Maintaining Chinese Cultural Identity:

The Role of Chinese Clan Associations in Medan

Mariana Makmur, Budi Agustono

, Zulkifli Lubis

and

Heri Kusmanto

Departement of Anthropology, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia.

Keywords: Chinese Clan Association, Medan, Cheng Beng Ritual

Abstract: This article describes the role of Chinese clan associations in Medan in maintaining Chinese cultural identity

today. According to Chen (2022) in general there are two types of clan associations, namely those based on

family names, lineages, or common ancestry, called kinship-based clan associations (zongqin hui), and those

based on dialect or the same district of origin, called the locality-based clan association (tongxiang hui). An

example of a kinship-based clan association is the association of the Yap clan, and the Huang clan. An

example of a region-based clan association is the Hui Zhou association, and the Hakka association. There are

several clan association activities that are closely related to Chinese culture which are routinely carried out

in accordance with Chinese festivals. Examples: Chinese New Year, Qingming or Cheng Beng, and Ghost

festival. In particular, this paper analyzes the Cheng Beng celebration held by the Chinese clan association.

This study uses a qualitative approach by interviewing the administrators and members of clan associations.

Observations were made when the activity was carried out. This study found that the Cheng Beng ritual to

honor and commemorate the clan ancestor or the clan guardian deities will strengthen group solidarity and

Chinese cultural identity.

1 INTRODUCTION

The Qingming (or Cheng Beng in Hokkian) festival

is one of the eight festivals in Chinese culture, which

is celebrated annually by the Chinese. The other

festivals that are still being celebrated currently, are

the Chinese New Year celebration (the spring

festival), Cap Go Meh, Peh Cun (Duan Wu - Bakcang

day) and so on (Goh, 2015).

The Cheng Beng festival in 2022 globally will

be celebrated from March 26 to April 15, including in

Medan and North Sumatra. This year, Yayasan Istana

Harta Lima Penjuru (YIHLP) is collaborating with

the Deli Serdang Regional Government by inviting a

number of supporting institutions to initiate the

simultaneous Cheng Beng celebration in North

Sumatra. The highlight of the event was held on April

10, 2022, by holding the Cheng Beng ritual at the

funeral site of the Sentana Abadi Foundation,

Tanjung Morawa, Deli Serdang. According to the

ritual committee, the goal of this peak event is to give

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prayers and respect to the abandoned spirits who have

no family to pray for mass graves (Candra 2022).

Regarding the Cheng Beng festival, this paper

specifically discusses how the Chinese cultural

identity is managed and strengthened through the

Cheng Beng ritual, which is carried out by clan

associations as part of its important role.

Respect for ancestors is an important part of the

Chinese cultural traditions. The ritual at the Cheng

Beng festival is to commemorate and honor the

ancestors carried out by the clan associations to show

filial piety and social solidarity among their devotees.

Through this ritual, the members of the clan and their

younger generation get the knowledge about the

importance of commemorating and honoring their

ancestors and get to know the history of their

ancestors (Chan 2003).

Makmur, M., Agustono, B., Lubis, Z. and Kusmanto, H.

Maintaining Chinese Cultural Identity: The Role of Chinese Clan Associations in Medan.

DOI: 10.5220/0011518500003460

In Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Social and Political Development (ICOSOP 2022) - Human Security and Agile Government, pages 79-84

ISBN: 978-989-758-618-7; ISSN: 2975-8300

 2023 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. Under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

2 LITERATURE REVIEW

Cultural pluralism with the cultural identity of each

ethnic group is a very valuable nation's wealth in the

midst of global cultural pressure. Cultural diversity in

Indonesia can be seen from the differences in

language, ethnicity, and religion. This cultural

identity will determine whether individuals are

included in the in-group and out-group culturally

(Suryandari 2017, 21).

Christian (2017) in his article on “Cultural

Identity of the Chinese Indonesians” mentions two

thoughts related to the cultural identity. The first

thought states that cultural identity is a shared culture

that is owned by a group of people who have the same

history and ancestry. The cultural identity in this

context reflects the same historical experience and the

cultural code which tends to be stable and

unchanging. The second thought states that the

cultural identity is not completely fixed, but can

change depending on how it is positioned

(positioning) and becomes the subject of history,

culture, and power that continues to play.

