A Short History of the Ethnic Chinese in Indonesia

Abstract

This chapter explores the origins of the ambivalent position of ethnic Chinese in Indonesia. Historically, the Chinese have their ancestral roots in China and do not have particular regions in Indonesia to identify with. During the Dutch period, the colonial regime’s divide-and-rule policy, the granting of economic privileges to the Chinese, and subsequently the emergence of nationalist sentiments oriented towards China in early twentieth-century Dutch East Indies effectively prevented the Chinese from integrating into the wider indigenous population. The Chinese therefore began to be perceived as an alien minority associated with various negative attributes, occupying an ambivalent position in Indonesian society.

Cultural Character Analysis on Architectural Elements of the Chinese Temples’ Buildings before the 19th Century in Central Java

“…Chinese culture in Indonesia has experienced both highs and lows, particularly during key historical periods such as the Dutch colonial era, the postindependence era starting in 1965, and the onset of the reform era in 1998. These times were often marked by racial tensions, exemplified by riots targeting the ethnic Chinese community, largely fueled by social envy (Chong, 2018). Interethnic marriages between Chinese immigrants and indigenous Javanese people led to the emergence of the Peranakan Chinese community, descendants of Chinese settlers who have lived in Java for generations.…”