From the beginning, the Hokkien traders realized that, in addition to the trans-Pacific luxury trade of good brought from China, Spaniards in Manila needed ready and steady supplies of food and myriad other necessities of everyday life, as well as provisions for the outbound galleons with their large crews of several hundred men. Not surprisingly, trade with the Sangley grew steadily and rapidly, consolidating Spanish dependency on the Chinese for almost everything to do with surviving and thriving in Las Filipinas, while inducing the Chinese away from sojourning to settling in Manila.  So noted Governor Niño de Tavora in 1628: “There is no Spaniard, secular or religious, who obtains his food, clothing, or shoes, except through the Chinese.” (Dubs, p. 387). Or, as one of his predecessors, the interim governor and Audiencia judge (oidor) Antonio de Morga, noted dryly:  “Verdad es, que sin estos Sangleyes, no se puede pasar ni sustentar la ciudad, porque son los oficiales de todos los oficios, grandes trabajadores, y a precios acomodados" (Morga, p. 320). To back up this observation, he provided a detailed catalogue of many of the everyday consumer household goods and foodstuff  that Sangley merchants provided in Manila:

vasos de cobre y de hierro colado; mucha clavazón de toda suerte, fierro en plancha, estaño, y pera, nuez moscada, jenjibre, y otras frutas de la China, perniles de tocino, y otras çeçinas, gallinas vivas, de casta, y capones muy hermosos, mucha fruta verde, de naranjas de todos jéneros, castañas muy buenas, nuezes, peras, y chicueyes, verdes y pasados, que es fruta muy regalada; mucho hilo delgado, de todo jénero, agujas, antojos, cajuelas y escritorios, y camas, mesas, y sillas, y bancos dorados, y jaspeados de muchas figuras y labores, búfanos mansos, gansos como cisnes, cavallos, algunas mulas, y jumentos, hasta pájaros enjaulados que algunos hablan, y otros cantan, y les hazen hazer mil juguetes; otras mil bujerías, y brincos de poca costa y precio, que entre los Espaõles son de estima, sin much loça fina de todas suertes, canganes, y sines, y mantas negras, y azules, tacley, que es abalorio de todo jénero, y comerinas ensartadas, y otras cuentas y piedras de todas colores, pimiento, y otas especias, y curiosidades"

…metal basins, copper kettles and other copper and cast-iron pots; quantities of all sorts of nails, sheet-iron, tin and saltpeter and gunpowder.  …wheat flour…preserves made of orange, peach, pear; nutmeg and ginger, and other fruits of China; salt port and other salt meats; live fowls of good breed and many fine capons; quantities of fresh fruits and oranges of all kinds, excellent chestnuts, walnuts and chicueyes (both green and dried, a delicious fruit); quantities of fine threads of all kinds, needles and knick-knacks; little boxes and writing bases; beds, tables, chairs and gilded benches, painted in many figures and patterns..."

Of course, the main purpose of this list-making was to provide details on all the beautiful and marvelous luxury goods that the Sangleys sold to Mexican merchants for the galleon ships:

seda cruda, en maço, fina de dos cabeças, y otra de menos ley; sedas flojas finas, blancas y de todas colores, en madejuelas, muchos terciopelos llanos, y labrados de todas laborers, colores y hechuras; y otros, los fondos de oro, y perfilados de la mismo; telas y brocadetes de oro y plata, sobre seda de diversas colores y labores, mucho oro y plata hilada en madejas, sobre hilo y sobre seda, pero la ojuela de todo el oro y plata, es falsa, sobre papel; demascos, rasos, tafetanes, y gorvaranes, picotes, y otras telas de todos colores, unas más finas y mejores que otras; cantidad de lençeria de yerva, que llaman lençesuelo, y de mantería blanca de algodón, de diferentes géneros y suertes, para todo servicio; almizcle, menjuy, marfil, muchas curiosidades de camas, pavellones, sobrecamas, y colgaduras, bordadas sobre terciopelo; damasco y gorvaran de matizes, sobremesas, almohadas, alfombras, jaezes de cavallos de los mismo, y de abalorio, y aljófar; algunas perlas y rubíes, y çafiros y piedras de cristal…"

domesticated buffaloes that resemble swans, horses, some mules and asses; even caged birds, some of which talk while others sing, and they make them play innumerable tricks.  The Chinese furnish numberless other gewgaws and ornaments of little value and worth, which are esteemed among the Spaniards the finest two-strand raw silk in bundles and other silk of coarser quality; fine untwisted silk, white and of all colors, wound in small skeins; quantities of velvets, some plain and some embroidered in all sorts of figures, colors, and fashions, others with gold bodies and embroidery; woven stuffs and brocades, of gold and silver thread in skeins; damasks, satins, taffetas, and other cloths of different kinds and quantities.  They also bring musk, benzoin and ivory; many bed ornaments, hangings, coverlets, and tapestries of embroidered velvet; damask, and cordovan tapestries of different shades; tablecloths, cushions, and carpets; horse-trappings of the same stuffs and embroidered with glass beads and seed-pearls; also pearls, rubies, sapphires and crystals…”

It is this additional critical role that led to the integration of the Chinese into the colonial life of Mexicans in Manila.  Without competition from either Spaniards or native Filipinos, historian Edgar Wickberg simply noted:  “Spanish settlements with needed goods and services was an open field for Chinese enterprises.(Wickberg, p. 4; italics added). Because so many of the enterprises consisted of providing daily services and everyday goods, most were located on site in Manila, specifically in the Parián.   That is, instead of continuing to transport many of these manufactured items from China, Hokkien laborers and artisans followed in the wake of the merchants, relocating themselves and sometimes their families, but most importantly their workshops and retail business experience, to the Parián in Manila.  The in-migration of these artisans was one of the key reasons leading to the Chinese demographic explosion as well as the growing occupational diversity in the Parián.  

