From the Beach to Beijing

By Duncan Gordon

From the Beach to Beijing

By Duncan Gordon

Just over a year ago, Hendy Yuniarto was working as a lecturer and a journalist for his local newspaper in Yogyakarta, Suva, Indonesia. His hometown is just a stone’s throw from the beach, where he would often go to relax and have fun. On Aug. 26, 2015 he swapped the day-long fishing trips and beautiful beaches of his homeland for the hustle and bustle of Beijing. So why did Yuniarto make this huge change of lifestyle?

“I always wanted to learn another language and culture with the hope that I could share that knowledge with others someday,” Yuniarto said. “I dreamt of coming to China because of the incredible rate at which the country has been developing.” Last year, he decided to chase that dream by looking for work in Beijing.

Yuniarto works as a lecturer in Indonesian language and culture at the School of Asian and African Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU). He says that BFSU provided an apartment for him with great facilities as well as the opportunity to take Chinese classes free of charge, which have made life a lot easier for him in Beijing. BFSU only takes in new students for their Indonesian language course once every four years. There are just 10 students in Yuniarto’s class.

When he’s not working, Yuniarto leaves the bright lights of Beijing and heads out into the surrounding hills for some hiking.

“So far I’ve been to the Great Wall, Xiangshan [Fragrant Hill], Yudu Mountain and Longqing Gorge in Yanqing District,” Yuniarto said. When he’s not exploring the countryside surrounding Beijing, he likes to put his feet up and watch Chinese movies “to enrich my knowledge of Chinese culture”. He’s seen some classics like Red Sorghum and The Road Home and, it goes without saying, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, the turn-of-the-century martial arts blockbuster. These films also help to improve Yuniarto’s Chinese.

“To be honest, I am an intermediate level Mandarin speaker,” he said. “I have joined a Chinese class this semester and I have set myself the goal of taking the advanced class next year. Once I am fluent, I can focus on memorizing thousands of Chinese characters! For now my Chinese is good enough to communicate with people whenever I need to.”

Language as Culture

So who are Yuniarto’s students studying Indonesian at BFSU?

“They come from a lot of different provinces in China,”he explained. “They believe that BFSU is a reputable university and many of them hope to work as diplomats, journalists, translators or interpreters after they graduate.”

In fact, two of Yuniarto’s students have already accepted positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which they will take up upon graduation. Another of Yuniarto’s classes is made up of students from the police department. Some policemen and women who work as immigration officers at Chinese airports learn Indonesian and other languages so they can assist foreigners who might need their help upon arriving in China.

Yuniarto is passionate about what he thinks is the best way to teach his students Indonesian.

“I don’t want to just give the students straightforward lessons in language skills or grammar,” he said. “Language is part of culture so my favorite part of my job is teaching the students about Indonesian culture. I often get them to write a paper about Indonesian culture or the relationship between Chinese and Indonesian culture.”

This approach perhaps stems from Yuniarto’s own education; he studied linguistics for five years at Universitas Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta, and maintains a strong interest in the role that language plays in society. All told, he has studied Indonesian, Javanese, English and Chinese, as well as theoretical studies of Sanskrit and Arabic while at university. Yuniarto hopes to convey to his students that through learning Indonesian they can help to ensure China and Indonesia maintain a close relationship in terms of economics, culture and education.

Tradition and Modernity

Yuniarto was instantly impressed by his new home in China’s capital.

“I was struck by Beijing’s magnificent ancient buildings, its traditional customs, which are still alive and well, and, of course, the food,” he said. When asked which Chinese dish is his favorite, Yuniarto insists that it’s too hard to choose between lamb skewers, dumplings and hot pot.

Yuniarto holds Chinese culture in high esteem: “China is renowned for its incredibly long history,” he explained. “You can still see that history is reflected on China’s culture today, in its society, language, ideologies, beliefs and technology. The traditional aspects of Chinese culture that have been maintained for generations make the country unique.”

However, Beijing is not all ancient history and traditional culture.

“Nowadays, much of the city looks new and Beijing offers a modern lifestyle for its inhabitants,” Yuniarto pointed out.

To truly experience traditional culture, Yuniarto has participated in cultural celebrations, like Chinese New Year, and sometimes left the city to experience authentic traditional customs. While hiking he met local villagers, and during a visit to Gubei Water Town in Beijing’s suburban Miyun District, he saw how local villagers distill baijiu, a traditional Chinese liquor.

“Like all major cities around the world, modernization brings a lot to people and with them problems like traffic jams and pollution,” Yuniarto added. Nevertheless, he said that he enjoys his life in Beijing and that the modern aspects of the city make his life here comfortable.

Looking to the future, Yuniarto says that he must improve his Chinese ability to help with his work. How long does he plan on living in China? “Maybe 10 years,” he said. And after that? “Someday I want to build a small wooden house near the beach back home in Indonesia and run my own tourism business from it,” he said.

With regards to relations between his home country and his current home, Yuniarto admits that there are still some misunderstandings between people from Indonesia and China, but he thinks there is great potential for mutual growth and support.

“I believe education will solve those problems and we will create a brighter future among Indonesians and Chinese,” Yuniarto said.