RIZAL IN HONG KONG AND

MACAO, 1888
• Hounded by powerful enemies, Rizal was
forced to leave his country for the second
time in February 1888. He was 27 then, a
practicing physician, and a recognized
man-of-letters.
The Trip to Hong Kong

• ♥February 3, 1888 – after a short stay of six

months in his beloved Calamba, Rizal left Manila
for Hong Kong on board the Zafiro
• ♥February 7, 1888 – their ship made a brief stop
over at Amoy and for three reasons he did not
get off
(1) he was not feeling well,
(2) it was raining hard,
(3) he heard the city was dirty
• Hong Kong Amoy
♥February 8, 1888 – Rizal arrived in Hong
Kong. He was welcomed by Filipino
residents, including:
• Jose Maria Basa
• Balbino Mauricio
• Manuel Yriarte (son of Francisco Yriarte,
alcalde mayor of Laguna)
• ♥Victoria Hotel – it is where Rizal resided
during his stay in Hong Kong

• ♥Jose Sainz de Varanda – a Spaniard

who was a former secretary of Governor
General Terrero, who shadowed Rizal’s
movement in Hong Kong. It is believed
that he was commissioned by the Spanish
authorities to spy on Rizal.
♥This is how Rizal described Hong Kong on his
letter to Blumentritt dated February 16, 1888.
“Hong Kong is a small, but very clean city.
Many Portugese, Hindus, English, Chinese, and
Jews live in it. There are some Filipinos, the
majority of whom being those who had been
exiled to the Marianas Islands in 1872. They are
poor, gentle, and timid. Formerly they were rich
mechanics, industrialists, and financiers.”
• Ferdinand Blumentritt
– was a teacher, secondary school principal in
Litoměřice, lecturer, and author of articles and
books on the Philippines and its ethnography.
He is well-known in the Philippines for his
close friendship with the country's national
hero, Jose Rizal.
• 8 February 1888
After 5 days trip, Rizal arrived at Hong Kong. He
boarded in the house of Jose Maria Basa.
• 19 February 1888
With Jose Maria Basa, Jose Sainz de Veranda and some
Portuguese, Rizal left Hongkong for Macao on board the
Kiu Kiang.
• In Macao, they lived in the house of Juan Lecaroz. Rizal
went around for observation, especially the botanical
garden.
• 22 February 1888
After staying in Hong Kong for almost two weeks, he left
for Japan on board the Oceanic.
 Visit to Macao
♥February 18, 1888 – Rizal accompanied by Basa,
boarded the ferry steamer Kiu-Kang for Macao.
And on that same ship, he was surprised to see
among the passengers a familiar figure – Jose
Sainz de Varand.
• Rizal describes Macao in his diary:
♥“The city of Macao is small, low, and gloomy. There are
many junks, sampans, but few steamers. It looks sad and is
almost dead.”

♥Don Juan Francisco Lecaros – a Filipino gentleman married

to a Portugese lady. He was rich and spent his days
cultivating plants and flowers, many of which came from the
Philippines. It is in his home where Rizal and Basa stayed
during their visit to Macao.

♥During his two-day sojourn, Rizal visited the theatre, casino,

cathedral and churches, pagodas, botanical garden, and
bazaars. He also saw the famous Grotto of Camoens,
Portugal’s national poet.
• ♥February 20, 1888 – Rizal and Basa
returned to Hong Kong, again on board
the ferry steamer Kiu - Kiang
 Experiences in Hong Kong
♥During his two-week visit in Hong Kong, Rizal studied
Chinese life, language, drama, and customs.

♥The following are some of his diary entries regarding

his experiences:

• Noisy celebration of the Chinese New Year which lasted

from February 11th(Saturday) to 13th(Monday).
Continuous explosions of firecrackers. The richer the
Chinese, the more firecrackers he exploded. Rizal
himself fired many firecrackers at the window of his
hotel.

• Boisterous Chinese theatre, with noisy audience and

noisier music. In the Chinese dramatic art.
• The marathon lauriat party, wherein the guests were
served numerous dishes. According to him it is the
longest meal in the world.

• The Dominican Order was the richest religious order in

Hong Kong. It engaged actively in business. It owned
more than 700 houses for rent and many shares in
foreign banks, it had millions of dollars deposited in the
banks which earned fabulous interests.
• Of the Hong Kong cemeteries belonging to
the Protestants, Catholics, and Muslims,
that of the Protestants was the most
beautiful because of its well-groomed
plants and clean pathways.
 Departure from Hong Kong

♥February 22,1888 – Rizal left Hong Kong

on board the Oceanic, an American
steamer. His destination was Japan