⌛ Ongpin: Philippine's Little China

Every country just wouldn’t be complete without a little China town. The little China towns all over the world just show us the influence of China. The little China towns offer us little experiences and glimpses of the real China.

Aside from the cultural experiences, these little China towns offer great and interesting foods as well. Let’s admit it; we all crave for Chinese food once in a while. However there are some Chinese foods that may be too weird for our taste like Rhinoceros. However those weird Chinese foods do offer some medicinal benefits.

In the Philippines, they have that little China Town as well. The Philippines is a nearby neighbor of China. That’s why lots of Chinese mainlanders have decided to migrate to the Philippines back in the days. As the time progressed, the numbers of Chinese migrants eventually became countless.

So these countless Chinese migrants decided to build their own little China to prevent them from missing the original China. The place where the Chinese built their place here was originally called Binundok. If translated, this means isle of Binondo.

The place is a like a maze with lots of narrow streets and alleyways. In all of these places, you can find all sorts of business establishments. The place is great for bargain hunters. At the heart of Binondo lies Ongpin. This place sells herbs, gold or silver products, delectable foods and exotic remedies.

Even though the town is small, it still has its shares of sights where one can check out. Here are some of the places that you might to check out while shopping at Binondo.

1. The Buddhist Temple – it’s always fun to go visiting Chinese temples because you can always get your free fortune telling in a very unique way.
2. The Ongpin statue – the statue of the pioneer trader of the Philippines China town.
3. Binondo Church – one of the churches that have been built during the occupations of the Spanish.
4. Lacson Monument – in honor of Manila’s very first mayor.
5. Sta. Cruz Church
6. Carriedo Fountain
7. Arch of Goodwill
8. Side Street Chapels – these chapels are interestingly found along the streets.
9. Carvajal street – could your trip of China Town be satisfying without grabbing some chow? Going to Carvajal street will provide with a filling experience of dimsum, noodles and other Chinese delicacies.

If you are a tourist here in the Philippines and suddenly feel all Chinese, you won’t miss much by visiting Ongpin.