Kapitein Souw Beng Kong | |
---|---|
蘇鳴崗 | |
1st Kapitein der Chinezen of Batavia | |
In office 1619–1636 | |
Preceded by | New creation |
Succeeded by | Kapitein Liem Lak Ko |
Constituency | Batavia |
Personal details | |
Born | Tong An, Fujian, Ming Empire |
Died | 1644 (aged 63–64) Batavia, Dutch East Indies |
Occupation | Kapitein der Chinezen |
Souw Beng Kong, 1st Kapitein der Chinezen ( simplified Chinese: 苏鸣岗; traditional Chinese: 蘇鳴崗; pinyin: Sū Mínggǎng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: So͘ Bêng-kong; 1580–1644), called Bencon in older Dutch sources, was an ally of the Dutch East India Company and the first Kapitein der Chinezen of Batavia, capital of colonial Indonesia. [1] This was the most senior Chinese position in the colonial civil bureaucracy with legal and political jurisdiction over the local Chinese community in the colony. [2] [3]
Souw Beng Kong was born in Tong An, Fujian in 1580 during the Ming Dynasty. [1] By the beginning of the seventeenth century, he had established himself as a leading magnate and merchant in the port city of Banten on the north coast of Java. [1] He was appointed by Pangeran Ratu, Sultan of Banten (1596–1647) as the Kapitan Cina, or Chinese headman, of Banten. [1] In the conflict between the Sultan and the Dutch East India Company, however, Souw sided with the company. [1]
He developed a cordial relationship with Jan Pieterszoon Coen, the fourth Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (1587-1629). [4] [1] When Coen moved the Dutch headquarters from Banten to the newly conquered city of Jayakarta (later renamed Batavia), the Governor-General asked Souw to relocate to the new Dutch capital. [1] Souw played an important role in consolidating Dutch rule in Batavia by encouraging the settlement of Chinese migrants, starting with 170 Chinese families from Banten. [1] The Company appointed Souw as Kapitein der Chinezen of Batavia with political and legal authority over the local Chinese community. [1] [5]
This system formed part of the Dutch colonial system of ‘Indirect Rule’. [3] Similar posts were created for leaders of other ethnic groups in Batavia, such as the Bugis, the Balinese, the Makassarese, the Indians and the Papangers. [3] Interethnic relations were close. Kapitein Souw Beng Kong is recorded to have had two Balinese wives who gave birth to two sons. [1]
Beyond his role as Kapitein, Souw Beng Kong was also given the authority to mint coins and print money and the license to tax gambling in Batavia. [1] He also developed trade links between Dutch Formosa (Taiwan) and Batavia towards the end of the Ming Dynasty. [1] Souw resigned his captaincy in 1636 after 17 years in office. [6]
Kapitein Souw Beng Kong died in 1644. [1] As proven by his tomb, which refers to the Ming dynasty, Souw was a lifelong Ming loyalist. [4]
The tomb of Kapitein Souw Beng Kong is one of the oldest historic sites of the colonial period in Jakarta, Indonesia. [7] It is located in Mangga Dua Selatan, Central Jakarta, in what was then the outskirts of the old colonial capital. [7]
The then derelict tomb was first restored during the mayoralty of Souw's last colonial successor, Majoor Khouw Kim An (in office: 1910–1918, 1927–1945), who also added a commemorative plaque. [7] [8] After decades of abandonment and neglect, the tomb was restored again between 2006 and 2008 by a group led by MATAKIN (Supreme Council for the Confucian Religion in Indonesia) and Trisakti University. [9]
Kapitein Souw Beng Kong | |
---|---|
蘇鳴崗 | |
1st Kapitein der Chinezen of Batavia | |
In office 1619–1636 | |
Preceded by | New creation |
Succeeded by | Kapitein Liem Lak Ko |
Constituency | Batavia |
Personal details | |
Born | Tong An, Fujian, Ming Empire |
Died | 1644 (aged 63–64) Batavia, Dutch East Indies |
Occupation | Kapitein der Chinezen |
Souw Beng Kong, 1st Kapitein der Chinezen ( simplified Chinese: 苏鸣岗; traditional Chinese: 蘇鳴崗; pinyin: Sū Mínggǎng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: So͘ Bêng-kong; 1580–1644), called Bencon in older Dutch sources, was an ally of the Dutch East India Company and the first Kapitein der Chinezen of Batavia, capital of colonial Indonesia. [1] This was the most senior Chinese position in the colonial civil bureaucracy with legal and political jurisdiction over the local Chinese community in the colony. [2] [3]
Souw Beng Kong was born in Tong An, Fujian in 1580 during the Ming Dynasty. [1] By the beginning of the seventeenth century, he had established himself as a leading magnate and merchant in the port city of Banten on the north coast of Java. [1] He was appointed by Pangeran Ratu, Sultan of Banten (1596–1647) as the Kapitan Cina, or Chinese headman, of Banten. [1] In the conflict between the Sultan and the Dutch East India Company, however, Souw sided with the company. [1]
He developed a cordial relationship with Jan Pieterszoon Coen, the fourth Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (1587-1629). [4] [1] When Coen moved the Dutch headquarters from Banten to the newly conquered city of Jayakarta (later renamed Batavia), the Governor-General asked Souw to relocate to the new Dutch capital. [1] Souw played an important role in consolidating Dutch rule in Batavia by encouraging the settlement of Chinese migrants, starting with 170 Chinese families from Banten. [1] The Company appointed Souw as Kapitein der Chinezen of Batavia with political and legal authority over the local Chinese community. [1] [5]
This system formed part of the Dutch colonial system of ‘Indirect Rule’. [3] Similar posts were created for leaders of other ethnic groups in Batavia, such as the Bugis, the Balinese, the Makassarese, the Indians and the Papangers. [3] Interethnic relations were close. Kapitein Souw Beng Kong is recorded to have had two Balinese wives who gave birth to two sons. [1]
Beyond his role as Kapitein, Souw Beng Kong was also given the authority to mint coins and print money and the license to tax gambling in Batavia. [1] He also developed trade links between Dutch Formosa (Taiwan) and Batavia towards the end of the Ming Dynasty. [1] Souw resigned his captaincy in 1636 after 17 years in office. [6]
Kapitein Souw Beng Kong died in 1644. [1] As proven by his tomb, which refers to the Ming dynasty, Souw was a lifelong Ming loyalist. [4]
The tomb of Kapitein Souw Beng Kong is one of the oldest historic sites of the colonial period in Jakarta, Indonesia. [7] It is located in Mangga Dua Selatan, Central Jakarta, in what was then the outskirts of the old colonial capital. [7]
The then derelict tomb was first restored during the mayoralty of Souw's last colonial successor, Majoor Khouw Kim An (in office: 1910–1918, 1927–1945), who also added a commemorative plaque. [7] [8] After decades of abandonment and neglect, the tomb was restored again between 2006 and 2008 by a group led by MATAKIN (Supreme Council for the Confucian Religion in Indonesia) and Trisakti University. [9]