THE CHARACTERISTICS AND TRANSFORMATION OF MENTOK CHINATOWN DISTRICT IN BANGKA BARAT

• Main Author: Jaya Putra, Hadi
• Format: Theses
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/75439
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

According to Lieutenant Colonel Lange, a Dutch officer who resided in the 1840s, he stated that Pecinan Mentok was the most beautiful settlement he had encountered in the Dutch East Indies. This sentiment was further reinforced by Dr. Epp, a German medical practitioner who served in Bangka during the same period. Dr. Epp described the buildings in Pecinan Mentok as grand and beautiful. Based on these expressions, the question arises: what are the characteristics of present-day Pecinan Mentok? Hence, this research aims to examine the current characteristics of Pecinan through both non-physical and physical aspects. The study investigates whether the characteristics of Pecinan Mentok have transformed or remained unchanged in both these aspects. If transformations have occurred in the Pecinan Mentok area, to what extent have these changes taken place? The research adopts a qualitative descriptive approach with an analysis of transformation according to N. John Habraken. The findings of this study reveal that over the course of 203 years (1820-2023), Pecinan Mentok has undergone changes corresponding to each historical period. Transformations have occurred in both non-physical (cultural) and physical (spatial and physical) aspects. Cultural transformations have acted as significant drivers for the physical transformations in the Pecinan area. Culturally, changes have been observed in the disappearance of the ethnic Chinese Mentok education, shifts in settlement culture, and a decline in Confucian religious practices. Additionally, economic factors have played a crucial role in the physical transformation of shop-house (ruko) architecture, with modernization accounting for more than 50 percent of the buildings. Furthermore, a new type of structure, the kiosks, has emerged, solely serving as trading places. Nevertheless, spatially, the Pecinan area has not undergone significant changes.