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Date Posted: Mon, May 06 2013
Author:  
Subject: Manila's Chinatown





Manila's Chinatown

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As they say, any major city in the world would not be complete without a Chinatown and Manila is no exception. Manila has its own Chinatown that could be as old as the Chinatowns found in major cities such as New York, San Francisco, and among others. It is also big, vibrant, and it is a little more interesting than some Chinatowns around the world for you could see the strong presence of both Chinese and Filipino cultures in this place in the Binondo District of Manila. It has a great location because it is sandwiched by the two shopping paradise (Quiapo and Divisoria) in the entire country for people looking for bargains. Shopping in Manila’s Chinatown is also good especially if you are looking for jewelries, Chinese delicacies, herbs and other Chinese goods.

The best and easiest way to navigate Manila’s Chinatown is by foot. When you walk across Rizal Ave. or popularly known as Avenida while in the Carriedo/Recto area in Quiapo, you would be at the edge of Chinatown and if you would keep on walking you would hit Divisoria, and it is a short walk.

For those who are not familiar with Chinatown and are planning to go and and explore the place, you could just take the LRT (Light Rail Transit) and stop at the Carriedo station or you could take any jeep that says Quiapo or Divisoria that is heading to this area of Manila. I would not suggest for you to drive or even take a taxi to go to Chinatown mainly because of the traffic. You could get stuck here for hours sitting inside your car. Driving here is complicated and confusing especially if you are not familiar with the area. If it is necessary for you to drive, be sure not to miss your turn when entering the area. You should know where you are going ahead of time otherwise you will end up in a never ending maze like I had a few times in the past. Believe me you will be sorry for the rest of you life hehehe. No, if you have a lot of time and a lot of gas to spare, it is actually good to get lost the first time so next time it would be a lot easier. This area of Manila is where we usually buy supplies to bring home to the province. Most of the time, it is bumper to bumper traffic here and the streets with cars parked on both sides of the streets are narrow, and sometimes there are no street signs that indicate where you are.

Chinatown is actually booming these days. You could see new high rises sprouting like mushrooms and old buildings being torn down and being replaced with new modern buildings. I am not sure if this is a good thing because it could ruin the character that makes this place truly the only Chinatown in the Philippines. I hope that they would preserve the character of this place otherwise it would no longer be called Chinatown. Aside from the Tsinoys (Filipino-Chinese) that have been here for many decades, you could also see new immigrants/visitors from China who are now engage in a lot of the businesses here. Other than being a little chaotic and having a few esteros (canals)that need some cleaning up, I would recommend the place to people especially tourists wanting to explore interesting places in Metro Manila.

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