Rizal, a living bridge between the Philippines and China

Standing before the towering monument of Dr. Jose Rizal in a quiet corner of Shangguo Village, Jinjiang County-level City of Quanzhou, China’s southeastern Fujian province, it is difficult to imagine that this rural community would have such a profound connection to the Philippines. Yet here, in the ancestral homeland of Rizal's paternal Chinese forebear, the Philippine national hero has become much more than a figure in history. He has become a symbol of the enduring ties between the Filipino and Chinese peoples. I recently visited Rizal Park in Jinjiang, Quanzhou, during a vacation in Fujian. What I discovered was more than a monument honoring the Philippines' national hero. It was a remarkable physical expression of how history, ancestry, and diplomacy can converge in one place. At the center of the five-hectare park stands an imposing 18.61-meter monument to Rizal, completed in 2003. The height itself carries symbolism: 18.61 meters recalls the year of Rizal's birth, 1861. The monument is considerably taller than the Rizal monument in Manila's Rizal Park and has been described as the tallest Rizal commemorative structure outside the Philippines. The contrast with Manila's vast Rizal Park is striking. Luneta covers roughly 58 hectares, while the Jinjiang memorial park occupies about five hectares. But the significance of the Jinjiang site cannot be measured in hectares. Its importance lies in what it represents.