To welcome the traditional Chinese mid-autumn festival activities, the famous Filipino-Chinese Friendship Arch in Binondo, Manila was lit up on Friday night, Sept. 9, reinvigorating the beauty of the capital’s Chinatown.

Guests, visitors, and spectators gathered at the Plaza Moraga to witness the illumination of the world’s largest Chinatown arch.

The arch, flaunting a "fusion of modern and traditional designs between pagodas," boasts of a height of 63.8 feet, and a width of 74 feet. Around 800 bulbs were used to light up the whole arch.

The lighting program was an initiative spearheaded by the Manila local government and the Filipino-Chinese Youth Business Association, Inc. (FCYBA), in cooperation with the Manila Chinatown Barangay Organization (MCBO).

Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna led the lighting ceremony.

She was joined by other esteemed guests such as Vice Mayor Yul Servo Nieto, District 3 Congressman Joel Chua; Wang Yulei, the minister-counsellor of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China; Peter Zhuang, founding president of the FCYBA; Andrew Ong, president of the FCYBA; Nelson Guevarra, board member and external affairs committee chairperson of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII); Dante Chua, executive vice president of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Associations of the Philippines (FFCAP); and Jefferson Lau, the president of the MCBO.

In her speech, Lacuna highlighted how the historical district of Binondo is known as the “center of commerce and trade in Manila where all types of businesses run by Filipino-Chinese thrive.”

She said the lighting of the arch is “timely,” as the community celebrates the mid-autumn festival, and the country celebrates tourism month in September.

“This arch serves as a testament of the Filipino-Chinese relationship with our friendship, unity, and harmony,” Lacuna said.

“We encourage more migrant Chinese, and Filipino-Chinese to come and invest in this part of the city. Let us redevelop, revive the majestic Manila Chinatown,” she added.

The mayor also mentioned the program was in line with the Manila Tourism Development Plan that was officially launched last Tuesday. The plan involves a proposed redevelopment of Hub 2, which comprises Binondo, Escolta, and San Nicolas.

Inaugurated in 2015, the friendship arch was installed to revitalize tourism in Chinatown. It has been redeveloped in order to draw in more tourists and energize the economy in the area.

“I believe this change will definitely make China town arc way a new place for attraction,” Ong remarked in his speech.

“The lights of this gate are also symbolic of a brighter and more vibrant Manila after more than two years of the pandemic,” Guevarra added.

More importantly, it was deemed a significant symbol of friendship between China and the Philippines.

“I believe the lighting will add to the beauty and charm of the arc and the Manila Chinatown,” said Minister Counsellor Wang.

She gave her warm greetings to the Filipino-Chinese community, and shared the "fruitful results" of the cooperation of the Philippines and China in all fields.

The event included performances by the Chinese dance troupe and Wu Shu performers from the Chiang Kai Shek College. It also featured a dragon and lion dance, as well as a song by Chinoy singer Jimmy Chung.

The mid-autumn festival, or the "Mooncake Festival," is a thousand-year tradition that began in China and continues to be observed by overseas Chinese communities, as a way for them to celebrate their rich cultural heritage.

The festival is considered "the most important festival celebrated by the Chinese next to Chinese New Year," the local government said. The celebration welcomes and encourages a good harvest for the years to come.

The local government distributed mooncakes, the festival’s trademark pastry, to all those who attended the event.