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speaking chinese in indonesia...^_^


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Posted

Being born in a speaking chinese familiy in West borneo, Indonesia has been a blessing for me, since most of my chinese friends can only speak bahasa here in Jakarta. They don't even know a single chinese word.

I also have to speak bahasa at schools and university, and even now in the working environment in Jakarta. People will give a sinically look at me whenever I start talking in my chinese language (tio ciu)..:P

Sounds strange, isn't it? But that's what Ive had as my experience since these past 5 years living in jakarta..but seems the sinically look didn't work out, I still proud to be speaking chinese though..:P

Well, if you have your spare time now, just leave me a message here in this topic..

thanks before...

Posted

Well, its good if you're very proud of being able to speak a chinese dialect 'teochew' at least. Somehow I sense you feel somewhat disturbed that you're not able to use your 'language' amongst your own kind in Indonesia. Don't let that get into you.

In fact, you remind me of many of the 'Chinese speaking Chinese' group of in SE Asia. They generally have a very, very strong chinese pride unlike the non-chinese speaking chinese which doesnt mean their any less chinese.....

BTW, chinese in my reply refers to mandarin and/or any other chinese dialect

Posted

Good on you for speaking Chinese!!!

It's sad that many Indonesian Chinese can't utter a word in any Chinese dialect, because it's losing a connection with a great civilisation and culture.

But at least in Indonesia, there are heaps of ethnic Chinese, and now I heard Chinese language is not illegal anymore, many Chinese schools are reopening.

  • 3 months later...
Posted

I am also an Indonesian Chinese, but unlike Rita I can't speak Chinese at all, I can't even write my Chinese name. I mean my dad teached me how to write it down, but I forgot about it now :( It is sad is not it? as I am just a second generation, my grands from dad's side came from Guang Dong and from mum's side from Fujian.

I was born in Sumatra island, we don't have big Chinese community there. So I wonder why on earth my grands decided to reside there in the first place???... Local people will give you a look if you talk Chinese in the public place. My parents attended Chinese school (before all of them were closed down around 1965) so they speak fluent mandarin, they even can read and write mandarin. It is a pitty we don't use mandarin at home.

Anyway, whenever I walk around Sydney Chinatown or even sometimes on the street many people just started to talk to me in Chinese.. I guess I look Chinese ha... :mrgreen:

I will take mandarin - basic class this february.. yey!!!

Posted

Try the following links for more background about Indonesian Chinese:-)

Discriminatory laws and regulations against Chinese Indonesians by the Indonesia government

http://www.huaren.org/diaspora/asia/indonesia/laws.html

_____________

"IT'S BEEN 34 YEARS, but Wu Qiaojun remembers vividly the day that Indonesia outlawed Chinese-related products. As an eight-year-old child of Chinese parents she had to burn her beloved books. She recalls: "I cried and cried."

But boosting literacy has been, and still is, an uphill battle. Few young Chinese speak fluent Mandarin, the official spoken dialect in China.

http://www.huaren.org/diaspora/asia/indonesia/doc/020501-01.html

______________

Here is another one:

"Indonesia lifts bans on Chinese traditions" Jan 20, 2000

http://www.huaren.org/diaspora/asia/indonesia/news/012000-01.html

__________

BTW, the following is also happening to my dad's family. Two of my uncles accepted asylum offer from China and returned back to PRC in 1965. Same story with this article. Now they are living in Hong Kong.

"Ng was one of 40,000 who accepted Chairman Mao's blanket offer of asylum in the motherland; he made a new home in the southeastern province of Fujian. But China was no paradise. Soon after the Cultural Revolution erupted in 1966, Ng and his wife were sent to the countryside to labor among the peasants."

http://www.huaren.org/focus/id/053199-02.html

Posted

Thanks for the quick reply and articles, Snowy.

But the articles failed to mention how native Indonesians feel about the rejunivination of Chinese culture. And others things.

1. How do the native Indonesians feel about it? Mood, reaction, disagreements, etc.

2. Like the family from the fourth article, why have not many more left Indonesia for a better place? I don't expect every last one to leave, but there are still 7 million left; that is quit a large number. What is stopping them? Language barrier?

3. What is Beijing and the people's response to all of this? News like this do hit home.

  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

Hi all,

I am Chinese Indonesian and living in Jakarta as well.. so, I might be able to answer your questions... :)

1. How do the native Indonesians feel about it? Mood, reaction, disagreements, etc.

ok, it's vary among all indonesian.. it's important to know that this discrimination has been practiced for decades.. some educated indonesian has been showing their disagreement.. and in the past few years, a lot of thing has changed.. things are getting better. We can find chinese as a second language in schools a lot easier nowadays.

