Lion dance performers pose for photos with a high-speed electrical multiple unit (EMU) train on the platform at the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway's Padalarang Station in Padalarang, Indonesia, Feb. 10, 2024. In Indonesia which embraces multiculturalism, the Spring Festival transcends cultural boundaries, becoming a festival celebrated by the entire society. (Photo by Septianjar Muharam/Xinhua)
by Xinhua writers Xu Qin, Tao Fangwei
JAKARTA, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- The festive atmosphere to welcome the Year of the Dragon fills the air in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia.
Chinese characters of Fu (or happiness), couplets, and red lanterns adorn every corner of Chinatown in this Southeast Asian country. Dragon decorations dance atop landmarks in the city center. Billboards with Chinese characters "Gong Xi Fa Cai" (Wishing you prosperity) and Happy Chinese New Year songs reverberate through shopping malls, spreading joy and cheer.
In Indonesia, national holidays are also known as "red days," and the Spring Festival is the "reddest" among the country's more than 10 "red days" throughout the year.
In Indonesia which embraces multiculturalism, the Spring Festival transcends cultural boundaries, becoming a festival celebrated by the entire society.
In a shopping mall in south Jakarta, Fitriani's attention was captured by the Year of the Dragon decorations adorning the hall. She paused in her steps, her gaze drawn to the 12 display boards that lined the hallway, each showcasing one of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs.
"Holidays are about relaxing. During the Chinese New Year holiday, dining out with my family and friends, and watching the dragon dance performance in shopping malls will definitely be a great match for the occasion," Fitriani said.
On the platform of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway's Halim Station in the eastern suburbs of Jakarta, Guo Ruitao and his Indonesian colleagues were guiding passengers to board the high-speed train.
In July last year, Guo joined the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway Operation and Maintenance Consortium team from the China Railway Beijing Bureau as a passenger transport expert. Despite language barriers, the warm and responsible nature of his Indonesian colleagues makes him embrace working in a foreign country.
"The Spring Festival is coming soon. Recently, each time I met my Indonesian colleagues, they all greeted me with 'Happy New Year' and 'Happy Spring Festival' in Chinese, Indonesian or English. Red lanterns have been already hung up in the stations and our dormitory area. Our company also organized dinner parties, and cultural and sports activities to prepare us for a festive New Year," he said.
Guo will also experience a different kind of "Spring Festival travel rush" on the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, the flagship project of China-Indonesia cooperation that links China's Belt and Road Initiative and Indonesia's Global Maritime Fulcrum strategy.
"Although our languages and cultures are different, people's pursuit of a comfortable journey and their expectations for reunion are the same," Guo said.
Diane, a Chinese Indonesian who lives in Bandung and works in Padalarang, can now take the high-speed train to travel.
The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway Project Department of China Railway Electrification Bureau, where she works, locates its office near the Padalarang Station of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway.
"The high-speed train is a convenient and faster way to travel, allowing me to spend more time with my family during the Spring Festival, holidays and weekends," Diane said.
At the Indonesian tourist resort of Bali, a Chinese tourist from south China's Guangdong Province, who was identified by his surname Lin, prepared to board his flight back home after an enriching pre-Spring Festival sojourn.
At Bali Denpasar Ngurah Rai International Airport, he found himself amidst a dazzling array of Indonesian specialty products, momentarily overwhelmed by the sheer variety of choices.
"Kopi Luwak, hair care oil, batik silk...these are all very good. Each time I travel, I must bring something back to share with my relatives and friends," Lin said, "But after I walked into the duty-free shops, I found out that it is really difficult to choose. There are just too many good things."
Lily, an online ride-hailing driver in Bali, mentioned that the local tourism industry has recovered after the COVID-19 pandemic and she is now picking up more Chinese tourists.
"Especially during the Spring Festival and holidays, there are many more Chinese tourists than usual," Lily said.
"Many shops in Bali have Chinese signs, and hotel staff and store clerks can speak some simple Chinese. Every time I pick up Chinese tourists, I greet them in Chinese," the driver said.
"Last year, our goal was to receive 361,000 Chinese tourists, but the actual number reached 707,000. In 2024, we will increase our target to 1 million to 1.5 million Chinese tourists," Wisnu Sindhutrisno, director of Regional Tourism Marketing from Indonesia's Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, said in Bali recently.
On Dec. 22, 2023, the 78th United Nations General Assembly unanimously agreed to declare the Spring Festival, more widely known as the Chinese Lunar New Year, a United Nations holiday. ■
Lion dance performers welcome passengers on the platform at the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway's Padalarang Station in Padalarang, Indonesia, Feb. 10, 2024. In Indonesia which embraces multiculturalism, the Spring Festival transcends cultural boundaries, becoming a festival celebrated by the entire society. (Photo by Septianjar Muharam/Xinhua)