Old ties still celebrated in ancient maritime hub

FUZHOU－It was just before noon. Fifty-year-old Fu Ruichang, drenched in sweat, was busy grilling a suckling pig outside his restaurant in the Nanshan community in the city of Quanzhou in East China's Fujian province.

The pig, a traditional dish from Bali, would be served to dozens of foreign students.

Nanshan is home to more than 500 overseas Chinese returnees, particularly from Bali. It is planted with lush tropical plants like palm trees and jackfruit, and the houses have red rooftop finials reminiscent of the houses in the famous Southeast Asian travel destination.

In October, with the support of the local government, Nanshan set up an Indonesian food street to celebrate the area's cultural diversity.

Fu was among the first to open a restaurant.

Born and raised in Quanzhou, he learned how to make Indonesian food from his parents, who spent the first few decades of their lives in Bali. His dishes have been praised by Indonesian customers as authentic.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, he imported ingredients and spices directly from Indonesia, and Quanzhou and Bali share a long history of exchange.

Spices were one of Indonesia's major exports along the Maritime Silk Road. Quanzhou was the starting point of the ancient route and a maritime hub of the East and Southeast Asia trade networks between the 10th and 14th centuries. On July 25, that past was recognized as the city became China's 56th UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In 1961, together with hundreds of other ethnic Chinese, 19-year-old Cai Jinji sailed from Bali to settle in Quanzhou, which is home to many overseas Chinese returnees.

Sixty years later, Cai still speaks fluent Indonesian. After retirement, he began teaching the language to children in Nanshan during school vacations.

Residents keep memories of Indonesia alive in other ways. Many wear sarongs, traditional Indonesian attire, or clothing made from batik, a colorful traditional print. In the evenings, they dance to Indonesian songs in the community square.

These aspects have made Nanshan a center of bilateral exchange. For decades before the pandemic, people from Indonesia and China visited each other every year.

Fu visited Bali for the first time in 2001. "I learned Indonesian from my parents and, to my surprise, I was able to communicate with the Balinese without any problem," Fu said.

"We even had the same accent. It gave the place a sense of familiarity."

Cai has been to Bali more than 10 times since 1996. As a core member of the community's art club, he once took a young group to Bali to give performances that combined Chinese and Indonesian styles.

"Chinese Indonesians have learned more about modern China from these kinds of exchanges," Cai said. "They admire our lives here, especially the favorable policies for the elderly."

Aside from cultural exchanges, Nanshan and Bali have also helped each other during times of difficulty.

"Last year when the epidemic was severe in China, people in Bali mailed many face masks to us," said Luo Ping, Party secretary of Nanshan Community, adding that the community has sent many masks this year to Bali to return the goodwill.

Xinhua