Benteng Chinese: Indonesia’s Peranakan Heritage Revival

Tangerang, Java – As rain subsides and daily life resumes, residents of Tangerang, on the western outskirts of Jakarta, are increasingly reclaiming their unique cultural identity as the “Orang Benteng,” or “people of the fort,” descendants of a Dutch fort and a blend of Chinese and Sundanese heritage.

A Hybrid Culture Rooted in History

Tour guide Elsa Novia Sena, 28, leads visitors along the Cisadane River, pointing to the site of a former Dutch East India Company fort built in the 1670s. The fort is long gone, but its legacy lives on in the community, particularly among the Benteng Chinese – Cina Benteng, or Ciben – who settled along the river centuries ago and intermarried with local Sundanese women.

Over generations, languages, customs, and cuisine merged, creating a distinct hybrid culture. Some trace their ancestry to the 15th-century voyages of Ming Dynasty admiral Zheng He, whose sailors are believed to have settled along Java’s north coast.

Reclaiming Peranakan Pride

While the exact size of the Benteng Chinese community remains unquantified, local research indicates they form a significant Chinese-Indonesian sub-group concentrated in Tangerang and surrounding areas. Outside of this region, their story remains largely unknown.

Younger generations are now actively embracing their Peranakan heritage through walking tours, heritage projects, and fashion initiatives. Ms. Sena has been running her Benteng Walking Tour for two years, guiding visitors through Pasar Lama – Tangerang’s Old Market district, designated a cultural heritage site in 2018 – as well as a soya sauce factory, old shophouses, and Boen Tek Bio Temple, Tangerang’s oldest Chinese place of worship, founded in 1684.

The tour also includes a visit to a small museum housing cultural artifacts such as a dragon figurine, guardian lions, and hanging lanterns, and an old house adorned with Chinese paintings.

A Story Fading, Then Revived

Ms. Sena, a content creator, developed the tour after realizing the local history was being forgotten while producing Instagram and TikTok videos. “I thought it could become a tourism idea,” she said.

The tours highlight the origins of kecap manis, Indonesia’s sweet soya sauce, explaining how it evolved from traditional salty Chinese soya sauce due to the abundance of sugarcane plantations in Tangerang.

Ms. Sena’s family history traces back to China, though she doesn’t have a Chinese name but knows her clan name – Na, or Lan in Chinese. Her maternal grandmother spoke Sundanese, and she herself speaks Indonesian.

“Some even jokingly call themselves ‘hitachi’ – short for hitam tapi Cina, meaning ‘tan but Chinese’,” she shares with tour groups, eliciting laughter.

Navigating Identity and Tradition

The tours appeal to a diverse audience, including those like Melati, a teacher from Bogor, West Java, who appreciates the preservation of cultural heritage. “There is so much that we forget, and so many people do not know. When I learn something new, I can share it with my students,” she said.

Ms. Sena acknowledges a sense of identity crisis, as some Chinese Indonesians view Cibens as outsiders due to their distinct linguistic and cultural characteristics. Others see them as not Chinese enough.

The suppression of Chinese culture during the 32-year rule of former president Suharto from 1967 to 1998 further complicated the preservation of their traditions.

Expressing Heritage Through Fashion

Cultural promoter Merry Andayani, a member of the Cide Kode Benteng Foundation, is reinterpreting Benteng Chinese heritage through fashion with her project, MAGIC – Make A Good Impression, Closer: A Tale Woven In Fashion.

“This encouraged me to speak about Benteng Chinese not as an object of nostalgia, but as a living identity,” she said. MAGIC garments combine traditional elements like the kebaya encim with contemporary designs, symbolizing the bridge between past and present.

One motif featured is Sembahyang Samkai, the opening prayer ritual in the Cio Tao tradition, a Benteng Chinese belief system. Ms. Andayani aims to highlight the culture without stripping it of its meaning.

“I want to show that tradition does not have to remain confined to ritual spaces. It can be worn and seen,” she said.

Ms. Andayani emphasizes that Benteng Chinese culture is often expressed through quiet, everyday practices, such as thorough house cleaning and careful sifting of incense ash before Chinese New Year, symbolizing renewal and ancestral ties. “These quiet narratives form the foundation of our identity,” she said. “It may not always be loud, but it is strong in meaning.”