Once she completes her master’s degree, Dai said she might teach the language, work for a business that requires the use of Bahasa or even continue her studies. She feels being in Yogyakarta and learning from Indonesians has made a huge difference, allowing her to incorporate the verbal mannerisms and thinking of local people into her studies.
“If you’re learning a language from a book, what you learn could technically be correct, but there are still many things you don’t know about how to use it in real life,” Dai said.
“From pronunciation to writing to grammar, each one of these aspects is better since I came to study here … Not everyone will have the opportunity to study the language of another country in that country, but if you have the opportunity, I think you should definitely take it.”
Dr Sailal Arimi, the vice coordinator of Inculs, said he had seen the number of mainland Chinese students studying Bahasa increase from year to year. The programme currently has 14 such students, nine from Tianjin University and five from Guangxi University.
“Bahasa is a gate for students from China to pursue their interests, [whether it’s] going on to do business or teaching Bahasa in their home country,” he said, adding that another one of his students is learning the language as he plans to work with his brothers who operate Chinese restaurants in Jakarta.
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Gadjah Mada University also sends faculty members to Chinese universities to teach Bahasa. As of December 2017, according to an Indonesian media report, it was taught in 11 universities in China, including Peking University and Shanghai International Studies University.
On the language’s continued appeal to Chinese nationals, Sailal points out that while it is the most-spoken language in Southeast Asia, this is only the beginning of its reach.“It’s not just spoken in countries in the region, but [by the diaspora in countries such as] South Korea and Japan,” he said.
“In Indonesia, Bahasa is spoken by more than 200 million people, but when you take into account Malaysia, Singapore, Patani in south Thailand, and the south of the Philippines, you’re looking at more than 300 million people [that you can reach by speaking] Indonesian.”
VISIT YOGYA
When it comes to promoting Yogyakarta as a tourist destination, the Indonesian government has a long way to go. Arrivals from Hong Kong and mainland China to the city are far outnumbered by arrivals to Bali: according to statistics provided by the tourism ministry, the total arrivals for last December were 259 and 82,515 respectively.
However, tourist agents based in Yogyakarta say they have seen a recent upswing in interest from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Watching the first fingers of dawn touch Borobudur is unsurprisingly a top attraction; rising through a shroud of jungles and mist, the temple thrums with a primordial vitality. It’s also still in use today, with Buddhists worshipping there and making an annual pilgrimage to the site on Vesak day.
“Chinese tourists want to see the Borobudur sunrise, it’s a … magical moment,” said Ferdina Maharani, director of Pusaka Tours. “Apart from that, they like to go to Instagrammable locations, such as the Mangunan pine forest and Kalibiru [National Park].”