Regarding the Chinese cultural identity,

Christian (2017, 11-12) also states that there are

differences in the Chinese identity due to the

influence of dialect, domicile region, and clan. This

identity is also not fixed and can change due to the

influence of politics, power, and other cultures

(Western or other Asian). This identity is absorbed

from the tradition, historical identity and is

considered as the most flexible identity. Still related

to cultural identity, Suryani and Azmi (2020, 186))

argue that identity is not only about how individuals

identify themselves, but also how the dominant group

makes claims and internalizes a particular person or

group that is attached to the characteristics and

stereotypes attached to them.

Cruz's (2017, 1438) article on Chinese people in

the city of Zamboanga, Philippines illustrates that the

Chinese cultural identity can be analyzed from the

several components, namely language, festivals,

food, and the values they practice. Especially for the

Chinese cultural festivals there are several cultures

that are practiced such as the Spring Festival or

Chinese New Year, Qingming/Tomb Cleaning Day,

Dragon Boat Festival, Hungry Ghost Festival, and

Mid-Autumn Festival.

In particular, this article discusses and analyzes

the components of the festival, especially the Cheng

Beng festival which is carried out by clan

associations. I argue that this activity aims to increase

social solidarity among clansmen and manage

Chinese cultural identity so that they can still exist in

the face of various kinds of changes in the present.

3 METHODS

This study was conducted on a clan association,

namely the Yap clan association in Medan called the

Perkumpulan Sosial Persaudaraan “Yap” Budi Luhur

(PSPYB). This association is chosen because from

the many clan associations in the city of Medan and

its surroundings, this association has a clan ancestral

deity temple, namely the god Hui Tek Cun Ong who

is the ancestor of the Yap clan.

This study used qualitative research methods.

Data was collected by means of interviews which

were complemented by observations of the

environment and various activities carried out by the

informants in their social activities. Structured and in-

depth interviews were conducted with informants to

get an idea of the Cheng Beng rituals, and clan

associations, as well as their various activities. The

data collection carried out in this study relates to the

primary data and secondary data.

Key data are field data obtained from in-depth

interviews and observations of participating in

various clan association activities. The main data

came from direct observations of various social

activities, especially those related to the Chinese

festival, namely the Cheng Beng ritual in this study.

Secondary data were obtained from reports or

newspapers, magazines or research reports from

various institutions and previous authors who

conducted research on Chinese clan associations.

4 RESULT AND DISCUSSION

4.1 Cheng Beng Ritual

One of the most important festivals in the Chinese

culture is Cheng Beng (Qing Ming/ pure brightness).

This celebration falls on the third month of Chinese

Lunar New Year, which is on April 4 or April 5.

Cheng means "clean" and "pure", while Beng is

"light". So Cheng Beng means clean and bright,

because on that day the sun is in a perfect position, at

the equator.

On that day, Chinese families visit their

ancestral graves by bringing incense sticks, candles,

paper money, food and fruit offerings to their

ancestors or families who have departed. They came

to clean the graves and pray. Visiting ancestral graves

ICOSOP 2022 - International Conference on Social and Political Development 4

during Cheng Beng may be done 10 days before or 10

days after the actual Cheng Beng day (Goh, 2015;

Gultom, 2018).

Based on the author’s observations, the Cheng

Beng ceremony (ritual) in Medan and its

surroundings is mainly carried out by the families

who privately clean the graves and pay homage to

their ancestors. The ancestral respect for Chinese

culture is carried out by the living family members to

fulfil the needs of deceased family members and thus

this will make them happy in the afterlife. This is

done as a sign of devotion and to strengthen the unity

in the family and lineage.

Furthermore, the Cheng Beng ritual, besides

being carried out by the families, it is also organized

by the Chinese community who are members of the

clan associations (dialect and surname associations),

and associations that take care of public funerals. In

general the rituals managed by the families and by the

Chinese community are the same. After completing

the ancestral prayer, to fulfil the needs of the family

and ancestors in the afterlife, a ritual of burning the

paper money is carried out. Other items such as

clothes, shoes, etc. all made of paper are also burned.

They may be put in a suitcase. All of them are

replicas. The package in the form of burnt suitcases

was labeled the name of the ancestor and the name of

the families who send it.

