Foregrounding the entangled history of China and the Philippines, Guingona brings to life an array of understudied, but influential characters, such as Filipino jazz musicians, magnetic Chinese swimmers, expert Filipino marksmen, leading Chinese educators, Philippine-Chinese bankers, Filipina Carnival Queens, and many others. Through archival research in multiple languages, this innovative study advances a more nuanced reading of world history, reframing our understanding of the first half of the twentieth century by bringing interactions between Asian people to the fore and minimizing the role of those who historically dominated global history narratives. Through methodologically distinct case studies, Guingona presents a critique of Eurocentric approaches to world/global history, shedding light on the interconnected history of China and the Philippines in a transformative period. This title is part of the Flip it Open Programme and may also be available Open Access. Check our website Cambridge Core for details.

‘Meticulously researched and imaginatively written, Guingona’s book de-centers the ‘West’ by focusing on the largely unexplored interactions between Filipinos and Chinese during the early twentieth century, and reminds readers that the Philippines and China, as they had in the past, could build a relationship based on friendship and mutual support.’

Richard T. Chu - Five College Professor, History Department, University of Massachusetts-Amherst

‘Beyond being a compelling history of Filipinos in China and Chinese in the Philippines, this book is a meditation on cultural exchange. Guingona shows us the potential of peoples transcending their parochialisms and discovering new ideas through each other.’

Lisandro E. Claudio - University of California, Berkeley

‘With extraordinary skill and erudition, Phillip Guingona commands multiple literatures to restore to understanding a vital Sino-Philippine link obscured in the historical traditions of both countries. Calling attention to the vast yet forgotten exchanges through music, education, and sports, Guingona’s groundbreaking study, delivered in lively prose, is one of the finest examples of inter-Asian, transnational studies through recentering diasporic Chinese as key agents.’

Shelly Chan - Associate Professor of History, University of California, Santa Cruz