Zheng He celebrations in full swing
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.