https://www.quora.com/topic/Jakarta
Answer · Indonesian Ethnicity a... <https://www.quora.com/topic/Indonesian-Ethnicity-and-People> <https://www.quora.com/topic/Jakarta#> As Chinese Indonesians become more affluent and as China becomes a superpower nation, is it inevitable that most of the Chinese Indonesians in Indonesia will emigrate to China one day? <https://www.quora.com/As-Chinese-Indonesians-become-more-affluent-and-as-China-becomes-a-superpower-nation-is-it-inevitable-that-most-of-the-Chinese-Indonesians-in-Indonesia-will-emigrate-to-China-one-day> [image: Erick Hilmansyah] <https://www.quora.com/profile/Erick-Hilmansyah> Erick Hilmansyah <https://www.quora.com/profile/Erick-Hilmansyah>, Indonesian born Chinese live in Indonesia Updated Sep 27 <https://www.quora.com/As-Chinese-Indonesians-become-more-affluent-and-as-China-becomes-a-superpower-nation-is-it-inevitable-that-most-of-the-Chinese-Indonesians-in-Indonesia-will-emigrate-to-China-one-day/answer/Erick-Hilmansyah> <https://www.quora.com/topic/Jakarta#> Let me start by telling a story: my great grandparents come here to Indonesia from China back then bringing nothing. So all the generations after are born here. The only relatives that are not are my great grandparents from my father’s mother (in fact my great grandmother still live in Hong Kong, currently 103 years old when I wrote this). The rest: my grandparents, all my relatives, my mom and dad is BORN here in Indonesia. In my childhood Soeharto reign and forbid the use of Mandarin in school, business, even person names. The effect is somewhat trickle down to Chinese culture as well as it was somewhat suppressed. And thus leaving us those who born in 1980–2000 “disconnected” with our heritage. It’s s like saying salak (snake fruit) is a snake because it looks alike. Yes they do similar: on a surface level. Just like any other race we do have variation: there are people who only blended with their own race, people who more than happy to befriended with others (like me), or evenmore have interracial marriage. I think they who hesitate to blend are comes down to chain action-reaction: we have been discriminated at some point of our life, so *some* of us are reluctant to blend even if we want to and thus *all* of us are labeled as having “exclusivity”. A chicken and egg irony, really. We feel disconnected there, and yet we (sometimes) told we’re not belong here. Like an afterlife-spirit who stuck between two worlds, where do we belong? Have i visited China? I did: Shenzhen, and Hongkong (last one technically not China, and it was a short trip but you know). Do i feel at “home” when i was there? I dont think so. In fact Chinese immigrants all over the world *sometimes* doesn’t want to be associated with Mainland Chinese which tend to be more brash. My previous generation able to speak a little Mandarin, so in short: 1. culturally we not really feel the connection with China 2. we’re a bit hesitant to be associated with them. 3. moving is not easy as our resource not there but here that we build from zero 4. there are better country to move (and to adapt with) 5. I’m not able to speak Mandarin yet i speak Indonesian fluently. 6. I breathe Indonesian air since i was born. 7. I eat Indonesian rice everytime when i am hungry. 8. Indonesian soil supports me from the get go. So if, someday China will be the superpower nation, will most of us move there? I certainly won’t, as i am *100% Indonesian born in Indonesia, only with Chinese descent.* On a surface level we looked Chinese but deep down it’s something else. Just like a snake and a salak fruit. 13.8k views · View Upvoters <https://www.quora.com/topic/Jakarta#> · View Sharers <https://www.quora.com/topic/Jakarta#>
