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For RI-born Chinese in Beijing, Independence Day feels like a homecoming
Guiqiao may have been born in Indonesia or another country but eventually chose to settle in China.
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A group of Indonesian-born Chinese citizens joined the Independence Day Celebration at the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing on Aug. 17, 2023. (The Jakarta Post/Teddy Trilaksono)
A
t the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing, those celebrating the country’s Independence Day were not only Indonesian nationals who were resident in China, but also Chinese citizens who professed their love for Indonesia and those who identified themselves as Guiqiao, people of Chinese ethnicity but who were not born in mainland China.
Guiqiao may have been born in Indonesia or another country but eventually chose to settle in China.
Late last week, hundreds of these Guiqiao solemnly joined the Independence Day celebration led by Indonesian Ambassador to China Djauhari Oratmangun.
They joined the chorus for the national anthem “Indonesia Raya” and were delighted when other national songs were performed. "We feel like coming home," said Xie Yiheng, a Guiqiao who was born in Medan, North Sumatra.
He said Indonesia was like a second home and that his love for Indonesia remained in his heart, although he left Indonesia in the late 1950s when he was 16.
"But Indonesia is still in our hearts," said Xie.
The same feeling was shared by Huang Xiufen, who claimed to have been born in Tulungagung, East Java.
