Waiting for extinct, neglected precious heritage sites; Case study of little Tiongkok lasem

Abstract

As one of heritage sites in Central Java Province, Lasem had been known of its existence since Majapahit era, followed by Dutch colonization and later on Indonesian independence. Chinese migrated from mainland China to Java Island (one of them was Lasem) and other destinations in Southeast Asia from 14th until 20th century and peaked during transition turmoil from Ming to Qing dynasty. As consequences, it brought uniqueness to local community tradition as culture acculturation process happened in a new place that latter on called as "Little Tiongkok". Oriental style settlements in Lasem had been influenced by China's Southern Province of Fujian and Guangdong, which brought precious value not only for Lasem but also Indonesian heritage in general. Aims in the research were to explore Chinese heritage existence and threat that happened in Lasem and to understand some obstacles sustainable tourism there. Descriptive method has been used in the research, meanwhile data have been acquired through combination from literature study and survey. Research findings conclude that several oriental houses as Chinese Heritage in Dasun, Karangturi and Babagan villages are abandoned by latest generation due to migration based on economic reasons to bigger cities such as Jakarta, Semarang and Surabaya. Meanwhile Tridharma (tree believes/faiths) temples lost their members due to political regulation impact which happened across Indonesia. In the other hand, batik remains well-preserved in Lasem as having association with economic value both for the local and business owner.