Throughout history, Chinatown has always been associated with Chinese markets that can be found in many cities in the world. Situated in the area of Taman Sari at West Jakarta, in the capital city of Indonesia, Glodok is regarded as the most significant Chinatown area in Indonesia and one of the largest in the world. This part of The Old Batavia City is home to many individuals of Chinese descent and has been called Chinatown or even Pecinan since the Dutch Colonial Era. These days, Glodok is best known as the digital trading center of Jakarta.
Strolling through the streets, Visitors into the area can revel in the history encased in this city within a city. Follow a path of historic buildings, ancient temples, and traditional Chinese architecture. Learn, watch, and go shopping across the way. The title Glodok comes in the Sundanese word”Golodog,” which means’ the entry to a home,’ since Sunda Kelapa (currently Jakarta,) was once the gateway to the ancient Sunda Kingdom.
During Colonial times, commercial opportunities produced by the Dutch attracted thousands of people who flocked towards the city. This also included many immigrants from China that have been contracted as skilled artisans, sugar mill workers, and shopkeepers. Together with the amount of Chinese rising immediately, the Dutch colonial government and sailors began to feel threatened by their own number.
When in 1720, global sugar Rates Were reduced by 50 percent due to the increasing competition and export from the West Indies, the Dutch lords then set a reasonable price for glucose which caused unrest among Chinese sugar retailers. On October 7, 1740, hundreds of Chinese descents, mainly in the sugar trade, rose up against the Dutch, killing 50 soldiers. On October 9, 1740, the tragedy which is now known as Peter Pacinan struck. Rumors said that the uprising caused Dutch soldiers to open fire on Chinese houses where almost 10,000 ethnic Chinese were massacred. The next year, the Chinese have been settled outside Batavia’s city walls, at the region now called Glodok.
Getting to Glodok Chinatown is relatively easy. Located not far from Stasiun Jakarta Kota, the visitors may either take a taxi or ojek (motorbike taxi) or try public transportation such as the TransJakarta Bus, Metromini, or 3-wheeled Bajaj.
