A Study on the Inheritance and Dissemination of Chinese Language Education in Indonesian Multiculturalism

Chinese immigrants have been in Indonesia for nearly three hundred years and have always valued education, especially the transmission of the Chinese language and culture to their children. This paper examines the influence of mainstream languages, local dialects, and English on the spread of Chinese language in Indonesia from three perspectives: social structure, intergenerational language characteristics, and social environment. Since modern times, with the gradual disintegration of the colonial system and the purposeful construction of the nation-state, the inheritance of Chinese culture and the Chinese-language education system in Indonesia have undergone a complex process of alternating suppression and revival. Since the beginning of the new century, the Indonesian government has gradually adjusted its language policy, actively promoted the development of a multilingual education system, and implemented China-friendly foreign policies, resulting in the institutional support and social space for the revival of Chinese culture and Chinese-language education. Against this backdrop, the trilingual education model—teaching Indonesian, Chinese, and English simultaneously—came into being and marked a shift in Chinese-language education from a traditional intra-ethnic tradition to a modern, diversified educational paradigm. This model not only expands the number of people receiving Chinese-language education, making it a shared cultural and educational resource across ethnic groups, but also embodies the inclusive educational philosophy of ‘education for all’. By actively integrating into the Indonesian national education system and engaging with local culture, trilingual schools are playing an increasingly important structural role in promoting cultural dissemination, fostering the co-creation of values, and building social cohesion. Since the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, Sino-Indonesian cooperation has continued to develop, with rapid growth in Chinese investment and enterprises in Indonesia. The surge in demand for Chinese language professionals has spurred enthusiasm among ethnic Chinese and other groups to learn Chinese, understand China, and experience Chinese culture. Diversified Chinese teaching methods, workplace Chinese, and the application of artificial intelligence have emerged as new features of Chinese language education in current Indonesia. Trilingual schools face unique challenges and opportunities in both inheriting and promoting Chinese culture as they are posited to play a positive, if not pivotal, role in fostering multicultural integration and building a shared future for China and Indonesia.

Keywords

Indonesian Chinese, multiculturalism, Chinese education, trilingual education, language inheritance

source

International Journal of Chinese Language Education; Dec 2025; Issue No. 18; p.45-73

Language

Chinese