Los Chinos En Manila (Siglos XVI Y XVII)
2012; Cambridge University Press; Volume: 43; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1474-0680
Autores Tópico(s)Philippine History and Culture
ResumoLos Chinos en Manila (Siglos XVI y XVII) By JUAN GIL Lisbon: Centro Cientifico e Cultural de Macau, 2011. Pp. 798. Appendices, Glossary, Bibliography. Comprehensive surveys of Sino-Philippine relations abound. Such works are usually in Chinese, English or Spanish. Most of the latter date back to early times and are often characterised by traditional 'narrative modes'. The present volume, a heavyweight by all standards, is a well-balanced account and, not infrequently, offers very critical views. There are 10 long chapters in all (with a total of about 100 subsegments), 23 appendices, a glossary, and a select bibliography. The overall arrangement of the book follows both thematic and chronological considerations. The story begins with the 1560s-70s, at the time when Manila was 'founded', and ends with the late seventeenth century. Manila's exchange with the Chinese 'world' and the fate of the Chinese (or sangley) settlements in and around that city are the central themes of Juan Gil's account. Particular attention is given to the internal structure and characteristics of the Parian and other locations, their institutions, residents and cultural dimensions, as well as Spanish views of the 'Other'--in this case, the local Chinese. Much of the material on which Gil has based his work comes from different Spanish archives such as the Archivo Historico Nacional, or the Filipinas and Contratacion sections in the Archivo General de Indias, to name just two examples. Gil also cites important published items, especially the well-known collection by Emma Blair and James Alexander Robertson, and a number of Portuguese works. By contrast, documents exclusively dealing with Taiwan and the short-lived Spanish outposts on that island rarely appear in the notes, evidently because their history belongs to a different sphere. This is also why, for instance, the two volumes called Spaniards in Taiwan.... edited by Jos4 E. Borao Mateo and others (Taibei 2001-2), did not get listed in the bibliography. Dutch records, largely irrelevant to Gil's study, on account of their one-sided views and inherent radicalism, were almost completely omitted from Los Chinos en Manila. Ming and early Qing texts describing Luzon, or containing references to other Philippine islands, form a highly special category as well; some are available in translation elsewhere and Gil occasionally mentions them, but generally, these accounts do not contribute very much to the themes treated in the present book. In short, then, this study reads like a comprehensive interpretation of fundamental Spanish sources dealing with the topics outlined above. The first two chapters set the frame. They summarise the nature of commercial contacts between Manila and the Chinese, for example taxation procedures applied to vessels arriving from mainland China or Taiwan, the role of licences, record-keeping, the local pancada system, fiscal and other aspects. This is followed by observations on the flow of commodities, contraband trade and penalties, captains and ships, illegal migrants, etc. Where possible, simple statistics are provided in support of arguments. Chapter 4 links Manila's external connections to different developments in China and other locations; this mainly concerns early Spanish wishes to 'access' the Chinese mainland, Koxinga's rule over Taiwan and the change from Ming to Qing, the Japanese market, the role of Macau and Guangdong, and also the Dutch, who threatened international traffic routes through the South China Sea. With chapter 5 the book turns to the sangleys on Luzon. There are sections on the Dominicans and Jesuits, on Baybay, Binondo and, of course, the Parian. The latter went through good and bad times. Disastrous fires and several clashes, which took the lives of many Chinese residents, as well as tight controls implemented to restore order--all these elements are presented, one by one. …
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