Tangerang, Indonesia

Tangerang is an industrial and manufacturing hub on Java and is home to over 1,000 factories. Many international corporations have plants in the city. Tangerang tends to be hot and humid, with little in way of trees or geographical features. Certain areas consist of swamps, including the areas near the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. In recent years the urban expansion of Jakarta has covered Tangerang, and as a result many of its residents commute to Jakarta for work, or vice-versa. Many high-class and middle-class satellite cities have been developed in Tangerang, complete with their own shopping malls, private schools and convenience centers. The government is working on expanding the highway system to accommodate more traffic flow to and from the area.Tangerang also has a significant community of Chinese Indonesians, many of whom are of Cina Benteng extraction. Benteng means 'fortress' in Indonesian. They were descended from laborers who were brought there by the Dutch colonials in the 18th and 19th centuries, and most of them are still laborers and farmers. They are culturally distinct from other Chinese communities in the area: while almost none speak any dialect of Chinese, they are culturally very strongly Daoist and maintain their own places of worship and community centers. They are ethnically mixed, yet identify themselves as Chinese. A large Chinese cemetery is also located in Tangerang, most of which are now developed into suburban communities such as Lippo Karawaci, Summarecon Gading Serpong, Bumi Serpong Damai, Bintaro Jaya, Modernland, and Alam Sutra. Most of the Chinatown of Tangerang is located at Sewan, Pasar Lama, Pasar Baru, Benteng Makasar, Kapling, Karawaci (not Lippo Karawaci). One can find any food and all things Chinese there. Lippo Karawaci, Bintaro Jaya, Bumi Serpong Damai and Alam Sutra are new locations of residential places (New Towns). A vast majority of the residents are newcomers, not genuine Benteng Chinese.