Binondo is an enclave in
Manila primarily populated by ethnic Chinese living in the
Philippines. It is the oldest Chinatown in the world, established in 1594. Historically, Binondo was the area where the Spanish permitted converted
sangleys, their indigenous
Filipino wives, and their
mixed-race descendants, the
mestizos de sangley or Chinese mestizos, to reside. Similarly, Parían, an area near
Intramuros, was where the Spanish first restricted unconverted Chinese immigrants to live. They allowed
sangley settlement at Parían because it was within the range of
Intramuros cannons, and they felt they could control any uprising from the laborers.
Located across the Pasig River from Intramuros, Binondo has typified a small Chinese town. Locally it has been called "China Town". The district is the center of commerce and trade for all types of businesses run by ethnic Chinese merchants. Given the historic reach of Chinese trading in the Pacific, this district was already a hub of Chinese commerce before the first Spanish colonists came in 1521.
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