THE CHINESE CHAMORROS

The Late Senator Antonio Reyes Unpingco

Descendant of the Chinese Rosauro Unpingco

Limtiaco, Tyquiengco, Unpingco.......these are names of Chamorro families we often hear.

They are also all descendants of Chinese men who moved to Guam during Spanish times in the 1850s and 60s.

That would have been during the administration of Governor Felipe de la Corte, at a time when Guam's small population (not helped by the smallpox epidemic of 1856) was at one of its lowest in years.  There was always talk about bringing in new settlers to increase the numbers on Guam and the Marianas.

VIA MANILA

Though the records show that these Chinese men who moved to Guam were born in China, more than likely they came to Guam through the Philippines.  There was no regular transportation between Guam and China, but there was between Manila and Guam.  The Philippines had a large population of Chinese; both those born in China and those born in the Philippines.

FUJIAN

The records also show that the majority of the Chinese who moved to Guam (and for that matter even to the Philippines) were from Fujian, a province in China.  Fujian Chinese had their own language, different from Mandarin (in the north) and Cantonese (in the south).  Sometimes older or alternate spellings are used for Fujian : Fukien or Hokkien.

FUJIAN PROVINCE

(in yellow)

You can see on the map it's not far from the Philippines

The circled city of Nan'an, also called Lamua, was the birthplace of many Chinese who moved to Guam, including the ancestors of the Unpingcos and Tyquiengcos.

-CO

Have you noticed that many Chinese Chamorro family names end in -co?  Unpingco, Limtiaco, Tydingco, Champaco, Tyquiengco.

Here's the reason.

The Chinese usually have three names : the family name first, then the generational name and finally the personal name.  The generational name indicates to others what generation of that family you belong to.

FAMILY MEMBER	FAMILY NAME	GENERATION NAME	PERSONAL NAME	FULL NAME
Father	Xia	Zhou	Jin	Xia Zhoujin
1st child	Xia	Han	Zheng	Xia Hanzheng
2nd child	Xia	Han	Li	Xia Hanli
3rd child	Xia	Han	Yong	Xia Hanyong

But the Fujian Chinese had a peculiar custom.  They would often drop the generational name, and add -co to their names.  "Co" in Fujian Chinese means "elder brother" and was simply a mark of respect to call a fellow countryman "elder brother."
 

Corazon COJUANGCO Aquino

Former President of the Philippines

Her ancestor also came from Fujian, China, with a surname ending in -co.  Aquino was her married name.

LATER CHINESE MIGRANTS

Not all the Chamorro Chinese on Guam trace their ancestors back to Spanish times.  Some, like the Won Pats and the Quans, came during American times.

And not all the Chinese who moved to Guam in Spanish times had names ending in -co.  Think of the Quengas, who have a Chinese ancestor.

TAITINGFONG

Many people think this is Chinese.  But it's Chamorro.  It just sounds like it could be Chinese.