"Are there many overseas Chinese in this city?" Zhou Sen asked.

Gonzalez said: "Overseas Chinese and Chinese have lived in Cebu City for hundreds of years, and there are still many Chinese and overseas Chinese in the Greater Cebu area, who are mainly engaged in commercial trade, hotel catering, finance and processing zones, and their economic strength accounts for more than half of the total local economy, and there is no shortage of Chinese and overseas Chinese who hold the economic lifeline of Cebu City." ”

"There are still a lot of people who are business bigwigs, there are still a lot of overseas Chinese who come here to do business, maybe Asia, not too far, and the business environment here is still okay, there are a lot of overseas Chinese who come here to do business, at the beginning, they may come alone, and when the business improves, the overseas Chinese will let their relatives and friends come together, and they are still very united. ”

"Some businesses are family businesses, more trusting relatives and friends, come here to do business or have accumulated a wealth of business experience, I think the overseas Chinese are still very adaptable to the local environment, can also quickly cater to the needs of customers, know what kind of customers their store or restaurant attracts, will according to the needs of customers to buy goods or let chefs make different flavors of food, business is booming. ”

A number of Chinese organizations have jointly formed the Philippine-Chinese Federation to coordinate the affairs of Chinese and overseas Chinese, and the Philippine-Chinese Friendship Association and the Philippine-Chinese Chamber of Commerce have a greater influence.

"It's still very united, after the Chinese go abroad, they will stop the Chinese community in the local area, help each other, have more economic strength, and can also serve as the president of the community." ”

There are also Chinese schools in the local area, and the children of overseas Chinese can also go to school in the local area, which is still very good, and there are many schools founded by Chinese and overseas Chinese, and they also run charities such as Chonghua Hospital in the local area.

Built in 1565 as a Christian missionary stronghold, St. Augustine's Church is officially known as the Church of the Holy Child.

"There is also a remnant of the church left over from the West, which is a famous attraction and is visited by many tourists. ”

Known as the "Vatican of the East", in Manila, in the heart of a city within a city inhabited by Spanish colonists, stands a church that has survived earthquakes, typhoons and wars, and is the 400-year-old St. Augustine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.

"When you come to the Philippines, you must come to visit, take a look, and take pictures as a souvenir. ”

The church of St. Augustine was built of bamboo and mud, and because it was not very strong, it was later built in stone, and the first convent was built.

A second convent was built, and in the years that followed, St. Augustine was expanded, and St. Augustine became the religious and cultural center of Manila and the Philippines as a whole.

This is the oldest surviving stone building church in the Philippines, and UNESCO has selected the Church of St. Augustine as a World Heritage Site, which is characterized by its detailed and realistic reliefs on the stones.

St. Augustine is composed of churches and convents, and the baroque chapel is the essence of the whole St. Augustine.

The tall pillars are carved with rose-shaped ornaments from the top to the base, the top of the choir attic is decorated with angels holding trumpets, and the huge chandeliers hanging from the high dome add a touch of solemnity.

St. Augustine's large collection of vestments, golden chalices, silver crosses, ivory statues, silk cloaks embroidered with gold thread and paintings was unmatched by few churches and monasteries in Europe at the time, but it is a pity that these precious collections were lost during the wars.

There are paintings on the ceiling and walls inside the church, and in the center are the statues of Augustine and Jesus, which are churches with Western characteristics, which are also representative in the West, and there are also such churches in the Philippines.

The most tropical feature is that the chandelier and the bright sunlight shine on the stained glass for a long time, such a church, Zhou Sen also saw it when he went to Europe, Zhou Sen took everyone to visit for a while, and then came out.

Gonzalez also sighed, "Over the long years, St. Augustine has witnessed the ups and downs of the history of the Philippines, and has also experienced disasters one after another. ”

"St. Augustine continues to collect valuable collections lost in several wars, and St. Augustine is not only a church, a monastery, but also a museum with many treasures of Filipino and Spanish art, and an important place to display the treasures of Philippine history and culture. ”

"There are many reliefs, religious paintings, and at the top of the church is the choir, which is the main front of religious culture. ”

"It's also good to come here, visit, feel the history, know that there is a history of war, some of the treasures that have been lost, and find a way to collect them back, although it is a little regrettable, but looking at these "treasures, it is really valuable, and there are special staff to keep it."

"When tourists come to visit, they will also display some treasures for everyone to see the museum collections here. ”

The most noteworthy to visit is the 40-centimeter-high statue of the Holy Infant Jesus, which was given by Magellan to the Empress in 1521 as a symbol of friendship, and was warmly welcomed by the local people.

"Every time I see these, I am very impressed, this is because of the previous history, the legacy of the buildings, the churches of the West, leaving everyone with the memory of history, seeing these churches, the locals, really have complex emotions, on the one hand, the local people hate the invaders, on the other hand, this is some of the historical buildings left by Westerners in the Philippines, and they have also become cultural treasures in the Philippines. ”

"On the one hand, I came here to visit and feel the historical sites, on the other hand, I came to the church because modern life is busy, people's hearts are also stressed, people always live in society, it is inevitable that there will be troubles, sometimes, it is not easy for a person to figure it out, these troubles, suffocated in the heart, very uncomfortable, and can not confide in colleagues or friends around them. ”

"Take time to come to church on the weekend, say a prayer, listen to the choir, sing hymns, come to church and listen to the pastor give you some life lessons, maybe you are troubled by life, and you suddenly understand what you haven't figured out before. ”

"Yes!" Zhou Sen also nodded, "Actually, I am an atheist, and I don't believe in religion at all, but since I came to foreign countries for field trips, I came to the local area for interviews, I like to listen to the voices of local ordinary people, follow the tour guide to the church, listen to the tour guide talk about the culture and history of the church, look at the decoration and oil paintings of the church, and seem to understand a little bit, and integrate into such an atmosphere.

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