Philippines’ millennial relations with China recalled over Macau Consulate celebration

The Philippine Consulate General marked the 50th anniversary of Philippines-China diplomatic relations with a talk by renowned historian Ambeth R. Ocampo.

Speaking at the University of Saint Joseph, Ocampo outlined a thousand-year history of exchange, going beyond the modern diplomatic milestone.

Ocampo presented evidence of trade dating back to 982 AD, praised the honesty of early Filipino traders documented in 13th-century Chinese texts, and recounted the 1417 diplomatic mission of the Sultan of Sulu, who died in China during his visit.

He also shared a previously untold, humorous anecdote about First Lady Imelda Marcos’s 1974 shoe mishap with Chairman Mao.

He also revealed that the iconic image of Chairman Mao kissing her hand was a reciprocal gesture after she tried to bow her head to his hand in a traditional Filipino sign of respect to receive a blessing from an elder.

He recounted how she once lost a shoe under a banquet table in Beijing and had to address the room while standing on one shoe and tiptoeing on her bare foot. The missing shoe was later returned and enshrined like a Cinderella relic.

The lecture was framed by the longstanding, interconnected history of Macau and the Philippines, including parallel 17th-century battles against Dutch invaders and 19th-century cooperation on typhoon forecasting.

Ocampo argued that the relationship between the two regions is fundamentally deeper and more complex than the modern diplomatic milestone suggests, highlighting these centuries of exchange from Sultanic missions to Yuan dynasty ceramics found in Philippine burial sites.

1,000 YEARS THROUGH CERAMICS, FOOD, AND MAPS

Ocampo highlighted a thousand years of shared Philippine-China history that predates modern diplomacy, showing how Chinese trade goods transformed local industries, how 19th-century Filipinos used chopsticks from Chinese street vendors, and how the national hero José Rizal described Macau in 1888 as a “sad and quiet” port.

Chinese porcelain imports in earlier centuries overwhelmed and effectively ended the local Philippine earthenware industry. However, some local potters created imitation Chinese-style vessels for those who could not afford the real thing.

Chinese influence is deeply rooted in Philippine culture, especially in food like “pancit” noodles and “siopao” buns, words for food and cooking tools, and even in religious art, where early Catholic statues of the Virgin Mary were often carved with features and styles of the Chinese deity Kuan Yin.

Ocampo presented a wealth of evidence, including 16th- to 18th-century maps that documented European knowledge of the Philippine islands, 19th-century watercolors showing Chinese noodle vendors serving Filipinos who used chopsticks and small stools, and church structures in the Philippines built with Chinese granite.

He described a long and complex relationship, evident in archaeological finds like Yuan dynasty ceramics found in Philippine burial sites, and in historical anecdotes, such as the massive 1417 diplomatic mission of the Sultan of Sulu to China.

The historian also detailed the Chinese elements in the life of national hero José Rizal, who visited Macau in 1888 and mentioned a real Macanese restaurant in his novels.

ATTENDEES SHARE DISCOVERIES ON SINO-FILIPINO LINKS

Following the lecture on Philippines-China historical ties, audience members contributed new findings, including a Macanese family’s connection to national hero José Rizal and the use of Philippine shell windows in Macau architecture.

The historian emphasized that cultural influence between the two regions has always been “a two-way street.”

A researcher identified a Macanese family, the Marcus Pintos, with a theater ticket possibly linked to Rizal’s 1888 visit, while Hong Kong records confirmed that Rizal’s common-law wife, Josephine, was from an Irish family in Hong Kong and was buried in the Happy Valley Cemetery.

The historian confirmed Chinese cultural practices persist in the Philippines, including birth-order terms, elder respect traditions, and funeral customs, noting that many practices have become so integrated that they are no longer recognized as Chinese.

Philippine influences in South China were noted, particularly the use of Capiz shell windows in Macau’s Mandarin House, demonstrating that cultural exchange flowed in both directions.

Responding to questions about China’s role in Philippine development, Ocampo clarified that while Chinese people didn’t replace Spanish colonizers, Chinese technologies like woodblock printing were essential to early evangelization efforts, with the first Philippine books printed using Chinese methods.

He also revealed historical attempts to connect the Manila Galleon trade with Macau’s routes, though Spanish trade monopolies blocked these.

Ocampo concluded by stating that the true “magic of history lies in connections,” urging the audience to notice the deep, often-overlooked ties that bind the two cultures. Ricaela Diputado