The Philippine government will open a new chancery in China, with its exterior drawing inspiration from Filipino architecture.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), a three-story building in the Chinese city of Xiamen will be renovated for the chancery to feature Capiz-inspired lattice windows, limestone walls and wooden balustrades in a bid to reflect the Filipino identity.
Meanwhile, DFA added, the main hall of the building will be converted to a larger, upgraded facility to allow the Philippine Consulate there to improve their services, including visa processing for clients from Jiangxi and Fujian provinces.
Artist’s perspective of the new chancery building, located at the Xiamen Consular Area. (Perspective by Urbanworx Concepts and Construction)
These developments have become possible as Philippine Consul General to Xiamen Maria Antonina Mendoza-Oblena inked a five-year contract for the establishment of the new chancery.
The new chancery will be the largest villa in the Xiamen Consular Area as it will have a total area of 1,670 square meters, the DFA said.
The new chancery will be ready for inauguration by January 2024.
Its architectural design will be carried out by a Xiamen-based Filipino architect, Tecson Uy.
Mendoza-Oblena thanked the Foreign Affairs Office and the Jinyuan Group for their assistance in facilitating the Philippine government's move to a new chancery in Xiamen.
Since its inauguration in 1995, the existing Philippine Consulate General in Xiamen has stayed in the same building for 28 long years.
"Xiamen remains a strategic post for the Philippines as the majority of Filipino-Chinese trace their roots in Fujian province. Some of the largest Philippine investments in Xiamen include: SM, Robinsons, Eton, Oishi, and Boysen Paints," DFA said.