Chinese cemetery in Manila, place for unique Chinese customs and traditions. With luxurious mausoleums, memorials set up in honor of the heroes and casualties of the Japanese Occupation in World War II, but also a battleground during the Filipino-American War (1899).
There is a two-way street lined with houses and villas some of which are two or three stories tall. These houses are actually tombs, but they are fully functional homes fitted with modern conveniences such as air conditioning, bathrooms with hot and cold running water, flushing toilets, and kitchens, and dogs guarding. Relatives would often visit the dead in their homes during weekends, and offer food and light incense sticks.
Manila Chinese Cemetery was built in the late 19th century for the non-catholic Chinese who were denied burials in Catholic graveyards by the Spanish colonials.
The area, which has both modern designs and more traditional structures inspired by Chinese pagoda, operates more like a neighbourhood than burial ground. There is even a local eatery for those looking for a cooked meal.
There is a two-way street lined with houses and villas some of which are two or three stories tall. These houses are actually tombs, but they are fully functional homes fitted with modern conveniences such as air conditioning, bathrooms with hot and cold running water, flushing toilets, and kitchens, and dogs guarding. Relatives would often visit the dead in their homes during weekends, and offer food and light incense sticks.
Manila Chinese Cemetery was built in the late 19th century for the non-catholic Chinese who were denied burials in Catholic graveyards by the Spanish colonials.
The area, which has both modern designs and more traditional structures inspired by Chinese pagoda, operates more like a neighbourhood than burial ground. There is even a local eatery for those looking for a cooked meal.
