Chinese Indonesians

Chinese Indonesians
Orang Tionghoa Indonesia
印度尼西亞華人
印度尼西亚华人
Performing rituals for the 2020 Chinese New Year's eve in Indonesia
Total population
8,360,000 (2014) De jure estimation[1]
10,800,000 (2020) De facto estimation[2]
Regions with significant populations
Indonesia Indonesia
Throughout Indonesia (mostly in Java, Sumatra, Riau Islands, Bangka Belitung Islands and Kalimantan, with a significant population in Eastern Indonesia, especially in parts of Sulawesi and the Maluku Islands)
Significant diaspora populace in:
 Australia[3][4]
 Canada
 China
 Hong Kong
 Malaysia[5]
 Netherlands
 Singapore[5]
 Suriname
 Taiwan[6]
 United States
Languages
Primarily
Indonesian (lingua franca)
Mother tongue languages
Indonesian, Betawi, Javanese, Sundanese, Minangkabau, Batak, Acehnese, Balinese, Malay and its varieties and other languages of Indonesia
Hokkien, Hakka, Teochew, Cantonese, Hokchew, Henghwa, Hainanese, Taishanese, Mandarin and other varieties of Chinese.
Religion
Related ethnic groups
Chinese Indonesians
Traditional Chinese印度尼西亞華人
Simplified Chinese印度尼西亚华人
Literal meaningIndonesian Chinese people
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinYìndùníxīyà huárén
Bopomofoㄧㄣˋ ㄉㄨˋ ㄋㄧˊ ㄒㄧ ㄧㄚˋ ㄏㄨㄚˊ ㄖㄣˊ
Wade–GilesYin4-tu4-ni2-hsi1-ya4 hua2-jen2
IPA[în.tû.nǐ.ɕí.jâ xwǎ.ɻə̌n]
Hakka
Pha̍k-fa-sṳYin-thu-nì-sî-â fà-ngìn
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationYandouhnèihsāia wàhyàhn
JyutpingJan3 dou6 nei4 sai1 aa3 waa4 jan4
IPA[jɐn˧.tɔw˨.nej˩.sɐj˥.a˧ wa˩.jɐn˩]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJÌn-to͘-nî-se-a Hôa-lâng
Teochew Peng'iming3 dou7 ni5 sai1 a1 hua5 jin5
Eastern Min
Fuzhou BUCÉng-dô-nà̤-să̤-ā huà-nè̤ng

Chinese Indonesians (Indonesian: Orang Tionghoa Indonesia), or simply Orang Tionghoa or Tionghoa,[7] are Indonesians whose ancestors arrived from China at some stage in the last eight centuries. Chinese Indonesians are the fourth largest community of Overseas Chinese in the world after Thailand, Malaysia, and the United States.

Chinese people and their Indonesian descendants have lived in the Indonesian archipelago since at least the 13th century. Many came initially as sojourners (temporary residents), intending to return home in their old age.[8] Some, however, stayed in the region as economic migrants. Their population grew rapidly during the colonial period when workers were contracted from their home provinces in Southern China.

Discrimination against Chinese Indonesians has occurred since the start of Dutch colonialism in the region, although government policies implemented since 1998 have attempted to redress this. Resentment of ethnic Chinese economic aptitude grew in the 1950s as Native Indonesian merchants felt they could not remain competitive. Under the Suharto government backed by the United States during the Cold War, systematic massacres against ethnic Chinese occurred in the name of "anti-communism". Later, government action propagated the stereotype that ethnic Chinese-owned conglomerates were corrupt. Although the 1997 Asian financial crisis severely disrupted their business activities, reform of government policy and legislation removed most if not all political and social restrictions on Chinese Indonesians.

The development of local Chinese society and culture is based upon three pillars: clan associations, ethnic media and Chinese-language schools.[9][10] These flourished during the period of Chinese nationalism in the final years of China's Qing dynasty and through the Second Sino-Japanese War; however, differences in the objective of nationalist sentiments brought about a split in the population. One group supported political reforms in China, while others worked towards improved status in local politics. The New Order government (1967–1998) dismantled the pillars of ethnic Chinese identity in favor of assimilation policies as a solution to the so-called "Chinese Problem".

The Chinese Indonesian population of Java accounts for nearly half of the group's national population. They are generally more urbanized than Indonesia's indigenous population but significant rural and agricultural communities still exist throughout the country. Declining fertility rates have resulted in an upward shift in the population pyramid, as the median age increases. Emigration has contributed to a shrinking population and communities have emerged in more industrialized nations in the second half of the 20th century. Some have participated in repatriation programs to the People's Republic of China, while others emigrated to neighboring Singapore, Taiwan, and Western countries to escape anti-Chinese sentiment.[11] Among the overseas residents, their identities are noticeably more Indonesian than Chinese.[12]

  1. ^ "Overseas Chinese Population ─ by Country" (PDF).
  2. ^ "Berapakah Jumlah Sesungguhnya Populasi Tionghoa di Indonesia?". nationalgeographic.grid.id. 5 June 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  3. ^ Stephen Gapps. "A Complicated Journey: Chinese, Indonesian, and Australian Family Histories". Australian National Maritime Museum. Archived from the original on 6 May 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  4. ^ Terri McCormack (2008). "Indonesians". Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  5. ^ a b Thomas Fuller (12 December 1998). "Indonesia's Ethnic Chinese Find a Haven For Now, But Their Future Is Uncertain: Malaysia's Wary Welcome". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  6. ^ "Statistics" (in Chinese). National Immigration Agency, ROC. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  7. ^ Kenneth Utama (30 August 2016). "Why it's important to talk about Chinese-Indonesians or Cindo". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  8. ^ Wang Gungwu (1996). "Sojourning: the Chinese experience in Southeast Asia". In Anthony Reid (ed.). Sojourners and settlers: histories of Southeast Asia and the Chinese. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press. pp. 1–9.
  9. ^ Suryadinata, Arifin & Ananta 2003, p. 74.
  10. ^ Hoon 2006, p. 96.
  11. ^ Joe Cochrane (22 November 2014). "An Ethnic Chinese Christian, Breaking Barriers in Indonesia". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  12. ^ Cunningham 2008, p. 104.