Chinese in the Bangka Belitung Islands

Chinese Indonesians have lived in Bangka Belitung Islands, Indonesia for centuries.[2][3] Bangka Belitung is one of the regions with the largest Chinese population in Indonesia besides Java, Riau, Eastern Sumatra and West Borneo.[4]

Chinese in the Bangka Belitung Islands
Regions with significant populations
 Indonesia
Bangka Belitung Islands99,624 (2010 census)[1]
Languages
Hakka, Bangka Malay, Belitung Malay, Hokkien, Indonesian
Religion
Chinese traditional religion, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam
Related ethnic groups
Benteng Chinese, Peranakan and other Chinese Indonesians

Chinese came to Bangka-Belitung Islands in several waves during 1700–1800s. Many Hakkas from various parts of Guangdong came to the islands to work as tin miners.

Bangka Island Chinese is quite different from Belitung Island Chinese because the first Chinese generation who were entirely male and arrived in Bangka Island, left China without women, they took local women as wives, so many Chinese in Bangka had mixed blood (Indonesian: "Peranakan"), especially those who lived in the Eastern part of the island. Bangka Island Chinese language is a creole language mixed together Malay and Hakka words. Belitung Chinese is considered purer (Indonesian: "totok") because they were the first generation who arrived on the island, and they did so with chinese wives after the 1800s. Although some town in Bangka Island, purer degree of Hakka can be heard as well, the Hakka-Malay mixture language is uniquely of Bangka Island Chinese. In Belitung, Chinese people adapted well with local culture. They changed their clothes and would like to wear Malay baju kurung with kebaya, pants with sarong.[2] Hakka is spoken among majority Chinese with few Hokkien.

Notable Chinese from Bangka Belitung
  • Lim Tau Kian, Chinese-Muslim known for his contribution in first tin mining.
  • Lim Boe Sing, businessman during East Indies period.
  • Tjoeng A-tiam, Chinese Major of Mentok.
  • Tan Hong Kwee, Kapitan Cina of Mentok (year 1832 – 1839).
  • Tony Wen, born in Sungailiat, one of Indonesian independence activist.
  • Basuki Tjahaja Purnama or Ahok, East Belitung Regent (2005 - 2006) and Governor of Jakarta (2014–2017).
  • Myra Sidharta, writer and sinologist.
  • Rudianto Tjen, politician, AKA Bacu.
  • Hidayat Arsani, Vice governor of Bangka Belitung Islands.
  • Lim A-pat
  • Basuki Tjahaja Purnama

References
  1. (in Indonesian)Population by province and ethnic groups. Table L26 p.50, sp2010.bps.go.id 18-10-2016.
  2. (in Indonesian)Peranakan Tionghoa di Bangka-Belitung, historia.id. 18-10-2016
  3. (in Indonesian)Melayu-Tionghoa Bersaudara Tanpa Sekat, edukasi.kompas.com. 18-10-2016
  4. (in English)Reid, Anthony (1996). Sojourners and Settlers: Histories of Southeast China and the Chinese. University of Hawaii Press.
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