VOINews, Tokyo: The Indonesian Embassy in Beijing marked the 79th Independence Day of the Republic of Indonesia with a series of vibrant and community-focused events on Saturday. The celebration began with a formal flag-raising ceremony attended by around 300 Indonesian nationals residing in Beijing.
Indonesian Ambassador to China and Mongolia, Djauhari Oratmangun, served as the ceremony's inspector, with Defense Attaché Major Sus M. Rezka P. Ramdhani as the ceremony leader. Ten Indonesian students in Beijing were honored with the duty of hoisting the Red and White flag during the 40-minute ceremony.
Ambassador Djauhari donned a traditional Betawi Demang outfit in black, complemented by a red, black, and white Tanimbar cloth from Maluku, and a black peci, blending Indonesian cultural heritage with national pride.
The event drew a diverse crowd, including diplomats, local embassy staff, and members of the Indonesian community, along with "guiqiao" – Chinese citizens who were born and lived in Indonesia before returning to China in the 1950s and 1960s.
Following the flag-raising ceremony, the celebrations continued with the "Indonesia Fair Gempita Merdeka," a flagship event organized by the Indonesian Embassy to promote Indonesian culture, tourism, and products. The fair ran from 11:00 AM to 6:30 PM local time and featured over 20 Indonesian products, including popular dishes like sate, siomay, nasi kapau, rendang, soto Betawi, and chicken soup.
The fair also included various performances by Indonesian musicians and dancers, offering a lively and immersive cultural experience for attendees. Due to high demand, pre-registration was required to attend the fair, and the registration had to be closed three days before the event as it reached its capacity of 5,000 participants.
The previous year's Indonesia Fair attracted over 5,000 visitors, generating transactions worth approximately 214,750 yuan (around IDR 470 million). This year’s event continued to showcase the rich cultural and culinary heritage of Indonesia to the people of Beijing.
In addition to the Indonesia Fair, the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing hosted a reunion on August 9th for around 40 members of the "guiqiao" community, rekindling memories of their time in Indonesia nearly 60 years ago.
The embassy also organized a "family gathering" event on June 30, 2024, featuring traditional games to kick off the 79th Independence Day celebrations at Chaoyang Park. The event included not only embassy diplomats and local staff with their families but also representatives from Bank Indonesia Beijing, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and Indonesian students in Beijing.
Competitions included cracker-eating contests, sack races, tug-of-war, marble races, and a flag-in-the-glass game, all culminating in a group dance of the Tobelo dance, reinforcing the strong sense of community and national pride among the participants./Antara/VOI
