The joy of being Tsinoy
Posted: 8:19 AM (Manila Time) | Sep.. 10, 2002
By Joey G. Alarilla
INQ7.net

CHINESE-FILIPINOS are proud of their rich cultural heritage, which throughout the centuries has included not only Chinese and Filipino (Malay) but also Spanish and American influences.

Tsinoys, as they are known in the Philippines, are an integral part of Philippine society -- not least of all as business leaders and entrepreneurs. Wherever they may relocate around the globe, Tsinoys are keeping in touch with their Chinese and Filipino roots while adapting to the culture of different countries.




One site that has succeeded in becoming a thriving online community for Chinese-Filipinos is Tsinoy.com at www.tsinoy.com. Tsinoy.com founder, president and CEO Dux Raymond Sy said that the site aims to build stronger ties between the Tsinoy and Filipino communities.

"Tsinoy.com regularly features informative cultural articles and personality interviews that can help both Tsinoys and Filipinos learn more about their respective cultures. In addition, the active and lively discussions in our message board, http://www.tsinoy.com/forum, has greatly assisted in fostering better understanding between Tsinoys and Filipinos," Sy said in an e-mail interview.

Atlanta, Georgia-based Sy is also a member of the board of directors of Tsinoy.com.

Chinese-Filipinos in the Philippines, particularly during the past, have had to deal with prejudice and misconceptions. Even today, Tsinoys are the targets of kidnappers, due to their economic success.

Asked to assess how Chinese-Filipinos are now perceived in Philippine society, Sy replied: "The perception of the Tsinoy community in the Philippines has greatly improved in the last few years. Gone are a lot of stereotypes and prejudices. I've also noticed that Tsinoys are more 'visible' in mainstream Philippine society ranging from the arts to sports to academia."

He, however, added that he would like to see other positive developments, including "more tri-media exposure of worthy Chinese-Filipino achievements and contributions."

Acknowledging the need to help overseas Tsinoys and Filipinos remember their Philippine heritage, Sy recounted his own experience while studying and working in the US.

"I was born and raised in Manila. I have been here for only six years but I've come to appreciate my cultural heritage a lot more after coming here. Assimilating into American culture is not too bad since I have been pretty much exposed to Western culture while
growing up in the Philippines. Friends and colleagues here would not fail to tell me of my fortunately unique multi-cultural background. I realize that it is to my advantage in today's global society," he said.

Saying that he misses his family and close friends in the Philippines, Sy tries to go back to the country once a year, if time permits. He also quipped that he definitely misses the food. Apart from traditional Filipino dishes such as kare-kare, binagoongang baboy, sinigang and sisig, Sy said that his favorites include Chinese dishes such as dimsum and Szechuan cuisine.

"And for dessert, nothing beats halo-halo," he added.

According to Sy, Tsinoy.com began as a spin-off of "Tsinoys on the Web," a site which went online in January 1997. He conceptualized the site right after moving to Atlanta, since at the time Tsinoys had no Chinese-Filipino resource available on the Web.

As the site grew into an online community, Sy and five Philippine-based friends decided to launch Tsinoy.com in August 1999.

"The organic growth of this 'online' community led to 'offline' activities such as socio-civic involvement, social gatherings and education advocacy. To date, local Tsinoy.com chapters have been formed in major cities such as the Manila, Singapore, Taipei, Shanghai, New York, Bay Area, Southern California, Tri-State Area and Toronto," he said.

Sy admitted that Tsinoy.com has exceeded his original vision, organically growing from an online reference about Chinese-Filipino culture to a user-led online community.

"In partnership with (Manila-based publisher) Anvil, we came out with our first book, 'How Tsinoy Are You?' The book is a milestone in Philippine Internet history: It is the first endeavor by a website to publish a book entirely created by an online community," he said.

So, looking to find out more about the rich Filipino and Chinese culture heritage? Visit Tsinoy.com -- and find out why you don't have to be Tsinoy to appreciate this site.

