Although the coast
of China is only 500 miles away, the mainland Chinese appear to have had little
contact with the Philippines until the Tang dynasty, about 600 C.E., and even
then their role was mainly confined to that of trading partner. Instead, influences
appear to have come mainly from the south and west.
By
200 B.C.E., Tamil and Hindu speaking traders and conquerers began making their
influence felt, bringing new fashions and cultural traditions which included
the Hindu script still in use on Mindoro Island and parts of the Visayas.
Finally, Moslem invaders
followed this same seaborne route to the Philippines beginning about the 13th
century, only shortly before the Portuguese and Spanish arrived. The Moslem
influence has been significant, but it is mainly confined to the south.