CHINESE CORNER IS NOW OPEN – The Chinese corner is now open to public at the city library for Filipino-Chinese students to make use and for everyone who wants to know more about the Chinese culture. Cutting the ceremonial ribbon are Mayor Belen T. Fernandez (right, front row), MYK little mayor Jillian Kay Madison Fernandez (2nd from right, front row), PUI principal Yolanda Que (2nd from left, front row), National Library of the Philippines Director Cesar Gilbert Q. Adriano (left, front row) and Head Librarian Corazon C. Langit (center, front row). (CIO photo by Jojo Tamayo)
DAGUPAN CITY – The national government’s Chinese Corner Project (CCP) at the Dagupan City Library is now open for public use and references especially by Filipino-Chinese students and for those who want to learn more about the Chinese culture.
This after Director Cesar Gilbert Q. Adriano of the National Library of the Philippines (NLP) along with Mayor Belen T. Fernandez led the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding and the cutting of the ribbon of the Chinese Corner at the City Library on March 22.
The city library is the 20th public library in the country chosen by the NLP to host such service.
“The Chinese Corner Project has been in existence since 2014. This is the fourth and the last to be launched this year. We chose Dagupan to be the fourth recipient of this project because our mayor is of Chinese descendants and a large community of Filipino-Chinese is in the city,” said Adriano.
Assistant Chief of Reference Section of the NLP Flordeliza Quiñones disclosed that the CCP is just one of the multi-cultural projects of the NLP, which introduces collaboration and partnership between the local library stakeholders and the Filipino-Chinese community.
Dagupan City’s commercial success as a city has been enhanced by the role of the early Chinese traders which preceded even Spanish influence.
“Chinese influence is not only embedded in our consciousness but likewise encompasses our culture, history and literature. The Chinese community remains a potent force in our lives today in the modern Dagupan City,” said Fernandez.
She added that the Chinese Corner Project therefore “is a humble monument of this important part of our community and serves to remind all people of our multi-ethnic and multi-cultural community that Chinese influence contributes to the totality of our identity as a people, as a city and as a nation”.
Among the early Chinese settlers in the city were Tan San Diok and Di Kok Siam.
Tan San Diok is the great grandfather of Fernandez and his children established the Rufo Tan Hardware, Tan Commercial, Eduardo Tan and Taya’s Hardware while Di Kok Siam distinguished grand children includes George Chua Cham and lawyer Edward Chua Cham.
Fernandez gladly welcomed the CCP in the city library and expressed her gratitude to the NLP especially with the presence of Adriano during the launching date. (Joseph C. Bacani/CIO/March 23, 2018)