I don't post there but I browse the forum sometimes. LOL. It seems that Tsinoys are more comfortable coversing in tagalog.

Try to visit their site!

It is very informative because they have articles and news about Filipino-Chinese.

http://www.tsinoy.com/forum/index.cfm

GI is for Genuine Intsik - our term for people directly from China, usually mainlanders.

PI is for Pure Intsik - Born and bred here, speaks pure chinese at home, and looks very chinese (chinesey eyes, yellowish skin, etc.)

MI is for mestisong intsik, or tisoys for short, our term for filipinized chinese either half-breeds or PIs who have associated with MIs too long.

so anung palagay nyo sa mnga tsinoy? Do you dislike them, support them, treat them just like other filipinos, or alienate them as "the odd ball" of societyt. Opinions lang hahahahaha.....

Mostly, I see the, as Fellow filipinos..

That's why I'm saddened in what they teach in elementary.. They always mention that chinese are traders and they failed to mention that there are filipinos of chinese descent. Desciption kasi palagi, ang mga Pilipino ay mga lahing aeta, malay at indonesians.. yung lang...tsk tsk tsk..

Kaya pagsa-elementary "Instik! Instsik" yung asaran..pero nawawala na habang lumalaki(althought meron pang iba na ganun pa rin)..helpful rin yung word na "Tsinoy" sa pag-alis sa discrimination..Buti wala na rin yung comedy films na yung pinoportray eh yung "funny" accent ng mga iba Chinoys...

LOL haven't seen that many tsinoys where I live. I think my lolo is tsinoy, well at least thats what my tita says. So I see them as fellow filipinos too.

so sa mnga opinion nyo, would you date a tsinoy? tsaka sa angkan nyo, sino ang intsik sa angkan nyo? Tsaka anung palagay nyo sa isang tsinoy kamagaasawa ng pinay? Issue ba yan dyan sa pinas?

The real question is would an tsinay ever go with an pinoy?

happens all the time. the first chinese traders took up filipina wives when they went to phils. that's why they're called chinese filipino. but the thing is sometimes their famlies want them to marry only chinese, even arranging the marriage and everything even today in manila.

Bihira akong makakita ng ganyan...

I think they are more open that before with regards to relationship

Ive heard that yung mnga tsinays dapat may lahing intsik yung kakasal nila kasi alam ko one of my cousins got inm trouble for Going out with some filipino guy pero it must be family gossip with some truth hahaha. Its a big deal and My friends friend she is chinese and she was told to leave the household and everything was taken from her and stuff. It was a good thing she had her own account in another bank. But even though natakwil sya, ang dami syang pera so well off sya and shes with her Filipino boyfriend....

Ang alam ko lang na Tsinay - Pinoy eh si Tita Cory(si former president). LOL

ahh yeah...hehehe onga no. Nakita Ko yung movie" mano po" parang akala mo talagng intsik si Kris aquino hahahaa tsaka the rest of the cast.

May lahi naman siyang Chinese diba?

Yup ,Corazon Aquino ancestors were from China

the movie feng shui, the role of cris is pretty racially correct.

That movie was funny. Hinahabol si Kris yung multo s abahay nila..

HAHAHA talagaaaa I wanna see it. I might order it hehhe wow naman

By the way, Marami bang Tsinoys sa US?

Yata

How about in your province or place?

Wow good for her.

hey cool my relatives in iloilo are tsinoys and are proud to both thier cultures. Hey isnt JOse Rizal part chinese or something?

Medyo maraming Tsinoys na rin dito sa baguio, 1/2, 1/4, Full-blooded. You name it. LOL

Yeah, jose rizal and whole lot of national heroes have some chinese lineage like the 13 martyrs of I'm not sure either cavite or cebu, or mother ignacio and alot more.

