altar. He is none other than Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, the founder of Manila. Actually we saw not only only one grave but dozens of others. The museum was filled with so many interesting artifacts that tell what happened in the past, not only the history of the church but of the country as well. Outside the museum was a really beautiful garden full of plants and flowers, which was named after Fr. Blanco, who was a priest dedicated to plants.

       In Fort Santiago, one can see very well that the place was used as a prison during the Spanish and Japanese times. The place can really put anyone back in time and discover events of the past. The place is really full of deep history and fascinating to explore.

       What I especially learned about the whole field trip was to be thankful of my Tsinoy roots. The Chinese have contributed so much to our past and present. If they had not been a part of our past, we wouldn't be what we are today. They have shared their culture with us and this country for as long as we can remember. They call this place home.

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