Based on the explanation above, the Cheng Beng

ritual is organized by:

1. The Family

The family visits the tomb or to the columbarium

(where the ashes of the cremated body are stored).

The visit may be done 10 days before or 10 days after

the April 4

or April 5

. However, the family prefers

to get it done before April 5 because there is a belief

that the sooner it is cone, the better the blessing that

will be obtained.

Next, the family performs an ancestral prayer

ceremony at home, for families who have an

altar/maintain ashes or a spirit tablet (sin cu pai) on

Cheng Beng day, which is April 4 or 5. They also burn

paper money, replica clothing made of paper, etc.

Figure 1: Ancetral tablet (sin cu pai)

Figure 2: Offerings for ancestor

2. The Clan associations (surname and dialect

associations)

The surname association performs the Cheng

Beng ritual in the clan association building or at the

clan ancestral temple to honor the clan ancestor or the

guardian deity of the clan concerned. The dialect

associations carry out the Cheng Beng ritual at the

graves of their community ancestors. For example at

the tombs of the ancestors of the Hakka, Teochiu, Hui

Ciu and so on.

Figure 3: The ancestor tomb

Figure 3: The community ancestral tomb

3. Cemetry foundation

The association that takes care of the funeral

complex performs the Cheng Beng ritual at the

cemetery for the abandoned spirits (who have no

family). For example: At the peak event of Cheng

Beng in North Sumatra in 2022, this ritual was held

by YHILP at the Sentana Abadi Foundation

cemetery, Tanjung Morawa, Deli Serdang, on April

10, 2022.

Maintaining Chinese Cultural Identity: The Role of Chinese Clan Associations in Medan

Figure 4: The Cheng Beng brochure 2022

Figure 5: Mass graves at Sentana Abadi

4.2 Chinese Clan Associations

The Chinese clan association is an organization that

accepts the people with the same surname as its

member. Ch’ng (1995) states that the overseas

Chinese in South East Asia is bound by the social

relationships which begin from the family

relationship then widened to the non-family kinship

based on the same surname, same home town, or

same dialect (Makmur, 2018).

Chinese people are used to the organizations

(associations). Those who live in Indonesia are used

to being in groups of associations. Overseas and or

domestically, there are almost always clan-based

Chinese associations with activities carried out

collectively (Gayatri, 2019: 39-40).

In the nineteenth century to get a better life, a

large number of Chinese people migrated to the

southern region (Nanyang), Southeast Asia. Nearly

90 percent of the Chinese who migrated to the

archipelago, including those who came to the East

Sumatra region, came from the provinces of

Guangdong and Fujian. Although they speak several

dialects, they are united by the same way of writing.

In the areas they visited, the migrants then formed

various voluntary associations that were patterned on

certain criteria such as the area of origin in China,

dialect, kinship, surname or clan, and occupation,

because of the awareness of the importance of unity

to face the life challenges in the new and foreign

environment (Ch'ng 1995:45-46).

Those who migrated brought with them their

cultural, religious, social and economic institutions

(Gamba 1966:123). This is why until now in the city

of Medan, there are many associations of Chinese

people who come from various regions or regions of

the two provinces (Vleming 1989: 187-188).

According to Yen 2014:23-25 different dialect

groups and clans form their own associations for

social, cultural, religious purposes, and for the

protection of group interests, such as the Hokkien,

Cantonese, Teochew, Hainan Hakka associations,

and the Tan, Yap, Lim and Huang clan associations..

All these dialect and clan groups form their own

social, religious and educational activities. They

founded their own shrines that worshiped various

gods, organized different religious celebrations,

founded sacred burial places and schools. The social

role of associations at that time was very important to

provide a useful direction for emigrants of the same

dialect group to meet and socialize, in a new and

sometimes hostile environment. They worshiped

gods and celebrated festivals together. The

association also plays a role in the welfare matters to

provide assistance to members in need.

In general, according to Chen (2022), clan

associations can be categorized into two types,

namely those based on family names, lineages, or

common ancestry (called kinship-based clan

associations, zongqin hui), and those based on dialect

or kinship or the same home district (called locality-

based clan association, tongxiang hui).