Karamihan naman yata ng heroes natin hindi 100% native. Nabasa ko sa libro yung ermats daw ni Ka Boni, spanish mestiza raw? Pero considered indio siya kasi erpats niya Indio.
Si Rizal, ang alam ko eh yung erpats nito almost 100% Chinese. Konti na lagn kasi yung native blood niya. Kaya almost half Chinese na rin siya.

Yung iba siguro!

Yeah Rizal has a lot of Chinese blood, but most of the time he is referred to as "The First Filipino". But I guess that's mainly because of his ideas.

I agree, its not his blood or classification that matters, its his belief, its what is to be a Filipino.

Parang Alex Compton. American by blood, Filipino by heart! LOL

40 Ways to Know If You’re Tsinoy
by The Tsinoy.com Community

How do you know if you’re really Tsinoy? We posed this question to the Tsinoy.com community a little over a year ago and got plenty of surprising and not-so-surprising revelations about ourselves. Here are 40 classic responses to: “You know you’re Tsinoy if…”

Personality

1. You have a Chinese name but no one's ever called you by it since high school.
2. Mahjong is your number 1 game.
3. You think the center of life in the Philippines is within the 3-mile radius of Binondo Church.
4. When doing math, you mumble the Chinese multiplication table.
5. Your evaluation is limited to 'not bad' (bwe-phai) and 'good enough' (ham-ham).

Food, food, food

6. You greet guests with "Have you eaten?" instead of “How are you?”
7. You know how to eat with chopsticks, spoon and fork, and your bare hands
8. You hate to waste food even if you're totally full.
9. You have Tupperware in your fridge with three bites of rice or one leftover chicken wing.
10. Today's rice is tomorrow's fried rice.
11. You have to eat misua on your birthdays.
12. If you can’t pick up a fish/meat/squid ball using chopsticks, you stab it. If you can’t stab it, you use your hands.
13. Your stomach has been trained to take on an 8-dish lauriat.
14. You wipe plates and silverware in restaurants with napkins before you use them.
15. When seated around a Chinese lauriat, you insist back and forth that other people take the first serving.

Growing up

16. You’re used to riding the kalesa in Binondo.
17. Your house has a big, red gate.
18. You were required to help out in your parents' store/business/office during weekends, summer and Christmas breaks.
19. As a child, you looked forward to the dragon dance in Ongpin or your subdivision.
20. Your ama force-fed you with growth balls.
21. Every major decision in your household was consulted with a feng shui expert.

Love and Friendship

22. Almost all of your friends are Tsinoys.
23. Your Pinoy friends ask tikoy from you, and they're more excited eating it than you are.
24. Your Pinoy friends asks for the Chinese translation of 'I love you" and some expletives.
25. Your parents ask for your boyfriend or girlfriend’s full name in Chinese, birthday and the time of birth.

Money matters

26. You count every single centavo that comes in and out of your wallet.
27. You have a hard time explaining your entrepreneurial principles to others.
28. The first reaction of your new Pinoy friends is: "Mayayaman ang mga Intsik!"

Speaking of…

29. In one sentence, you mix Filipino, English, and Fujian without realizing it.
30. You speak Chinese at home, Filipino with friends, write letters in English.
31. You affix "-la", "-lo" to your Pinoy/Taglish sentences.
32. You affix "ba", "naman" or "pa" to your Chinese sentences.
33. Your parents tell you to “eat” instead of “drink” your medicine.
34. You say “hugas ng picture” instead of ”'pa-develop ng picture.”
35. You understand Fujian, but can’t speak it; you know how to write Mandarin, but don’t understand it.

Traditions and practices

36. It’s a mortal sin to wear black or plain white.
37. You pray to your ancestors using joss or incense sticks.

All in the family

38. Your house has giant pictures of dead relatives, and it smells of incense the entire day!
39. Your grandparents are unable to pronounce your English name so they call you by nickname.
40. Your parents, grandparents and older relatives like the color red; you hate it.

^how about your parents wake up early on sundays to watch those chinese shows taht noone of your filipino friends understand.

You must be talking about the Chinese shows on RPN 9?!!!