EPISODE 9:

THE CITY OF A THOUSAND TEMPLES

SINGKAWANG, INDONESIA

Chang Fui-Fui manages a small temple located just around the corner of the city of Singakwang’s central bus station. Every Chinese New Year on Chap Goh Mei, he leads a team of traditional Chinese spirit mediums on a procession to ritually cleanse the streets of their hometown. But these are not ordinary Chinese mediums - here in Singkawang, they proudly embody the spirits of indigenous heroes.

This land belonged to the Dayak people long before Hakka Chinese immigrants arrived two centuries ago, and their superstitious beliefs still permeate the lives of the city’s inhabitants. Animistic spirits called Penunggu are believed to have existed here long before the dawn of human history, and they are known to curse their intruders with illness and death. Penunggu are an endless existential threat that pose a question for the city’s inhabitants: who is truly entitled to this land?

But this spiritual question has a metaphorical relationship to both the Indo-Chinese and Dayak communities who share similar histories of ethnic marginalization in Indonesia. Chang Fui-fui and his gang of mediums represent more than just spiritual protectors of Singkawang, they are symbols of unity. And their performance on Chap Goh Mei is one of the most unique displays of cultural pluralism that exists in contemporary Indonesia.