Bahay Tsinoy, or Chinese-Philippine House, is a museum located in the old Manila district of Intramuros. Here one can explore documents about the history, life and contributions of Chinese immigrants to the to the history of the Philippine Islands. The building itself, which houses the museum, is also also has historical value - in addition to the museum, it houses a library, a small theatre studio, and auditoriums.
The museum was designed by Eva Penamora in collaboration with architect Onrado Fernández in 1996 and was inaugurated three years later. The main objectives of the museum were and still are to support and promote the distinctive culture of the of the Filipino people and to explore the ties between Chinese and Filipino communities. Interestingly, that the original initiator of the creation of such a museum was the award-winning bilingual children's educational television program “Pinpin”, which aired on Philippine TV in the early 1990s. Funds for the purchase of the land and the construction of the building were raised on a voluntary basis - most of the money was donated by the funds for the purchase of the land and construction of the building were raised pro bono, with most of the money donated by members of the Chinese-Filipino community.
The museum's expositions are divided into several thematic sections. Here you can learn about the first contacts between the two peoples, about their life during the Spanish Spanish colonial period, the emergence of a full-fledged Chinese community and the famous the famous Chinese uprising of the 17th century. Of particular interest are the collections of ceramics and rare Philippine shells, as well as a collection of drawings and photographs related to the life of the Chinese-Filipino community.
