Belajar Multikulturalisme dari Tjong A Fie
Tatiana Guntur Utami
Explore China is one of the courses that our university arranged for us in order to learn more about China. Although it's a bit unfortunate that I can't join the field trip that the university arranged, with the help of our teachers, I finally managed to find another way to learn and finish this course with the same way as how the students in China done it, the difference is only in the place we visited. During this course, I visited one of the most influential Chinese immigrants in Indonesia, especially in my hometown, Medan, Tjong A Fie.
（探索中国是我们大学为我们安排的课程之一，以便更多地了解中国。虽然我不能参加大学安排的实地考察有点遗憾，但在老师的帮助下，我终于找到了另一种学习方式，并以与中国学生相同的方式完成这门课程，区别仅在于我们访问的地方。在这次课程中，我拜访了印度尼西亚最有影响力的中国移民之一，特别是在我的家乡棉兰，Tjong A Fie。）
Tjong A Fie was a Hakka Chinese businessman, he was a famous overseas Chinese industrialist and local overseas Chinese leader in Indonesia at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Tjong A Fie managed to build a large business with more than 10.000 employees. In 1911, Tjong A Fie was appointed as Kapitan Tionghoa in Indonesian, which generally means "Captain of the Chinese", to lead the Chinese community in Medan, replacing his older brother, Tjong Yong Hian. As a leader of the Chinese community, Tjong A Fie was highly respected, because he mastered economics and politics.
（Tjong A Fie是客家华人商人，他是19世纪末和20世纪初印度尼西亚著名的华侨实业家和当地华侨领袖。Tjong A Fie设法建立了一个拥有10.000多名员工的大型企业。1911年，Tjong A Fie被任命为印尼语中的Kapitan Tionghoa，通常意为“华人队长”，领导棉兰的华人社区，取代他的哥哥Tjong Yong Hian。作为华人社区的领袖，Tjong A Fie受到高度尊重，因为他掌握了经济和政治。）
The Tjong A Fie Mansion is one of the most historical old residences in Medan, located at Ahmad Yani Street no. 105 in Kesawan, Medan, North Sumatra. His residence is located on one of the busiest streets in the heart of Medan. So, from the location itself, we can generally get the feeling of how successful he was. The Tjong A Fie Mansion was opened to the public for the first time in June 2009.The Mansion has Chinese, Malay, and Art Deco influences in its architectural style. The structure was built by paying attention to the principles of feng-shui. The rooms are on four sides of the building and surround a large open courtyard in the centre, signifying the "Well of Heaven".
（Tjong A Fie Mansion是棉兰历史最悠久的老住宅之一，位于北苏门答腊棉兰Kesawan的Ahmad Yani街105号。他的住所位于棉兰市中心最繁忙的街道之一。所以，从地点本身，我们大致可以感受到他有多成功。Tjong A Fie Mansion于2009年6月首次向公众开放，该Mansion的建筑风格具有中国，马来和装饰艺术的影响。该结构是通过注意风水原理建造的。客房位于建筑的四个侧面，环绕着中央的大型开放式庭院，象征着“天堂之井”。）
During the process of completing the report for this course, I looked into a lot of Tjong A Fie's history and even visited his former residence. Visiting his former residence definitely gave a completely different experience, because not all experience can be gained through surfing the internet. I can sense the Chinese atmosphere that Tjong A Fie brought to Medan through the architectural style and designs of his house, as if I've been transported into one of the parts of China, and this is a great way to face the Covid situation right now.
（在完成本课程报告的过程中，我调查了很多Tjong A Fie的历史，甚至参观了他的故居。参观他的故居绝对给了完全不同的体验，因为并非所有经验都可以通过上网获得。我能感受到Tjong A Fie通过他房子的建筑风格和设计带给棉兰的中国氛围，仿佛我被带到了中国的一个地方，这是面对现在新冠疫情的好方法。）
Looking at the matter from the point of view of a student from the international economics and trade major would give another new point of view. I learnt the importance of building connection with people from various circles, how important it is to be nice to everyone regardless of their race. Not only that, our manner towards the people around us also plays a big role. If someone plans to build a business, great manners would definitely help them. After they successfully build a business, they should also never forget to contribute back to the society, just like how Tjong A Fie contributed back to both Medan and his hometown. I believe all of his nature could also reflect Chinese people's culture in doing business, including building connections regarding of races, therefore this is also one of the shortcuts in learning more about China. However, during the process of completing this course, I also learnt that all of the points mentioned above are actually applicable in Indonesia, because Indonesia is a country with over three hundred different ethnic groups, so it's also important to learn to tolerate towards different cultures and embrace each culture's uniqueness.
（从国际经济与贸易专业的学生的角度看这个问题会给出另一种新的观点。我了解到与各界人士建立联系的重要性，无论种族如何，对每个人都友善是多么重要。不仅如此，我们对周围人的态度也起着很大的作用。如果有人打算创业，礼貌肯定会帮助他们。在他们成功创业后，他们也不应该忘记回馈社会，就像Tjong A Fie如何回馈棉兰和他的家乡一样。我相信他所有的本性也能反映中国人在做生意中的文化，包括建立种族关系，因此这也是了解中国的捷径之一。但是，在完成本课程的过程中，我也了解到上述所有要点实际上都适用于印度尼西亚，因为印度尼西亚是一个拥有三百多个不同民族的国家，因此学会容忍不同的文化并拥抱每种文化的独特性也很重要。）
This concludes my visit to Tjong A Fie's residence and my research regarding his impacts both in local and in his hometown's development. I'm very delighted to be able to be a part of this class.
（到此我对Tjong A Fie住所的访问结束了，以及我对他对当地和家乡发展的影响的研究。我很高兴能够成为这个班级的一员。）
原文链接：https://epaper.hariandisway.id/books/njkv/#p=16
