Page 132 - JCAU-6-3

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Chinese cemeteries in Semarang

had a local regent representing the Sultan of Java when development of European and Chinese trading houses,
the VOC took control. In 1705, the Dutch built the Prins banks, plantation agencies, a ship harbor, and new housing
Van Oranje Fort close to the port to protect themselves in the city’s south corner (Akhyat, 2006).
from Chinese traders’ attacks (VOC Site, 2017; Atlas of Under Japanese control and in the early years of
Mutual Heritage, 2014). Subsequently, they constructed Indonesian independence, Semarang experienced a period
a European quarter in the southeastern region of the of stagnation. In 1950, Semarang was designated as the
port.
provincial capital of Central Java by the government of
After the Dutch defeated the Chinese rebellion in Java the Republic of Indonesia. At the time, Semarang was
in 1741 – 1743, they allotted a new location to the Chinese divided into five districts covering an area of 99.4 sq/km.
for their settlement. The policy, known as wijkenstelsel, Due to the high rate of urbanization, urban settlements
was formally implemented after the war. According to this grew rapidly between 1950 and 1976 (Nugroho, 2016). The
law, all the ethnic groups were required to live within their urban kampungs of the ex-colonial city grew denser, and
designated quarters. It became a strict law in 1843, following people occupied vacant land on the city’s outskirts for new
the second Java War (1825 – 1830). The 19 -century Java informal settlements.
th
War was a watershed moment in the relations between the
Chinese community and the indigenous Javanese people. The government of the Republic of Indonesia began
Due to the religious motivations behind the war, relations developing city planning documents in 1975, aiming
between the Chinese and the Javanese never recovered to boost industry. In 1976, Semarang annexed the
(Carey, 2014). surrounding regency, tripling its territory to a total area
of 364.81 sq/km, divided into nine districts (Nugroho,
Semarang was a well-connected city. It had a road 2016). Later, the government reduced the area designated
connecting the Java Sea with two Sultanate cities in the for industrial use and converted it for residential purposes.
hinterland. In addition, it was located between Batavia and The development of Semarang city after independence can
Surabaya, the second largest city in the Dutch East Indies, be seen in Figure 2.
and a railroad was later built to connect the three cities.
The surrounding regency was well known for producing 5. Chinese cemeteries in Semarang during
tobacco and sugar, which helped Semarang become an the colonial period
important trading center during the colonial period.
The colonial government constructed infrastructure to 5.1. The colonial government’s distribution of land
transport agricultural products from the hinterland to the Colonialism introduced a new concept of space, viewing
port of Semarang. it as distinct from value substances in the capitalist
Although the area of Semarang was handed over to order. Space was seen as “empty” land that could be
the VOC, some of the hilly terrain outside the colonial demarcated, parcelled out, modified, and purchased not
city remained as the property of the Sultanate family for its intrinsic value but for its potential speculative
or belonged to Javanese villagers. In the 19 century, value (Sack, 1980). This concept was enforced in the
th
the colonial government began leasing property under Dutch East Indies when the colonial government
its control to private parties, primarily for plantation declared all empty land that did not belong to the
purposes. As a result, the city had more than 5125 ha when local kingdom as “state lands” under their jurisdiction.
it was measured in 1914, although it only possessed 322 These policies and actions demonstrate how colonial
ha of that total (6.25%) (Akhyat, 2006). Figure 1 shows the governmentality differed from Foucault’s conception of
timeline of Semarang’s development during the colonial governmentality.
time. The city was mainly located in the lowlands, while The colonial government also assigned places and
the hilly areas were used as agricultural lands, where the restricted the movement of non-indigenous groups,
Chinese cemeteries are mainly located. imposing regulations and taxes on those lands. On the

Trade with Europe increased in Semarang, resulting other hand, they leased their “state land” to wealthy people
in exponential growth in its population and territory. The and granted them waivers from movement restrictions.
city’s development attracted newcomers from neighboring Initially, the colonial administration of Daendels
regions as well as Chinese migrants. In 1905, the city was (1807 – 1810) rented out land to finance their war with
expanded beyond its historical core, bounded by the West the British (Wahid, 2012). Later, after 1830, the land was
Flood Canal and the Semarang River to the west, the East rented out again to fulfil the requirement of increasing
Flood Canal to the east, the Java Sea to the north, and agricultural products by establishing plantations (Weber
hilly terrain to the south. This expansion included the et al., 2003). They also awarded lands as rewards to selected

Volume 6 Issue 3 (2024) 4 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.3254