The Chinese settlement of Bandung at the turn of the 20th century

Abstract

To explain the history of Chinese settlements in Indonesia, the standard explanation is often applied that the Chinese followed the wijkenstelsel or quarter system established by the Dutch colonial authorities to confine the community within designated areas in a town in order to control them more tightly. This explanation is inadequate for Bandung, where the Chinese were found residing outside the designated quarters even before the wijkenstelsel was abolished, showing that the group was not compliant. To explain the spread of the Chinese settlement in Bandung, the thesis evaluates the importance of the Great Post Road, the market places and the railway as influences on urban development and settlement.