Zheng He celebrations in full swing
Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Semarang
Chinese-Indonesians from various cities started to arrive in Semarang on Monday to participate in the celebrations marking the 600th anniversary of Admiral Zheng He's epic voyage.
The anniversary of the great Chinese explorer's journey will be celebrated in Semarang from Aug. 1 through Aug. 7 at the Sam Poo Kong temple and the Tay Kak Sie temple. A Central Java Trade Promotion Fair will also be held at Marina Beach near the city. Trade Minister Mari E. Pangestu is scheduled to open the anniversary celebrations on Wednesday.
A Surabaya resident, Candra, said he arrived with his family in the city on Saturday to take part in the event.
"We want to see the celebrations for ourselves after reading about the anniversary celebrations in the newspaper," he said on Monday.
With large numbers of visitors expected, many hotels in the city center are fully booked for the whole week, forcing some visitors to stay in Ungaran, a small town some 10 kilometers south of Semarang.
At the Sam Poo Kong and Tay Kak Sie temples, which are hosting the main celebrations, hundreds of red Chinese lanterns have been strung up. At the Som Poo Kong temple, red lanterns of various sizes have turned the temple into a sea of red at night, attracting not only Chinese-Indonesians but also local residents.
In the Chinatown and Gedung Batu areas, new stalls selling various products -- ranging from foodstuffs and beverages to Chinese-themed souvenirs and accessories -- are doing a roaring trade.
"I bought this t-shirt cheap, only Rp 30,000 (US$3.20)," said Santosa, a Chinese-Indonesian man from Semarang, showing off his new t-shirt with a picture of Admiral Zheng He emblazoned on the front.
Zheng He, also known as Cheng Ho, was a Chinese Muslim admiral whose voyages 600 years ago as a trade and political emissary of the Chinese emperor are renowned.
In Gedung Batu, local people are taking in visitors for Rp 100,000 a night.
On Sunday evening, a gala dinner attended by 160 monks was held at the Mahavyra temple in the Marina area, and a mass prayer was held at the Tay Kak Sie temple on Monday night.
According to Sindu Dharmali, the chairman of the Zheng He 600th anniversary organizing committee, the prayers were for the safety, well-being and peace of the country's people and leaders.
The celebrations will also feature performances by several dragon dance groups in the city, including the popular Naga Sakti group, which will stage performances featuring seven dragons on Aug. 3 and Aug. 4.
According to the group's leader, Aman Gautama, each of the dragons will have its own special characteristics. "There will be a lion whose scales are made of 12,800 colorful lamps," he said.
As part of the celebration, a lion dance competition will also be held from Aug. 5 to Aug. 7 at the Jatidiri sports center, with 25 groups competing to win prizes amounting to Rp 50 million.
"For the competition, we're using the International Lion Dance Federation's system," said the chairman of the lion dance competition's organizing committee, Sujoko.