CHINESE CEMETERY

Located in the northern part of Binondo's Chinatown, the cemetery was founded in the ^mid-19th century by Lim Ong and Tan Quien Sien (Don Carlos Palanca) in order to facilitate the burial of a large number of Chinese who were not allowed to be buried in the Spanish Catholic cemeteries by the Spanish colonists. The cemetery is very picturesque and covers an area of 54 hectares. Respect for the ancestors and the dead is very important in Chinese communities. Thus, far from being an ordinary cemetery, a little austere, dedicated to death and meditation, this one is a real village in the city where the graves are houses, sometimes equipped with all the necessary comfort (refrigerator, air conditioner, cooking plates, bathroom) so that the families of the deceased are well installed when they come to visit their dead. It is even estimated that about 6,000 people live here, in the mausoleums, waiting for better days. Every Saturday, the cemetery resounds with the presence of its visitors who liven up the place: singing, smells of fake money and burning incense. Its streets are made up of mausoleums richly decorated with marble, wrought iron and stained glass, many even in Art Deco style. A monument houses the ashes of the cremated on two floors and, on the third, the bones of those who will return to their native land, China. The poorest are buried on the left side of the Buddhist temple. An amazing visit!