MANILA -- As the Chinese-Filipino community welcomes the Lunar New Year of the Wood Snake, thousands are expected to visit Binondo, Manila’s Chinatown.

A few kilometers away from Binondo, Cynthia Go, Executive Director of the “Bahay Tsinoy Museum,” invites those interested to delve deeper into how Chinese-Filipino culture has evolved in the Philippines.

The museum, located at the Kaisa Heritage Center (KHC) at the corner of Anda and Cabildo Streets in historic Intramuros, first opened its doors in January 1999. It offers visitors a glimpse into the history, culture, and traditions of the Chinese-Filipino community.

The stories of Tsinoys (Chinese-Pinoys), beginning with the visit of Sultan Paduka Batara to Ming Emperor Yong Le in 1417, are depicted in the museum through detailed dioramas.

A model of Binondo, considered the world’s oldest Chinatown, established in 1594 through a land grant by Governor General Luis Perez Dasmariñas for Christianized Sangleys, is also on display. This was intended to separate them from the unbaptized Chinese in the Parian. The district showcases its distinctive appearance during pre-colonial and colonial times.

Visitors can also appreciate the Philippine territory and the West Philippine Sea through the 1734 Murillo Velarde map, which is exhibited in the museum. The map clearly marks Panacot Shoal and Los Bajos de Paraguas—known today as Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal and the Spratly Islands—as part of the country’s territory.

The museum further highlights how Tsinoys actively contributed to the country’s fight for freedom and independence against the Spaniards, Americans, and Japanese.

This year, the Bahay Tsinoy Museum will open its gallery honoring Filipinos of Chinese ancestry who have enriched the Philippines’ vibrant and intertwined heritage.

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Edited by Gigie Cruz, ABS-CBN News