The Chinese Diaspora in Southeast Asian Colonial Primate Cities: Their Role and Relationships with the Ruler of Manila (Philippines) during 1571–1640s

Abstract

Urbanization in Southeast Asia has seen a tremedous growth since the early-modern period. In this context, the Chinese, who had a long history with Southeast Asian ancient trading ports demonstrated their role and capacity to adapt to these new model cities followed the Western urban planning. Based on the geographical and historical conditions, Southeast Asian colonial cities were quickly associated with the phenomenon of a strong Chinese diaspora [hua-kew]. In the case of the Philippine islands, thousands of Chinese started to reside there since the beginning of the colonial period, especially when the Spanish bring their own silver from Latin America to Asia. However, their relationship with the government always was complicated due to their significant position in commercial activities and interactions with the indigenous community. In contrast to the indigenous people, the Chinese gradually migrated from concentrated settelements into the colonial metropolitan area and assumed a significant economic role in term of domestic and international trade of the whole islands. During this time, they built for themselves strategic and basic “position" inside the one and only colony of Spanish in Asia. This study argues that there was a change in colonial policy that targeted the Chinese immigrants and their responses to the fluctuations in the city’s economic growth. Furthermore, this paper analyzes the successes and failures of the colonial administration’s attempts to maintain their power of the government in the central cities under the influence of Chinese communities living inside and outside the city of Manila by focusing on Southeast Asia colonial urban history through a soccio-economic dimension. As a significant characteristic of of Southeast Asian cities througout history and into the present, this “strange relationship” has helped shape a new model for urban space.