The Yap-San Diego Ancestral House in Parian, Cebu City is said to be the first Chinese house built outside of China. It was constructed during the country’s Spanish colonial era, when Chinese were required to live in city’s “Parians”. After the arrival of Chinese traders in 1590, Cebu’s Parian was established. The ancestral house, known as “Balay nga Bato ug Kahoy” by the locals, is made of coral stones and wood. It was built between 1675 and 1700 and was once owned by a Chinese merchant named Don Juan Yap and his wife, Doña Maria Florido.
It is now considered one of the country’s oldest existing residential structures and proof that the Parian district in Cebu City was a bustling barangay where houses were frequently designed with a second storey. This home was eventually passed down to Doña Maria’s great great grandson, Val Mancao San Diego, in 2008.
