Imprinted for a hundred years, rooted in a foreign land
An elderly man sits in a corner of the café, his kind gaze past the bustling crowd of the store to the sunny street scene outside the window. The streets of this old town still retain the colonial style, with deep alleys lined with red-tiled houses. Walking down the street, you can hear the melodious Chinese accent wafting from the homes of residents, and the aroma of the traditional Chinese restaurants is also emanated. Although it is thousands of miles away from its ancestral homeland, for the Chinese living here, this hot land is also their home for sweat and hope.
Their ancestors set foot on the land hundreds of years ago, initially in search of a way out, but later to take root and blend in with the diverse cultures of the region. During the declining Dutch-Indonesian period, they injected the vitality of industrious wisdom into this barren land; In the turbulent years after independence, they defended every inch of their homeland with their lives.
To this day, those terrible years are often repeated in the nightmares of the elderly: large-scale anti-China demonstrations, the burning of houses, and the wails of the murder of wives and children...... All of this is a stain of shame on Indonesia's history, but it has also become a source of unswerving tenacity for countless Chinese families.
Just like this old man, his father was originally just an ordinary trader, relying on his diligence and opportunity to achieve a small success in the local area. However, in the 1998 catastrophe, almost all of their possessions were looted. While fleeing, his father broke his leg by a mob, and his mother disappeared for years in the chaos. Eventually, they were able to start over with the help of friends and family.
Despite all the trauma, the family chose to stay here. On the one hand, it is difficult to give up the long-rooted homeland complex, and on the other hand, it is also a beautiful expectation for the future. Although the roots of the ancestral home are thousands of miles away, years of hard work have deeply rooted the homeland here. For the vast majority of Chinese, staying is their best defense and defense of this land.
Now, as China has become more powerful, Indonesian society's attitude towards the Chinese has changed significantly. Reform and opening up has brought about a comprehensive integration between China and the world, and it has also attracted much attention from overseas Chinese. The Chinese Indonesian have finally been freed from a long period of loneliness and oppression, and have ushered in new opportunities and hopes.
Today, Chinese can be seen in all walks of life in Indonesia. They play a pivotal role in business, finance, and even politics. However, all this is not easy to come by, and it can be traced back to the arduous process of Chinese immigrants hundreds of years ago.
It was a group of hopeful but bare-handed people who left their ancestral villages to flee to the Indonesian archipelago, known as the "Pearl of the Orient". At that time, it was undoubtedly a hot spot with unlimited business opportunities. In this way, generation after generation of Chinese have taken root in this strange tropical region, relying on the traditional virtue of hardship and hard work, using their hands to expand their territory in the barren land, and using their wisdom to nurture vitality in the barren country.
After a brief period of glory, independent Indonesia was in turmoil. Trapped by narrow nationalist sentiments, the new regime not only dealt with the former colonizers, but also targeted the Chinese community who had been cared for during the Dutch period. Countless ordinary families have been bloodily killed and robbed, and for the majority of Chinese, this is undoubtedly an unforgettable dark time.
Despite this, the vast majority of people chose to stay and help each other in their own way. In the most difficult moments, the watchfulness of compatriots and the concern of relatives have become the biggest pillars, so that people always have anticipation for tomorrow. There are also senior businessmen who uphold the family motto and still maintain a positive and pragmatic entrepreneurial belief in the face of adversity. They know that as long as they persist in struggle, they will eventually wait for new sunshine.
Today, we see that the Indonesian government and people have gradually eliminated their narrow prejudice against the Chinese. The Chinese are well-known in both political and business circles and have become the backbone of national rejuvenation. All this is due to the arduous struggle of several generations, and it has also witnessed the selfless enthusiasm of the Chinese people for the motherland and homeland.
It is true that it is not easy to be under the fence outside of the ancestral home, but as long as there is a fire of faith burning in your heart, you will eventually find your own spiritual home in ordinary life. That spark is the power of love for the family and country, the desire for a better life, and the persistence of the sincere teachings of the ancestors. Like them, we should take deep roots in the soil of the present and use wisdom and diligence to open up a better tomorrow.