Friday, April 10, 2009

Tjoe and Kha Family Association in Padang, Indonesia

Pic: Tjoe (Chua) and Kwa

Pic: Tjoe and Kwa Family Association

As I wandered about Padang I was delighted to come across other Chinese clan associations (at least half a dozen), all with huge imposing buildings. Peering inside I noticed they had a very large hall, rows of photographs of past leaders and members on the walls and a table for reading newspapers.

At Tjoe and Kwa Association I was lucky to meet Tjoe and Kwa themselves. We had an enjoyable chat for an hour during which I was liberally feeding the resident mosquitoes! (Tjoe is the Indonesian spelling for the Chinese family name of Chua)

Like most Indonesian Chinese, they have lost almost complete touch with their mother tongue, being unable to read or speak Chinese fluently. This is the result of having been totally assimilated into Indonesian society.

2 comments:

  1. Wah, siapa si-dua ini? Macem keluarga gueh?
    Kaluh engga sallah, macem adek sepupu dari Bandung. Yang di kanan sukah menginep di rumah gueh.
    Tjoe Soo Liong
    Semarang, Indonesia.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mereka ia-lah Pak Tjoe dan Pak Kwa dari Padang, Sumatera Barat.Saya gembira menemui mereka. Dunia kechil, bukan? (It's a small world)

    ReplyDelete