And the best part is we are having the first Official National Chinese New Year Holiday this year.. so, it might give you guys some pictures about the situation here right now. :lol::lol::lol::lol:

2. Like the family from the fourth article, why have not many more left Indonesia for a better place? I don't expect every last one to leave, but there are still 7 million left; that is quit a large number. What is stopping them? Language barrier?

Ok, we are here for couple generations right now. Our job, home town, family is in this country .. a lot of us called Indonesia as our home already. So, it's not as easy as that to tell us to move.. Even though we got a bad treatments before.. but we are here to stay.. sound ironic, i know.. but that's the FACT

3. What is Beijing and the people's response to all of this? News like this do hit home.

hmm. When the Anti Chinese Riot happened in 1998, the people itself gave us very good support.. but the government seems didn't do anything much. It's normal for me, because we are not China Citizens , we are Indonesian citizen by law.

In short, my personal opinion, we will face discrimination around the world, it doesn't mater if you are cuacasion, african, asian..

there are narrow minded people around the world. we just have to face the facts :lol:

Just Deal With It ...

Posted
hmm. When the Anti Chinese Riot happened in 1998, the people itself gave us very good support.. but the government seems didn't do anything much. It's normal for me, because we are not China Citizens , we are Indonesian citizen by law.

If you don't mind my asking, I am just wondering how bad the riot got. I've seen depressingly HORRIBLE photos and reports on the Internet. Is it true that the police sort of just went along? What kind of changes happened to the Chinese- Indonesians relations after it?

  • 5 months later...
Posted
Hi all' date='

I am Chinese Indonesian and living in Jakarta as well.. so, I might be able to answer your questions... :)

2. Like the family from the fourth article, why have not many more left Indonesia for a better place? I don't expect every last one to leave, but there are still 7 million left; that is quit a large number. What is stopping them? Language barrier?

Ok, we are here for couple generations right now. Our job, home town, family is in this country .. a lot of us called Indonesia as our home already. So, it's not as easy as that to tell us to move.. Even though we got a bad treatments before.. but we are here to stay.. sound ironic, i know.. but that's the FACT

.[/quote']

I would advise indonesian chinese to migrate to malaysia if they cannot migrate to western countries !

although we also face racial discrimination here but at least we have the numbers. It doesn't mean that riot in 1998 won't repeat itself there in the future. We also have chinese schools and chinese new year.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

I am also a Chinese Indonesian. My name is Oei Liong Hoo ( Mandarin : Huang Lung He ). I live in Yogyakarta. I can write my Chinese name but I can't speak Chinese ( Both Mandarin and Hokkian dialect), My grands from dad's and mum's side came from Fujian ( Hokkian ). My parents can't speak Chinese also, so they can't teach me Chinese ( Mandarin and / or Hokkian ). It's so ironic. :-?

I want to learn both mandarin and hokkian very much, but I don't know how....... :conf

  • 1 year later...
Posted

Hi Christian,

I am also Chinese Indonesian, and Oei. I am learning Mandarin now with my son :-) In Indonesia, there should be many Mandarin schools...

To the question of why not all Indonesian leaving... it is home...

Posted
I want to learn both mandarin and hokkian very much, but I don't know how

Thanks to the US government, and some people very interested in learning languages, a reputedly very good mandarin course - for learning to speak but not write - is now available online for free:

http://fsi-language-courses.com/StandardChinese.aspx

Saya berharapkan berhasil di belajar bahasa cina untuk semua orang cina yang tinggal di indonesia!

:)

PS and apologies for my bad indonesian :P

PPS the same site has cantonese

Posted

Terima kasih, xie xie ni :-)

I am in the US, so I am borrowing Pimsleur from the local library, and just started looking at www.chinesepod.com, but this will be a good addition.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted
I still proud to be speaking chinese though

I am genuinely PROUD of you. The man-made paper of nationality doesn't cut up the connection beween you and "hua2 ren2" in my eyes.

Speaking of being a chinese mentally,I was saddened once a chatter from TaiWan told me that she felt shamed to be called chinese by westerners.I respect their notion of trying to become a country even if Tai wan were generally accepted a absolute country by the whole world,I think,I wouldn't get bothered too much coz folks in Tai Wan have rights on their own choice.Well,i am relieved by the conviction that NOT everyone thinks the way she does. There comes one of my best friends in Tai Pei.She is proud of being called chinese as we are and even aspire to solidify mainlanders and folks from taiwan in the future.:)

  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

Thank you onebir for the article on Golden age for Chinese Indonesians. That article makes me hopeful that things are getting better there.

  • 7 years later...
  • New Members
Posted

Hi there!

Starzin Chinese Culture Centre (星辰汉语) was established in Aug, 2013, located in south Jakarta. Our teachers are all from China, and know the Chinese culture very well.

For more information, you can log in our website: www.starzin.com

Hope you a nice experience learning

Terima kasih!

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