Chinese Indonesian

Chinese Indonesians

印度尼西亚华人 印度尼西亞華人 Orang Tionghoa-Indonesia
Chinese Indonesians pray at a temple in Glodok, Jakarta, during Chinese New Year
Total population
2,832,510 (2010 census) 1.20% of the Indonesian population
Regions with significant populations
Indonesia North Sumatra, Riau, Riau Islands, Bangka-Belitung, Jakarta, West Kalimantan, Central Java Australia New South Wales, Victoria, Christmas Island Singapore
Languages
Indonesian Mandarin Fuzhounese Henghua Southern Min Hokkien and Hainanese and Teochew Hakka Cantonese and Hoisanese Shanghainese Sundanese Javanese
Religion
Predominantly Buddhism and Christianity (Protestantism and Roman Catholicism) Minorities of Confucianism, Taoism and Islam
Related ethnic groups
Southern Chinese Peranakan Overseas Chinese Malaysian Chinese Chinese Singaporean

Minorities of Confucianism, Taoism and Islam

Chinese Indonesians (Indonesian: Orang Tionghoa-Indonesia), are Indonesians descended from various Chinese ethnic groups, primarily the Han Chinese.

Chinese came to Indonesia as workers both directly and through Maritime Southeast Asia. Their population grew rapidly during the colonial period when workers were contracted from their home provinces in southern China. Under the Dutch ethnic classification policy, Chinese Indonesians were considered "foreign orientals"; as such, they struggled to enter the colonial and national sociopolitical scene, despite successes in their economic endeavors.

Evidence of discrimination against Chinese Indonesians can be found throughout the history of Indonesia, 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. In some cases, government action only 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 a number of 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. 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 mainland 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 "Chinese Problem". Patterns of assimilation and ethnic interaction can be found in Indonesia's literature, architecture, and cuisine.