Indonesian Chinese

The Indonesian Chinese are ethnically Chinese people living in Indonesia, as a result of hundreds of years of overseas Chinese migration.

Related Topics:
Chinese - Indonesia - Overseas Chinese

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Indonesian Chinese people are diverse in their origins, timing and circumstances of immigration to Indonesia, and level of ties to China. Many trace their origins to the southern parts of China, such as the Fujian, Hainan and Guangdong provinces. Broadly speaking, there were three waves of immigration of the ethnic Chinese to Southeast Asia in general and Indonesia in particular. The first wave was spurred by trading activities dating back to the time of Zheng He's voyage, the second wave around the time of the Opium War, and the third and last wave around the first half of the 20th century. Chinese Indonesians whose ancestors immigrated in the first and second waves, and have thus become creolised or hua-na (in Hokkien) by marriage and assimilation, are called Peranakan Chinese. The more recent Chinese immigrants and those who are still culturally Chinese, are called the Totok. The largest populations of Indonesian Chinese people are in the cities of Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan, Semarang, Pontianak, and Bandung.

Related Topics:
China - Fujian - Hainan - Guangdong - Zheng He - Opium War - Hokkien - ''Peranakan'' Chinese - Jakarta - Surabaya - Medan - Semarang - Pontianak - Bandung

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The economic activities and wealth of the Chinese community in Indonesia is hugely diverse; many are farmers and small-scale merchants. In many parts of Indonesia, however, they are represented among the wealthier classes out of proportion with their small numbers. According to a survey of corporations listed on the Jakarta Stock Exchange, the Indonesian Chinese community was thought to own or operate a large fraction of major Indonesian corporations. This is a result of a long government restriction for Chinese Indonesians to go into public service and other governmental occupations. The stereotype that Indonesian Chinese people are all extremely wealthy is common in Indonesian society. In part as a result of this perceived dominance of the economy, Indonesian Chinese community has frequently been viewed with suspicion by indigenous Indonesians.

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