Indonesia Fair 2026 at Beijing Embassy showcases archipelago's cultural diversity
The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) in Beijing held the ‘Gempita Merdeka Indonesia Fair 2026’ as part of the 81st anniversary celebrations of Indonesian independence at the embassy complex, attended by thousands of visitors.
“This year’s theme is Bali and eastern Indonesia, where I come from, so we are introducing the culture and various things from Papua, Maluku, Bali, Lombok, Tanimbar Island and others. Let’s go to eastern Indonesia,” said Indonesian Ambassador to China and Mongolia Djauhari Oratmangun while opening the Indonesia Fair in Beijing on Saturday.
The ‘Gempita Merdeka Indonesia Fair 2026’ began at 10.30 local time, although Beijing had been hit by rain and thunder earlier in the morning. The Indonesia Fair is an annual flagship programme of the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing held to commemorate Indonesian independence while promoting Indonesian culture, tourism, fashion and products.
Despite the earlier rain, by around 11.00 local time the embassy grounds hosting the fair were already filled with hundreds of people, including invited guests such as diplomats, businesspeople and embassy partners as well as the general public.
In his remarks, Ambassador Djauhari noted that since 2015, trade between Indonesia and China has tripled, Chinese investment in Indonesia has grown twelvefold, and last year alone bilateral trade reached around 167 billion US dollars.
“Up to June this year it has already exceeded 100 billion US dollars. We hope that by the end of the year the figure will reach more than 200 billion US dollars,” he added.
“For this one day, we invite our friends to experience Indonesia, to hear Indonesia, to dance to the rhythm of Indonesia. And today, we invite our Chinese friends and friends from all over the world to enjoy Indonesia together with us. Enjoy our food, music, products, hospitality and friendship,” said Ambassador Djauhari.
He noted that by one day before the event, 5,800 people had registered to attend. Last year, the Indonesia Fair recorded around 6,000 visitors.
During the event, the Head of the Bank Indonesia Representative Office in Beijing, Yulian Wihantoro, also introduced the ‘Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard’ or QRIS, which can now be used as a payment method in China.
Through this cooperation, Indonesians can make payments using QRIS while in China, and likewise Chinese citizens visiting Indonesia can do the same.
According to Yulian, QRIS allows people to make cross-border payments using the domestic payment applications they already know.
“So, to our Chinese friends and all our international friends, my message is simple: come and visit Indonesia. Enjoy our culture, food and beautiful destinations. You can try QRIS directly and in real terms at our stalls today,” said Yulian.
At the opening of the event, the Yingde Indonesian dance group — a dance studio founded by Huang Huilan, a Chinese descendant born in Takengon, Aceh who moved to China in 1967 — performed a Balinese dance in keeping with the theme of Indonesia Fair 2026.
The dance studio is located in Yingde Village, Donghua sub-district, Guangdong province, China. Huang Huilan and her friends were also born in Indonesia but later moved to Yingde Village and have consistently maintained and developed Indonesian arts and culture, including passing them on to the second and third generations who are now active dancers in the studio.
At least 30 stalls at Indonesia Fair 2026 showcased a variety of Indonesian culinary treasures such as rendang, soto, fried snacks, satay, siomay, cireng, meatballs, and food and drinks such as cendol and coffee from various regions of the archipelago.
There were also handicrafts such as bags and various types of batik sold to the Beijing public.
Not to be missed were iconic Indonesian brands such as Kara coconut milk, Kapal Api coffee, GEMEZ noodles, Tango, and of course Indomie in various flavours, this time with the addition of frozen Indomie.
Meanwhile, the entertainment line-up included Chesylino, Rizky Teng and Wulan Sari, musicians known for incorporating local pop music nuances from eastern Indonesia.
There was also Trio Obras, the trio of Djauhari, Dharma and Irbayana Oratmangun; the Baday Papua dance group, consisting of students from Southwest Papua studying at Jining Polytechnic in Shandong province who performed a compilation of dances from various regions of Indonesia; and Daniel Pattinama, a singer of Moluccan descent who began his career on The Voice Indonesia and consistently performs R&B songs, along with keyboardist Bung Karno.
In addition to the Indonesia Fair, as part of the 81st independence anniversary celebrations, the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing also held a family gathering featuring various traditional 17 August competitions on 5 August 2026. Participants included not only diplomats and local embassy staff but also their families, Indonesian students and other Indonesian citizens in Beijing.
The competitions included cracker eating, tug-of-war, bakiak races, a nail-into-bottle contest and a group picnic.
On 17 August 2026, the embassy will also hold a flag ceremony to commemorate the 81st anniversary of Indonesian independence starting at 08.00 local time.