Before the plane landed, I imagined what the Indonesian novelist Ekka Guneawan once described in the book — "the coconut grove smells salty, the sea rises, the waves whisper, the breeze gently blows seaweed, martingale and lantana" – the heart is excited, and the original and mysterious atmosphere of the Indonesian island makes people eager to have a romantic intimate contact with it.
However, as soon as we walk out of Semarang Airport, the harsh sunlight reflected on the marble floor and the oncoming heat really tell us another truth: this is a hot and humid island near the equator, with an average temperature of 27 degrees Celsius throughout the year.
Many people traveling to Indonesia are fascinated by the sandy beaches and islands there. And this time, we want to embark on a journey through the interior of Java, from Semarang to Yogyakarta, from ancient temples to breathtaking sinkholes, how many interesting stories are buried on the ancient island of Java, waiting for travelers from other places to discover?
Land in a motorcycle powerhouse
Bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north, Java is the fifth largest island in Indonesia, with Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, located in the northwest of Java. With a population of 145 million, the island accounts for almost half of Indonesia's total population, making it one of the most populous and densely populated islands in the world. Administratively, the island of Java is divided into four provinces: Banten, West Java, Central Java and East Java, as well as two special districts, Jakarta and Yogyakarta. The first stop on our trip was Semarang, the capital of Central Java Province.
As the narrator of the trip, the Indonesian tour guide Fifi saw us and enthusiastically presented us with a scarf similar to "Hatta". This scarf is called "kain sampir" in Indonesian and is made using traditional local batik techniques. In Indonesian custom, offering "kain sampir" is a ritual for locals to welcome guests from afar. In Bali, Fifi said, locals also use flowers instead.
Traditional batik technique on the Indonesian island of Java. Widely used in scarves, tablecloths, clothing and other products. The pictures in this article are all taken by the surging news reporter Wang Yu
Although she had only studied Chinese for three years, Fifi's conversation level was already quite good. In Indonesia, Bahasa Indonesia remains the main official language (Javanese is unique on the island of Java, and Sundanese is also the official language of West Java and Banten), but with the growing tourism market, Indonesian tourism is increasingly in need of people who can flexibly use more languages.
Fifi said: "Wait, let's go to Kamung Pelangi first, if there is no traffic jam, it will take about 20 to 30 minutes." ”
On the streets of Semarang, you'll wonder why there are so many motorcycles whizzing by on the city's roads, but in fact, not only in Semarang, but all over Indonesia, motorcycles are the preferred means of transportation for locals.
In Indonesia, motorcycles are the preferred means of transportation for locals.
According to the latest data from the Indonesian Motorcycle Industry Association, Indonesia's nearly 300 million people own about 50 million motorcycles, which means that on average, 1 in 6 people have motorcycles. And Indonesia's motorcycle sales and market ownership rank first in ASEAN and third in the world, after China and India.
The tour guide Fifi is very concerned about the traffic jam and explains to us from time to time that noon is also the peak time for travel. In fact, before coming, I have long heard that "traffic jams" are the "characteristics" that can be seen everywhere in Indonesia's major cities. Even in Jakarta, which has light rail and subway, driving 30 minutes on the road is common for locals.
In the first blockage in Jakarta, the traffic jam is very serious
Oversaturated urban population and poor transportation construction are problems that the Indonesian government has been trying to solve. In this situation, the motorcycle naturally becomes a convenient commuting tool. When the wind of shared technology blew onto the streets of Indonesia, shared motorcycles were born.
Rainbow Village in the slums
Luckily, we arrived at Kamung Pelangi smoothly at the allotted time.
In Indonesian, "Kampung" means "village", so "Pelangi" is the real name of this small village, meaning "rainbow color".
In 2017, the American fashion magazine VOGUE described it this way in a report titled "The Tiny Rainbow Village that's Sparking an Instagram Craze": "It looks like it's bathed in the scent of a Lisa Frank unicorn or touched by the wand of a wizard who loves fruit-striped gum." In this town, almost every surface — walls, roofs, stairs, bridge railings — is covered with jaw-dropping pastel tones and main primary colors. Just like the mysterious swirl pattern of Mara Hoffman (note: an American fashion designer) is presented in physical form.
Kampung Pelangi, Rainbow Village in Indonesia that ignited the Ins punch-in boom
Rainbow Village is located on a hillside behind the Kalisari Flower Market, across a narrow river. Standing at the end of the bridge, looking far away, pink, yellow, blue, green, purple... Almost every house has no less than three colors on it, and above the entrance, there are wishing bottles made of transparent soda bottles, which sparkle in the sun.
Unable to resist the urge to take pictures, the group has begun to climb upwards, like a naughty boy who has ventured into Fantasy Island, happily walking through the fantastic colors of macarons.
Travel through the fantastic colors of the macaron
"If you had been here two years ago, it wouldn't have been like this, it would have been broken everywhere," Fifi, a tour guide, told me.
Fifi said the riverside village was actually a slum before it was painted. At that time, dilapidated simple houses and cemeteries were haphazardly piled up on hillsides, with narrow ramps and rough roads, and the slums were poorly inhabited by unmanaged people. The government once wanted to demolish the site, but the village has about 325 houses and a total of 1,300 people, and how to resettle these villagers who have no life skills has become a major problem.
This riverside village was a slum before the renovation.
In order to give the village the image of a poverty alleviation cave, a 54-year-old junior high school principal named Slamet Widodo launched a renovation project, and after referring to the successful cases of painting projects in other parts of Indonesia to create landscaped towns, he proposed the idea of rebuilding slums with color painting.
