Stories from Deli

What’s in the name?

I will now tell you a little about the different names with Natives. So the most important thing is the lack of family name. Sometimes a family is determined part of the name carried by all, which is especially true Javanese goes easily. When then the father Wiriosastro called, the sons call themselves Wirioatmodjo, Wiriosentono,…
Chinese in Medan

First we get Canton, the capital of the province Quantung. The Cantonese are an important group to which end among others are those who here as goldsmiths, furniture makers, tailors have established. Their great association manages the extensive cemetery on Djatilaan.The second place is Swatow, from which two groups come: the Teotjus, who mainly act…
Kwan Iem Tong

觀音堂 According to Gerard Jansen (1934) The temple is on the Oranje Nassaustraat (Jalan Thamrin), on the corner of the Louisestraat (Jalan Gandhi) and consists of a complex of different ones smaller buildings. That’s because they have been transferred here the temples, which used to exist in more places in the city, even one on…
Cathay Bioscoop

AND GOOD NIGHT CATHAY is the best cinema in Medan. Saturday night I mean! To be there in the Amsterdam concert building. Planter, board officer or Deli employee, with immaculate white suits come together. Cathay is a very friendly cinema. All movie theatres in this city are friendly. The place card states that people are…
Thien Hooe Koeng

天后宮 Thien Hioe Kioeng or Tianhougong or Vihara Ariya Satyani or Dewi Maco) at Kapiteinsweg (Jalan Pekantan) was dedicated to the Ma Co, protector of the seas. It is managed by Fujian people. A stone inscription set up by the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce of Deli on the occasion of donations made for…
Kwan Tee Bio

There are many temples in Medan, two largest and oldest are, the Kwan Tee Bio on the street of that name and the Thien Hioe Kiong on the Kapiteinsweg. There are also several smaller temples scattered throughout the city, and finally there are some in the cemetery temples. The Kwan Tee Bio is the oldest…
For the dead

Indigenous people, such as Malays, Mandailing and Minangkabau live on the outskirts of the city. The separation of these ethnic groups was in line with the racial politics of the Sutch, which divided the people of the Dutch East Indies into three groups, namely Europeans, Foreign Easterners (Indians, Chinese, Arabs) and indigenous or inlanders.The deads…
A night in Medan

There is a street in Medan called Shawan Street (Kesawan). The shops on both sides of the street are mostly run by foreigners, including Standard Chartered Bank, a department store, a dance hall, and a cloth shop opened by an Indian……., the only shop run by Chinese at that time was “Chinese Business “Book Printing…
The Life of “Piglet” Ya Jiubao

This incident not only happened to Yajiubao alone, but the place where it happened was not only in West Java, North Sumatra or North Sulawesi. This is because since the powerful groups in Indonesia, under the imperialists’ instigation, set off an anti-Chinese and anti-Chinese countercurrent, there has been more than one person like Yajiu being…
Mian Zhong and Chong Wen

Mian zhong and Chong Wen are Chinese schools in Medan. they were established in 1930s and 40s in Medan. These Chinese schools are known as the Red school, with Red China ideology. This is opposed to Su Tong which was a Blue School, pro China nationalist. Su Tong was established in 1926, while Mian Zhong…