There is an area in Bengkulu called Kampung Cina (Chinatown).

It is located not far from the Governor of Bengkulu's house and adjacent to the Marlborough Fort. This is where most of Chinese descent live. The formation of this region seems to be due to the politics of Dutch colonist in Bengkulu. Dutch government divided the settlements by tribes. This strategy made Dutch could control native easier. They applied the same strategy to other towns, including Jakarta. This methode was called divide-and-rule (devide et empera).^[1]

Kampung Cina used to be the center of commerce. Various shops stand here. Markets and ports are close to this area. A perfect position to trade. It was then. Now this area is deserted. Just a few shops still open. Many shophouses' roofs have been damaged. Maybe the owner has left it. Trade centers have grown in other areas, such as Jalan Suprapto. The port has also moved to Baai Island.

Bengkulu local government try to revitalize this desolate area by building a gate. Gate's position is a strange because once there was no gate there. I do not know what Bengkulu Governor thought when setting up a gate for a deserted area. I think he just spend the budget for something that is in vain.

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^{Be sure to click on the image to view full screen!}

Category	Architecturalphotography
Settings	1/4000 sec. f/2.2 4.15mm ISO 32
Camera	iPhone 6
Lens	Internal
Location	Bogor, West Java, Indonesia

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Gerbang Kampung Cina

Ada sebuah kawasan di Bengkulu yang bernama Kampung Cina. Letaknya tak jauh dari rumah Gubernur Bengkulu dan bersebelahan dengan Benteng Marlborough. Di sinilah kebanyakan orang keturunan Cina mukim. Terbentuknya kawasan ini tampaknya karena politik klasifikasi Belanda, yang membagi permukiman berdasarkan suku sehingga lebih mudah mengawasinya. Hal serupa terjadi di daerah bekas jajahan Belanda lain, seperti Jakarta.^[2]

Dulu kawasan Kampung Cina adalah pusat perdagangan. Berbagai toko berdiri di sini. Pasar dan pelabuhan Tapak Paderi pun berdekatan dengan kawasan ini. Suatu posisi yang sempurna untuk berdagang. Itu dulu. Sekarang daerah ini sudah sepi. Hanya sediki toko yang masih buka. Banyak rumah toko yang sudah rusak atapnya. Mungkin pemiliknya sudah meninggalkannya. Pusat-pusat perdagangan telah berkembang di daerah-daerah lain, seperti Jalan Suprapto. Pelabuhan pun telah berpindah ke Pulau Baai.

Kawasan yang sudah sepi inilah yang hendak direvitalisasi oleh Pemerintah Daerah Bengkulu dengan mendirikan sebuah gerbang. Posisinya agak aneh dan terkesan dipaksakan karena dulu memang tak ada gerbang di sana. Saya tak tahu apa yang dipikirkan Gubernur Bengkulu ketika mendirikan gerbang untuk sebuah kawasan yang sudah sunyi ini. Mereka hanya menghabiskan anggaran untuk sesuatu yang sia-sia.

Footnotes

1. Khoon Choy Lee, Golden Dragon and Purple Phoenix: The Chinese and Their Multi-ethnic Descendants in Southeast Asia.
2. Ibid.

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