What else is there besides the blue sea and blue sky of Indonesia?
Today we mention Indonesia, which seems to be a country with a very low presence. But this is definitely a big misunderstanding!
Indonesia is a big country. Not only is it the largest country in Southeast Asia, but it is also the widest – spanning more than 5,500 kilometers from east to west, more than twice the distance from Beijing to Urumqi in a straight line! It's also a land of 10,000 islands – 17,508 islands across Asia and Oceania, dotted across the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
For more than a thousand years, Indonesia has been at the center of the Maritime Silk Road and the Spice Route. In ancient Indonesia, the name recorded in the mainland history books was Sri Buddha. It became a maritime power through maritime trade and control of important ports along the route, and its territory was larger than it is today. The trade between the mainland and Indonesia has a long history. The "Maritime Silk Road" opened up in the Han Dynasty entered a prosperous period in the Tang and Song dynasties and became the main channel for transportation and trade between China and foreign countries. Indonesia's special geographical location and the characteristics of many islands make it the most important transit point of the "Maritime Silk Road".
Schematic diagram of the Maritime Silk Road
Countless merchant ships traveled between China and the Arabian Peninsula via Java and Sumatra, and these ships had to transit and replenish through Indonesian ports. A few years ago, the remains of the merchant ship Blackstone, which was loaded with porcelain bowls from Changsha kilns, were found near Belitung Island, Indonesia.
"Blackstone" shipwreck out of the water cultural relics
After the opening of the Age of Discovery, Indonesia, which is rich in spices, came into the eyes of Europeans. The Portuguese, the British, and the French arrived, and the Dutch came to take possession of the whole of Indonesia by establishing a new trading base near the then Banten Kingdom of Java by establishing their own base, Jakarta, and using it as a base to gradually occupy the whole of Java and then take all of Indonesia for themselves.
Along with colonization and trade, there is also a history of Chinese immigration to the South Seas.
Early Chinese who went to Nanyang
As early as the Tang and Song dynasties, the Chinese traveled along the Maritime Silk Road to various islands in Indonesia, and some stayed there and intermarried with the natives, giving birth to Peranakan known as Ngao and Nyonya. They have a combination of Chinese religious beliefs and indigenous lifestyles, and through their efforts they have gradually entered the mainstream of Javanese society.
During the Dutch colonial period, the Chinese were named Kapitan because they were good at dealing with whites and acted as intermediaries for whites to manage the local aborigines, and they were the middle and upper class group second only to whites. Therefore, until modern times, the Chinese are also the most "rich and rival the country" group in the local area (the movie "Crazy Rich Money" is recommended here), and therefore there have been previous anti-Chinese incidents.
Today's Indonesia is still not to be underestimated. It is a member of the G20, the fourth most populous country in the world, and the country with the largest Muslim population in the world. It is also a famous tourist destination in the world. Magnificent natural landscapes, rich cultural heritage and unique folk customs combine to make up a new Indonesia today. This time, let us under the leadership of experts, through the interconnection and interconnection of the ocean, to string together a new Indonesia and the Maritime Silk Road!
【Traveling in History・Ancient Civilization Series】 Indonesia from a Global Perspective (1) 2024.7.23 — 2024.7.31
Chapter 1印尼游学｜专家带队
Like a king
Art History Scholar/Ph.D./Master's Supervisor
Research interests: Silk Road and Buddhist Art, Ph.D., Lahore University of Education, Pakistan. He has worked in Beijing universities for more than ten years, teaching Western literature and comparison of Chinese and Western cultures, Chinese history and culture for international students, and other humanities courses. He is the head of the "Institute of East Asian Art Appreciation and History" of Beijing Peili Education Development Center. He travels and lectures all year round, and his main research direction is the cross-cultural origin of Buddhist art iconography. For a long time, in the context of the historical development of the Silk Road from the perspective of geography, he has carried out research on the artistic application of post-Hellenistic Buddhist elements in Eurasia. The teacher will accompany the whole process and specially prepare 3 theme lectures around the theme of the study tour: Session 1: "The Spread of Buddhism in Southeast Asia and the Art of Buddhism in Southeast Asia"
Session 2: The Relationship between Buddhism and Brahmanism and HinduismTSession 3: The Relationship between Southern Buddhism and Northern Buddhism
Chapter 2印尼游学｜线路安排
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Chapter 3印尼游学｜行程亮点
1. Art history expert teachers lead the whole process
Led by art historian Wang Banban, the team will travel through more than 1,000 years of history, explore the heritage of Buddhism, Hinduism and Indonesian local culture, tell the story of the history and culture of this land, restore the religious scene of Java in the past, and start a journey of Buddhism and Hindu culture in a global context.
