The title of oldest Chinatown in the world goes to Binondo; an enclave in Manila, mainly populated by the ethnic Chinese populace yet living in the Philippines: the city name of ''Binondo'' comes from the Tagalog word "binondoc" (which means "mountainous"), due to its hilly landscape: it was founded in 1594, by Governor and Captain-General of the Philippines- Luis Pérez Dasmariñas; and was intended as a permanent settlement for Chinese immigrants- particularly those who had converted to Catholicism and intermarried with indigenous Filipinos; residing across the river from the walled city of Intramuros, which housed mainly Spanish immigrants.
Since the time of it's formation, Binondo has been popular among a broad ethnic range of newcomers to Manila; which is why the district is now home to a multicultural community which also consists of Spanish, American and Japanese immigrants.
The historic churches and temples of Binondo are considered star attractions, along with its extensive shopping opportunities and Chinese restaurants. The Spanish were distrustful of the Chinese, so Binondo was said to have been intentionally situated to put some distance between the Spanish elite and the Chinese immigrants (even coining an archaic and derogatory term for pure-blooded Chinese immigrants, which we won't mention here), yet still keeping them near enough to maintain a watchful eye- amid fears of an imminent invasion from China. In its heyday, before World War II, Binondo was often referred to as the “Wall Street of the Philippines:" after the war, many businesses and financial institutions began shifting south to the city of Makati, which eventually replaced Binondo as Manila’s central business district: while Binondo is no longer the main financial hub of the Philippines, the district’s long legacy of trade lives on through the Chinese-Filipino businesses that continue to thrive there today.
