Megaworld opens cultural museum in Binondo

MANILA, Philippines — Megaworld opened the doors of the first cultural museum dedicated to the “world’s oldest Chinatown” inside the Lucky Chinatown Mall in Binondo, Manila.

The new cultural landmark, recognized by the National Historical Commission and National Commission for the Culture and the Arts, is envisioned as a community space and heritage project that lends a visual retelling of the rich history of Binondo, said Megaworld chief strategy officer Kevin Tan.

“With Lucky Chinatown being at the center of a community characterized by its rich history, we wanted to extend this passion for the arts and culture to the mall experience and eventually boost tourism in this part of Manila,” Tan said.

The museum is located at the fourth level of Lucky Chinatown’s building A.

It has 18 galleries, with each focusing on various influences and historical events that have shaped the cultural, social and economic threads of Binondo – from its establishment as a settlement for Christianized Chinese to the height of downtown Escolta on its way to becoming a bustling commercial downtown of colonial Manila.

Chinatown Museum marks Megaworld’s second museum after it opened the Iloilo Museum for Contemporary Art (ILOMOCA) last year, the first museum of its kind in the Visayas and Mindanao region.

The museum is located inside its Iloilo Business Park township in Mandurriao, Iloilo.

Tan said the company also plans to curate museums for its townships in Cebu, Pampanga and Pasig City.

“We conducted thorough research and consultations for this project, and we collaborated with members of the academe, respected historians and prominent figures in the community in order to provide an accurate and comprehensive representation of Binondo’s rich history.

We went beyond a historical presentation of facts and we even developed the museum’s very own app to make it educational and at the same time entertaining especially to the young audience,” Tan said.

The museum is accessible via bridgeway at the fourth level and the newly-opened Hotel Lucky Chinatown.

Megaworld founder Andrew Tan is of ethnic Chinese descent. He was born in Fujian, China and born to parents who immigrated to the Philippines from the southern China province.