2 More than just the sea and the volcano, it's a journey of multicultural exploration
This is a new Indonesian cultural study tour route. Selected 4 UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites, 20+ ancient cultural relics, 8 niche museums, walking Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Ubud, the 3 destinations that best represent Indonesia's history, culture and spiritual temperament, interpret Indonesia from the aspects of goods and trade, religion and belief, colonization and migration, so as to understand the Maritime Silk Road and global history.
3 Accommodation will be specially arranged throughout the whole process
In Jakarta, we live in the center of the old city, so we can have a hearty citywalk and experience the beauty of multicultural integration from the perspective of locals;
In Yogyakarta, we will live on the edge of the cultural heritage, wait for a thousand-year-old sunrise and enjoy a delicious picnic;
Ubud lives directly in the museum's backyard villa, leisurely looking at exhibitions, walking around the rice fields, drinking afternoon tea, and experiencing the slow life of the tropical countryside. Not only that, we will also sit at the hilltop restaurant and enjoy the local cuisine while watching the volcanic landscape; A visit to the restaurant where Obama once went will also give you a different experience.
Chapter 4印尼游学｜行程重点内容
01. Yogyakarta: Miracle watcher of the soul of Java
📍 Borobudur
In the 5th and 6th centuries AD, Buddhism and Hinduism came from India to ancient Indonesia with trade and commerce. The influence of these two religions has ebbed and waned, and it is like a competition to build majestic temples in order to win more people in the land to become their own believers. Borobudur was built by the Charentra dynasty, who once ruled the southern part of Java, and was the largest Buddhist building in the world in the 9th century. Its name derives from the Sanskrit word meaning "temple on the top of the mountain" and is actually a huge and magnificent mandala-style stupa.
Built on a field of 9 million blocks of volcanic rock, the stupa has nine floors, and when viewed from above, it resembles a mandala in the Buddhist Vajrayana, representing the realm of desire, the realm of color and the realm of desirelessness. There are more than 500 Buddha statues in the tower, and the Buddha statues are delicate and expressive. There are also more than 2,600 reliefs, vividly and delicately carved, expounding teachings and spreading Buddhist stories, while also restoring all aspects of life in Java 1,000 years ago.
But Borobudur's glory lasted only a little more than 200 years. In 1006 AD, Mount Merapi erupted, followed by an earthquake, and Borobudur collapsed in its entirety, then buried by ash. From then on, Borobudur existed only in legends, and almost no one knew its location until 800 years later, in the 19th century, when British archaeologists came here and brought it back to light.
Today, Java is the world of Islam, the center of Hinduism has moved to Bali, and the influence of Buddhism has long since waned.
📍 Prambannan
The Praranpangnam temple complex in Yogyakarta is equally impressive.
This is the largest and most beautiful Hindu temple complex in Indonesia. It was built in the 8th-10th centuries, when the northern half of Java was ruled by Hinduism and the southern half by the Buddhist Charentra dynasty, and it took more than a century for the two countries to marry and unify the island, giving the entire temple complex a mix of Hindu and Buddhist styles.
As a former place for royal religious ceremonies, Prambannan's architecture is spectacular. In the square plan, the outer layer is composed of hundreds of small temples, arranged in concentric squares. The core area is surrounded by three main temples dedicated to the three main Hindu gods: Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma, embodying the Hindu concept of the three-phase deity.
At 47 meters high and 34 meters wide, the Shiva temple is the tallest and largest building. The temple is surrounded by cloisters with bas-relief decorations on balustrades that tell the story of the Ramayana, an Indian epic. The overall design of Prambanan follows the cosmology of the mandala, symbolizing the order of the universe and the divine spatial layout. In addition to the famous Borobudur and Prampannan, Yogyakarta's religious architecture is dotted with stars throughout the ancient capital, and there are several excellent monasteries and temples that are well worth seeing. This time, the team will travel to Yogyakarta to inspect the lesser-known religious buildings, including Mon Mon Du and Wat Bawang, the Pramsa temple complex, as well as the Thousand Pagodas Temple Saiu Temple and many small monasteries from the 9th to 11th centuries.
📍 Yogyakarta Cosmological Philosophy AxisLast September, the Yogyakarta Cosmological Philosophy Axis was officially "stamped" by the United Nations as a World Cultural Heritage Site! So why does an axis have such a grand significance?
The 6-kilometre-long north-south line runs through many historical landmarks, with the Yogyakarta Royal Palace as the center, connecting Mount Merapi and the Indian Ocean, forming an axis with spatial concepts and philosophical connotations. It is the ultimate embodiment of the belief in the universe and the philosophy of life in Javanese culture, and also follows the exposition of the material and spiritual universe in Hinduism and Buddhism. In 1755, Sultan I chose the location of the royal palace and the city, designed the city of Yogyakarta, and extended it to the north and south, building the Yogyakarta cosmophilosophical axis centered on the Yogyakarta royal palace. Since then, this axis has served as the center of government and Javanese culture.