The idea was quickly supported by the Indonesian government, and Central Java invested $22,000 in a lavish renovation of the village. After more than 2 years of hard work, decorated with various cartoon murals, heart-shaped symbols and colorful reliefs, the entire village was replaced with "gorgeous new clothes". Under the publicity of the media, Rainbow Village quickly became a photo spot for Instagram. At the same time, the arrival of a large number of tourists has also changed the habit of locals to litter, and a large number of public toilets and garbage cans have appeared, and Rainbow Village has become cleaner.
A 54-year-old junior high school principal named Slamet Widodo launched a renovation program.
The government invested $22,000 in a gorgeous renovation of the village.
We walked into the home of an elderly couple. The husband, 64, lives with his wife, 68, in a one-bedroom, colorful house. Small but clean, the walls into the house were covered with pictures of family. The grandfather pointed to the person in the picture frame and happily told me that his son had just gotten married this year and that he and his daughter-in-law had moved out. On the ceiling of the living room of the house, there are several paper flower balls the size of lanterns.
My husband, 64, showed us handmade paper flowers.
Although the language was not spoken, the grandmother saw my doubts, and she took out a basket from the corner, which contained red, blue, and yellow paper, and then drew out a wire, squeezed it in her hand, and began to demonstrate the production of paper flowers.
His wife, 68, is showing how to make paper flowers.
"Three years ago, when the government transformed Rainbow Village, it also began to organize training to teach us the craft of making paper flowers, which can be sold or used in celebrations," the grandfather who stood by told us.
Before leaving, I asked the old couple, do you like life here? Grandma grinned and shoved the four freshly folded flowers into my hand. "It's bustling every day, there are people dancing, there are people who come to paint, there are often events at the foot of the mountain, and I like the village now."
Living in the remodeled Rainbow Village, the old couple felt very happy.
The legend of Zheng He in the Three Treasure Caves
In fact, the choice to start this trip from Semarang is also because the city has an inexplicable love affair with China.
According to legend, Zheng He, a famous navigator of the Ming Dynasty, passed through this place when he was in the South China Sea. At that time, the deputy envoy Wang Jinghong was seriously ill, and the fleet was forced to anchor here. Zheng He led the people to land and found that there was a cave on the island where he could live, so he left a boat, ten retinues, some medicines and food, and placed Wang Jinghong in the cave for recuperation, and led the team to continue to move forward.
After recovering from illness, Wang Jinghong did not chase after Zheng He's team, but led ten retinues to start a new life in this foreign land. They reclaimed land, built homes, intermarried with local women, and spread Zheng He's deeds and Chinese civilization. Gradually, the people began to prosper. In order to commemorate Zheng He, people named this place "Semarang", and the harbor where Zheng He landed was also named "Semarang". Wang Jinghong and his entourage were buried here after their deaths.
Semarang has an inexplicable relationship with China.
Our final stop in Semarang came to Sam Poo Kong, the oldest Chinese temple in central Java, Indonesia. According to legend, it was the first temple built after Zheng He landed in Semarang.
Walking into the Sanbao Cave, the scene in front of you is amazing, with red cornice roofs, huge arches, incense sticks and fire candles, and a tall bronze statue of Zheng He standing in the distance... Suddenly, space and time were confused, as if they were in a monastery in southern Fujian, China. At this moment, a group of Muslim women wrapped in turbans came over, took off their shoes, stepped on the stone steps, walked into the temple, and instantly pulled back to reality.
A tall bronze statue of Zheng He in the distance
There are three main halls in Sam Po Cave, and the architectural style is a fusion of traditional Chinese temples and local Javanese architecture. The left hall enshrines a large iron anchor, supposedly a relic of Zheng He's fleet, and the right hall is the tomb of the deputy envoy Wang Jinghong and his retinue, which is said to be frequented by businessmen in search of success. The nave enshrines the statue of Zheng He, and there is an altar underground, and it is said that there is a well in the altar that will never dry up, and the well water can cure all diseases.
"It is said that in the middle of the 19th century, during the Dutch colonial period. Semarang was once occupied by a Dutch merchant of Jewish descent. Local Chinese must pay an annual entrance fee of up to 2,000 guilders. Believers complained that the cost was too expensive and demanded a price reduction. After several maneuvers, the Dutch agreed to reduce the cost to 500 guilders, but it was still a high fee for the believers. So, on a dark and windy night in the month, the local Chinese people united and stole the statue together and rebuilt their own temple. From then on, let the faithful visit the shrine freely. ”
Fifi said that Semarang was once a Mosque temple for Muslims and later a Buddhist temple. Nowadays, it is difficult to define exactly what it is, because both Muslims and Buddhists come to worship, and outside the main hall stands the statue of the Eight Immortals from Chinese folk mythology. It is not only a pilgrimage place for Indonesian Chinese and Chinese, but also a place of worship for Javanese people.
Outside the main hall stands the statue of the Eight Immortals from Chinese folk mythology, which is very Chinese characteristics.
Accompanied by traditional Javanese instruments, a "Zheng He" doll played by a human is dancing
Although in Chinese historical records, there is no mention of Zheng He's voyage to the Semarang region of Indonesia, nor is there any record of the deputy envoy Wang Jinghong living here, but every year on the 30th day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar, on the day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar, in Semarang, people always carry the Sampo Shrine to the streets, dragon dance, lion dance, gong and drum, on this remote magical island, recreate the legend of the "holy day" of Zheng He landing in Semarang.