As the Olympic torch stops in Indonesia on the latest leg of its international relay, the BBC's Lucy Williamson discovers a new pride among Jakarta's ethnic Chinese.
The Four Seasons are something of a first for Indonesia.
They are a boy band, with four singers called - yes, you guessed it - Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.
They're young, they're Indonesian, they have very cool haircuts - and they sing in Mandarin.
"That's one of our visions," Summer told me, "to bring the Chinese culture to the Indonesian Chinese community."
And that is the novelty for Indonesia. Until the introduction of democracy here a decade E Timor militia leader released ...
Indonesia bird flu deaths hit 100 ... ago, speaking Chinese, or admitting to Chinese heritage, was something to avoid.
Seeking acceptance
If the Four Seasons are the modern face of Chinese Indonesia, its history is much uglier. Bloody anti-Chinese riots scarred the community several times, and government regulations stigmatised them in law.
Since then, much has changed. The disparity in citizenship status between Indonesians of Chinese and non-Chinese backgrounds has been ironed out, and Chinese now play starring roles on television, and even in politics.
But many in the community say things have not kept pace in practice. So I asked the Four Seasons whether they, at least, felt free to express themselves.
"That's our homework," said Spring. "Number one is spreading the language, and number two is acceptance - Indonesian acceptance. And that's a little bit difficult to penetrate."
If Spring finds his new career a challenge, what does his grandmother, Yohanna, think of it?
"It's a big shock for me" she said. "I didn't see it coming, not here in Indonesia. It just wouldn't have been possible before."
She believes that things are changing - Chinese language is being taught again, she points out, and it is easier to be open about the culture.
Fear remains
Chinese culture may be spreading in the schools and in Spring's recording studio, but according to labour lawyer Surya Chandra, it is not penetrating elsewhere.
He says Chinese people feel happy when they see Chinese actors on TV, but that the freedom in the mass media is not what he feels when he steps outside.
And he says some of his friends are starting to think that "showing off" their Chinese identity is tempting fate.
"It's only in the skin - the freedom," he told me. "Inside we still feel fear."
It is only 10 years since the last anti-Chinese riots here. And Surya believes it would not take much to make his community into a target again. He is watching the rising food prices here with a careful eye.
New debate
But no-one disputes that the repression of the Suharto years has lifted.
And with China rising in influence, many Chinese Indonesians say they feel closer to the country of their ancestors.
So, with Beijing hosting the Olympics, and the Olympic torch arriving here in Jakarta, how do people feel?
On the streets of Chinatown the response was generally one of pride.
But it is also sparking something new, says Surya - a real debate among Chinese-Indonesians online about China's policies in Tibet.
"Some of my friends posted a press release about this issue," he said "and there was a strong response."
"People got really angry. Why do you post this kind of bull - this garbage?" they said.
So the Olympic torch is stirring fierce debate and fierce pride among the Chinese community here - neither of which would have been expressed openly 10 years ago.
China has changed a lot since then - so has Indonesia. But there is still a reluctance among some here to look too closely at either.
(BBC)
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