Residents eagerly await barongsai show<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A six-year-old boy stands on a partition trying to get a clear
\nview of the performance of a Chinese traditional dance performed
\nby women dancers at Pluit Mega mall, North Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"Mom, where's the barongsai?,\" Jason, the Chinese-Indonesian
\nboy asked his mother last Saturday.<\/p>\n
Jason, a residence of Lippo Karawaci, Tangerang, Banten, was
\neagerly waiting for the barongsai show to start.<\/p>\n
Jason's mother said she often takes her son to see barongsai
\nperformances at various malls in Jakarta, especially during the
\nChinese New Year season.<\/p>\n
\"My son loves to see the barongsai or the lion. For us this
\nkind of public event is really great,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Up until the resignation of former president Soeharto in May
\n1998, the public display of Chinese culture was prohibited.<\/p>\n
China had been accused of supporting the abortive coup d'etat
\nblamed on the now-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) in
\n1965.<\/p>\n
While Chinese cultural shows began to be seen in public in
\n1998, the Chinese New Year was not celebrated in the country
\nuntil 2003, when then President Megawati Soekarnoputri declared
\nit a national holiday.<\/p>\n
Around 3 percent of the country's 215 million people are of
\nChinese descent.<\/p>\n
Jason and his mother were two of over 25,000 visitors waiting
\nin anticipation to see the barongsai performance led by Wom Pak
\nof the Kong Hang Hong Foundation in a live show at Pluit Mega
\nmall last Saturday.<\/p>\n
The barongsai performance was just part of several events held
\nat the mall themed \"Chicken in Red\" running from Jan. 13 to Feb.
\n14 to welcome the Year of the Rooster.<\/p>\n
According to Elsa Laela Dewi, Mega mall's media relations
\nofficer, visitors looked forward to the barongsai more than other
\nperformances.<\/p>\n
\"That's why we saved it for the last show,\" Elsa said.<\/p>\n
Besides the barongsai, visitors were stunned by a Mongolian
\ndance performed by a 60-year-old woman who has gone international
\nfor her talent and skill in performing traditional Chinese and
\nIndonesian dances.<\/p>\n
The young-looking Tjhie Zien Ing has been recognized for her
\ndedication to the preservation of Chinese arts and culture in
\nJakarta and throughout Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"Arts and culture are universal languages. Every country in
\nthe world has its own uniqueness and variations. We have to
\ncontinue developing the arts and culture in order to create peace
\nand to fight cruelty in this country,\" said Tjhie Zien Ing, who
\nsaid that she began to dance freely after the demise of the
\nSoeharto regime in 1998.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/residents-eagerly-await-barongsai-show-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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