Based on the study of Setiawan (2018:83) as an

ethnic minority who respects the ancestral culture,

many Medanese Chinese have an interest in joining a

community where they can express and protect each

other. The clan associations have flourished in Medan

over the past decade. Almost all of these associations

have offices in the form of large buildings located in

the downtown area. Generally, the Medanese Chinese

who are active in clan associations are Buddhists or

Confucians, because organizational activities cannot

be separated from ancestral worship rituals.

Based on observations and interviews with the

Chinese leaders in Medan, it is known that there are

about 25 clan associations in Medan. Some of them

are: The Huang Clan Association (Wijaya Clan Social

ICOSOP 2022 - International Conference on Social and Political Development 4

Foundation), Tan Clan Association ( Lautan Mulia

Social Foundation), Ong Clan Association (Raja Clan

Foundation), Lim Clan Association (Indo Makmur

Lestari Foundation), Xu Clan Association (Kho), Yap

Brotherhood Social Association Budi Luhur, Li Clan

Association, 6 Clan Association (Sad Putrapersada

Foundation), Zhuang and Yan Clan Social

Foundation, Loe Clan Association, Zhang Clan

Foundation, Hakka Association, Teochiu Foundation,

South Sea Social Foundation (Hainan), Angsapura

Social Foundation (Hui Zhou).

4.3 Maintaining Chinese Culture

Identity

The Cheng Beng ritual is one of the most important

activities carried out by the Yap clan association in

order to strengthen social solidarity among clan

members, and maintain the Chinese cultural identity.

Every year this association carries out four ritual

activities, namely [i] the celebration of the birthday

(shejit) of the god Hui Tek Cun Ong on the 10th day

of the 12th month of the lunar year, [ii] the Cheng

Beng festival on April 4-5, [iii] the festival of hungry

ghosts in the 7th month of the lunar year, and finally

[iv] the birthday (shejit) of the four-faced god (Se

Mien Fo). However, this study only specifically

analyzes the Cheng Beng ritual carried out by the clan

association, Perkumpulan Sosial Persaudaraan “Yap”

Budi Luhur (PSPYBL) Medan.

The Cheng Beng ritual in 2022 is held by this

association on Saturday, April 2 at the ancestral hall

of the Yap clan.

The date of the ritual is determined by asking

permission and approval of Lord Hui Tek Cun Ong.

This year the ritual at the Yap clan association was

carried out on April 2, after obtaining the blessing of

the ancestor of the gods by using “pwa pwee”. The

approval was obtained if the "pwa pwee" which was

thrown, showing one open and one closed position

(interview with Mr. Y).

The Cheng Beng ceremony should not be pass 12

o’clock because the soldiers who escort the spirits,

descend in the morning and will return at noon.

Therefore, when the gates of the spirit world are

opened during Cheng Beng, a ceremony is performed

to burn the paper money and other items such as

clothes, gold coins, silver coins, etc. The goal is that

the burned objects can be used there. How many

offerings are burned is independent according to the

ability of the family, or the clan association (interview

with Ms. N).

Figure 6: Prayer to the god of the earth

Figure 7: Prayer to the god of heaven

Figure 8: Prayer to ancestor

Figure 9: Offerings for ancestor

Maintaining Chinese Cultural Identity: The Role of Chinese Clan Associations in Medan

5 CONCLUSION

The conclusions from the results of this study are as

follows:

1.For Chinese people, Cheng Beng is the second most

important day after the Chinese Lunar New Year. It

is the day to gather with the whole family. The

informan says that not going home during Chinese

Lunar New Year is permissible than not going home

during the Cheng Beng. This shows that it is an

obligation to go home during the Cheng Beng, to

honor and commemorate the ancestors, and to gather

with the whole family.

2. At the time of Cheng Beng, many people originally

reside in Medan, return to their home towns to gather

with their whole families and together they will visit

the ancestral graves as a sign of devotion. In Medan

and its surroundings, this has a positive impact on

regional economic development.

3. The components of the festival, especially the

Cheng Beng festival, as one of the most

important elements of the Chinese cultural

identity, need to be managed, preserved, and

continuously socialized to the younger

generation. Socialization can be done either by

the family older member, or clan associations so

that Chinese people do not forget their ancestors,

and continue to respect and commemorate them

as a sign of devotion and gratitude.

4. As part of the Indonesian population, the

presence of Indonesian Chinese with their

distinctive cultural identity can enrich the

diversity of cultures in Indonesia.

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