It is made up of five elements, namely the "fire" of Mount Merapi, the "earth" of the Sultanate of Yogyakarta, the "water", "wind" and "time and space" of the Indian Ocean, symbolizing the harmony and balance between man and Allah (Hablun min Allah), man and man (Hablun min Annas) and the relationship between man and nature. And the Javanese understanding of life is also contained in the axis. The journey from the Krapik Lutai to the royal palace symbolizes the journey from birth to adulthood, and the Yogyakarta monument to the royal palace symbolizes the sequence of life from adulthood to the end, constituting a complete life cycle.
02. Jakarta: Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia in global coordinates, is located in the northwest of the Indonesian island of Java. For a long time, the Dutch colonized the area and renamed it Batavia (the old name of the Netherlands during the Roman Empire). The colonists monopolized trade and made high profits, and they used the port in the north of the city as an important development area, and dug the canals that crisscrossed the city after the model of their native Netherlands, and built a large number of European-style buildings. For more than three centuries of Dutch rule, it was the center of the vast commercial empire of the Dutch East Indies.
Dutch influence permeates every aspect of Indonesian life as well. More than architecture, it is the Indonesian language that can reflect the traces of colonization.
The predecessor of Bahasa Indonesia was Malay, and the two languages were originally the same language, but due to different colonial rule, the languages gradually became different. The Dutch invented the Indonesian spelling system, and the British invented the Malay spelling system. Today's Indonesian language has absorbed a lot of foreign words such as Dutch, English, and Hokkien. So Jakarta is destined to be a melting pot of cultures, where Western and Eastern cultures collide, where religious ethics and secular emotions live in harmony.
Unlike the bustling city of Jakarta, Jakarta's Old Town is more of a "place with a story" – the buildings are generally not tall, but each one has a history written on it. Some of the buildings have been converted into museums, and a hearty citywalk through the old town is a must. Take a slow walk to see those Dutch-style gabled houses, canals, and old suspension bridges, and touch the pulse of history with a cup of coffee from the old days.
03.
Ubud: Food, prayer and love
Bali is big and has a lot to do. There are cliffs, waves, volcanoes, dolphins, and luxury hotels... But for you who love literature and art, Ubud is the soul of the whole island and your favorite place. The moment you step into Ubud, you will feel strongly that this place is completely different from the island you know - huge terraced rice fields, unique architecture, strong local culture... This is the cultural and artistic center of Bali, and this is the garden of the spirit.
Decades ago, outstanding artists from all over the world flocked to Ubud to create, create or reside, which, combined with the island's Hindu cultural atmosphere and the greatest preservation of traditional handicrafts, has made Ubud a well-deserved cultural hub of Bali. Large and small galleries are all over Ubud, and you can see a small exhibition of paintings, photography, and sculpture whenever you walk down the street. Art shops are dotted throughout the streets, showcasing Bali's centuries-old culture and art through painting, wood carving, textiles, music and dance.
There are many ways to open Ubud: it can be wandering aimlessly through the streets and alleys, maybe you suddenly spot the right thing around a corner, or passing by a village or temple where a ceremony is being held, or you can get to know a local life experience and unlock a Ubud of your own. You can also wander around the rice fields and find a small piece of rice field that belongs to you. The rice terraces here have a tropical island atmosphere. The coconut groves are reflected in the terraced fields, and the terraced fields are inlaid under the coconut groves, and the mountains are full of wild opportunities. In the movie "Eat, Pray, and Love," Ubud became a place for Julia Roberts to heal and relax. If you've seen the movie, you'll be impressed by the retro idyllic style, with the morning light, rice fields, trails, bicycles, and pedestrians.
You can also wander around the museums without hurry, and the museums here are more than just museums, they may be tropical gardens or fantasy palaces. While exhibiting artworks, they are works of art in their own right, encapsulating the splendid culture and art of Bali. So, when you come to the museum in Ubud, in addition to watching the exhibitions, don't forget to blow the wind in the rice fields next door and chill out in the garden café. By the way, you can even live in the backyard of the museum, isn't that a great way to relax?
📍 Destination: Indonesia
🚶 Travel time: 2024. 7.23-7.31
🕙 Placeholder deadline: July 10, 2024
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Books
Elizabeth Pisani "Indonesia Etc: The Lost Pearl of the Gods"
Wang Renshu "Ancient History of Indonesia" Pramdia Ananda Dur "Son of All Nations" Pan Yining "Indonesia and China on the New Silk Road"
Film
"Food, Prayer and Love"
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