As Fray Domingo Salazar, first bishop of Manila, observed of the Parián as early as 1590:“… no hay cosa tanto de ver como esta, porque en él hay toda la contrataçion de la China, donde se hallan todos los géneros de mercadurías y cosas curiosas que de allá vienen; y se comiençan ya (á) hazer acá con tanta frecuençia  más perfición que se haçen en la China, por la comunicaçcion que con los Españoles tienen, que con ella se an perfeccionado en cosas que en la China no se solián haçer."

In other words, Chinese artisans had begun to set up shop in the Manila Parián itself, where they manufactured consumer goods according to Spanish specifications, needs and taste. For this reason, craftsmen and artisans have set up workshops in the Parian, selling a great variety of goods at very low prices: Hállanse en este Parián todos los oficiales de todos los oficios y artes mecánicas de una República, y de todos en mucha cantidad; y se hacen cosas muy más curiosas que en España, y algunas veçes tan baratas, que es vergüença deçirlo.[7]

Bishop Salazar described these Mexicans as if they were children in a candy store, so eager were they to snap up all the merchandise that they exercised little restraint in the marketplace and displayed very bad business sense:  “…a los castellanos no se les puede poner freno ni pone los en orden, y ansí se haya a todo estragando. For not being as astute as the Portuguese in their business dealings with these wily Sangley merchants, who were “not fools”, Spaniards ended up being seduced and paying more than necessary:  “…les ban conosçiendo el humor, approvechanse el poco miramiento de los Españoles, y con brevedad se haçen más ricos de los que fueran, si los Españoles superan tener modo.”(Salazar, no pagination).[8] But no restraint can be put upon the Castilians, nor can they be regulated—the consequences of which is that everything is going to ruin; for the Sangleys, who were not born as fools, begin to understand the Spaniards’ disposition, and to take advantage of their lack of prudence, thus becoming richer than they would did the latter observe moderation.”(Salazar, in Blair and Robertson translation, p. 225). The consequences were predictable: “Los officios mecánicos de los Españoles an cessado todos, porque todos se visten y calçan con sangleyes, por ser muy buenos oficiales, al use de España, y háçenlo todo muy barato(Salazar, in Blair and Robertson translation, p. 226).[9]

According to the bishop, the Sangley quickly learned to produce high quality reproductions of Western arts and crafts, remarking that they were“tan ábiles é ingeniosos, que en viendo alguna pieça hecha de official de España, la sacan muy al propio.(Salazar, in Blair and Robertson translation, p. 226).[10] Speaking of gold and silversmiths,

Los plateros, aunque no saben esmaltar, porque en la China no usan esmalte pero en lo demás, ansí de oroto como de plata, haçen obras maravillosas, … y lo que más me admira es, que con no aber quando yo acquí llegué hombre dellos que supiese pintar cosa que algo fuese, so an perfiçionado tanto en este arte, que ansí en lo de pinçel como en lo de bulto, an sacado maravillosas pieças …"

Although the silversmiths do not know how to enamel (for enamel is not used in China), in other respects they produce marvelous work in old and silver…What arouses my wonder most is, that when I arrived no Sangley knew how to paint anything; but no they have so perfected themselves in this art that they produced marvelous work with both the brush and the chisel…" (Salazar, in Blair and Robertson translation, p. 226)

In mentioning chisel work along with paint work, Father Salazar called attention to the impressive ability of skilled Hokkien artisans’ ability to duplicate religious figures from images provided them, such as marble statues of the Child Jesus, and even improving upon the original with their use of new materials, such as ivory, a material unknown in Europe or the Americas.

"Algunos niños Jesús que yo e visto en marfil, me pareçe que no se puede haçer cosa más perfeta; y ansí lo afirman todos los que los an bisto.  Banse proveyendo las yglesias de la ymágenes que éstos haçen, de que ante abía mucha falta,  según la abilidad que muestran al retratar las ymágenes que bienen de España, entiendo que antes de mucho no nos harán falta las que se haçen de Flandes; y lo que dixe de los pintores, digo también de los bordadores, que ban ya hacienda obras bordadas muy perfectas y se van cada día perfeccionando.” 

"I think that nothing more perfect could be produced than some of their marble statues of the Child Jesus which I have seen.  This opinion is affirmed by all who have seen them.  The churches are beginning to be furnished with the images which the Sangleys make, and which we greatly lacked before; and considering the ability displayed by these people in reproducing the images which come from España, I believe that soon we shall not even miss those made in Flanders.  What I say of the painters applies also to embroiderers, who are already producing excellent embroidered works, and are continually improving in that art." (Salazar, in Blair and Robertson translation, p. 226)

Fray Domingo took great pleasure in sharing with the Emperor the amusing story of a Mexican master book-binder (enquadernador) whose Chinese assistant surreptitiously learned the trade so well that he could produce a perfectly bound book at less cost that the Spanish master closed up his workshop and went back to Mexico.  Speaking of the clever young Chinese craftsman, todos acuden al sangley, y haçe tan buena obra, que no haçe falta el official Español, y al punto que estas escrivo, tengo en mis manos un Nabarro en latín, enquadernado por él, que en Sevilla á mi juiçio no se encuadernara mexor.[11] Chinese artisans also produced chairs, bridles and stirrups (sillas, frenos y estribos) in such good quality and so cheaply “que algunos mercaderes quieren de ellos haçer cargaçón para México.” (“…some merchants wish to load a cargo of these articles for Mexico) (Salazar, no pagination; translation in Blair and Robertson, p. 227).