February is not only synonymous with Valentine's Day, but there is also the Lunar New Year celebrated by ethnic Chinese around the world. And for those of you who want to enjoy the festivities of Lunar New Year or also known as Chinese New Year, you might want to visit one of the most famous Chinatown areas in Jakarta, precisely in Glodok, West Jakarta. This area is not only a center of economy and electronics in Jakarta, but also rich with history. So, check out this article for your guide before traveling to Glodok.
 

source: Tribun News

Glodok and Its History

Since the beginning, Glodok has become an area known for its economic activity. In the past, the Glodok area was built by the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC) to place ethnic Chinese people in Jakarta. Although this is a Chinatown area, the name Glodok itself is not derived from any Mandarin word. Instead, the name Glodok comes from an onomatopoeia of trickling water that sounds like ‘grojok-grojok’, whose pronunciation according to the Chinese tongue turns into glodok. The name is given because in the Dutch colonial period there was a water reservoir from Kali Ciliwung that was disbursed through a shower of a wood pipe.

 Back to the history of Glodok, according to Adolf Heuken in his book Historic Places in Jakarta, the Glodok area was built as a fortress to protect against attacks from Mataram or Banten. The fort is located not far from the Glodok Plaza Shopping complex. In addition, there is also a dark history that enveloped the Glodok area during colonial times — yes, there was a massacre during the time of Governor Adriaan Valckenier — before it could finally grow into the center of trade as it is today.

Because it is rich with history, the Glodok area was then redeveloped by the West Jakarta City Government to become a Chinatown tourist area in Jakarta. The arrangement will be in the form of the construction of sidewalk facilities and some public facilities. This area has several places that are still thick with Chinese cultures, ranging from shopping centers and places of worship, such as monasteries. 

Places to Visit When visiting Glodok

In the Lunar New Year celebrations, the Glodok area becomes one of the favorite destinations. Not just with festive red that pretty much adorn the Glodok area, but there are also busy shopping for trinkets or other specialties, there is a Lunar night market, enjoying the Barongsai show, and also some are solemnly praying in the monastery. But since the pandemic hit, The Lunar New Year celebrations have not been as festive as usual, because of the safety of the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
 

Well, even so, you can also enjoy the atmosphere of Chinese New Year or if you want to tour the legendary Chinatown area in Jakarta, there are several places that you can visit.
 

Petak Sembilan

source: Ministry of Education and Culture

Well, first, there's the Petak Sembilan. It is located on Jalan Kemenangan III number 13, Glodok. To enjoy this area, it is best to walk to explore interesting places around. You can browse various items, from typical Chinese trinkets, such as lanterns, traditional medicines, traditional foods, and others.  
 

In this area, you can also visit to see the temple. One of the oldest temples in this area is Dharma Bhakti Monastery. The monastery was built in 1650 by a Chinese Lieutenant named Kwee Hoen. Behind its architecture, this temple has also witnessed a grim event of a massacre in 1740, which then after that there was restoration again. Now, this monastery has become a tourist destination that must be visited. Ahead of The Lunar New Year, there will usually be several social events or art performances.
 

source: Department of Tourism DKI Jakarta
 

Gang Gloria

Source: The Jakarta Post

Still around Petak Sembilan, it's time to slip first to the Gang Gloria or Gloria Alley. The perfect place for you culinary fans. There is hainan rice, mixed rice, fried rice, capcay, tim rice, fried meatballs, lumpia, and bacang. In addition, there are legendary chicken or beef curries, Kopi Es Tak Kie, kale noodles, Bakmi Amoy, Gado-gado Direksi, or Rujak Shanghai. However, for those of you who are Muslims, you need to be more thorough when choosing food here, because there are non-halal food ingredients.

Petak Enam

source: Warta Kota Tribun News

Continue to another must-visit spot, namely Petak Enam. This is one of the fairly recent areas visited in Glodok. In the past, this area was the oldest shopping center in Jakarta. Well, now this area is redesigned according to the needs of the present. Here, you can sit around beautifully, want to shop, or have a relaxing coffee can also. There are also traditional specialties or other foods from Medan, Cirebon, ‘peranakan’ food, which you can also try. 
 

The building here is also quite unique, which illustrates the mix of cultures. There is a distinctive Chinese ornament and there is also a Dutch element. However, Chinese accents are much more dominant, which you can see in the rows of shops with lanterns and also statues that characterize the symbol of shio located near the stairs. For those of you who like to find interesting photo spots, Petak Enam might be your favorite place!

Santa Maria de Fatima Church

source: Blog Tokopedia

In addition to the temple, there is also another historic building, the Church of Santa Maria de Fatima. This church has a unique building because it looks like Chinese ornaments in its architecture. The church was built in the 19th century as a center for worship services. There is also a school building located in this church area called Ricci school. 

Well, until now, this church still serves the faithful for mass and worship in two languages, Indonesian and Mandarin. Near the church there are also Chinese specialties, at the legendary Wengkin or Nasi Ulam Misjaya restaurants. 

Gadjah Mada and Pancoran Street

There are also historical buildings and restaurants that you can visit. First, there's Chandra Naya. This building is an old oriental house. It is located on Jalan Gadjah Mada. The house might have a haunting impression, but actually this house has important historical value. Chandra Naya is the home of China's last major, Khouw Kim An in Batavia. This major was known to be wealthy, had a bank, and a rice shop. But unfortunately, the house was not maintained, and now it has been managed by the private sector, and supervised by the Jakarta Tourism and Culture Office.

source: Blog Tokopedia
 

Walk back to Petak Enam, but before that on Jalan Pancoran there is a restaurant that you must visit. Pantjoran Tea House is the name. The restaurant was built in 2015 in a historic building. In the past, the building was named Chung Hwa Pharmacy that sells traditional Chinese medicines, which are now converted as tea houses for people to enjoy tea. The building became the main cause of support to promote the Old City to get a UNESCO cultural heritage nomination. 

 In addition to drinking tea, there is also a variety of Chinese food menu, such as fish soup, chicken sauce, fried tofu skin lumpia, up to pastries. In this place there is also a ‘patekoan’ tradition that can be enjoyed by anyone. ‘Patekoan’ is a tradition that provides eight teapots containing tea which then can be enjoyed for free for pedestrians. Tradition has been carried out by Kapitan Gan Djie and his wife who provide teapots for pedestrians. However, this activity was temporarily suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Hopefully some recommendations can be useful for those of you who want to enjoy the atmosphere of Chinese New Year or just want to enjoy the history of Chinatown in Jakarta. You can enjoy a walk in the area with friends, spouses, family, or take a walking tour. But most importantly, if you want to visit Glodok, make sure to stay vigilant and follow all health protocols. And make sure to look for the latest developments about Covid-19 in Jakarta through the corona.jakarta.go.idwebsite.