展覽 Exhibition:
2025年8-10月，〈織浪者：浮遊相聚〉，CHAT六廠，香港 | Aug-Oct 2025, ‘Tidal Weavers: Islands Exchange’, Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile (CHAT), Hong Kong
印尼西婆羅州的跳童文化
The lineage and practice of Chinese spirit possession in West Borneo, Indonesia
起源及考察 Background and research
Chinese Indonesians make up one third of the population in Pontianak and over 40% in Singkawang, the two major cities in West Borneo, Indonesia. While residing in the area for centuries, preservation of Chinese identity and culture continues to face challenges driven by socio-political currents. In spite of this, the practice of Chinese spirit possession — locally known as tatung (跳童) — thrives nonetheless. Tatungs are especially prominent in Cap Go Meh (十五暝, Lantern Festival) and Chinese New Year when parades and other prior ceremonies take place.
As Chinese spirit possession is now veiled in Hong Kong, what I witnessed in Indonesia was simply beyond my imagination. I tried to comprehend everything about the practice of tatung by attending, observing and documenting different tatung events, as well as talking with tatungs to learn more about how the practice works, their relationships with their deities, joy and challenge of being tatungs, as well as their life stories in general.
Among all the wonders, the clothes tatungs wear best epitomises their relationship with their deities: the design of the clothes has to precisely follow the deities’ command. In the light of this, I invited tatungs to have a photoshoot and understand the making process, motifs and stories of their clothes.
裝置中央的錄像和書刊｜Interior of the installation: video and booklets at the centre
展覽 Installation
The multimedia installation comprises three parts: portraits on light boxes, video and booklets.
Six life-size tatung-light boxes guard the exterior of the installation. With front and back sides, the tatungs are as if present on site, resembling statues and murals in temples to be admired and worshipped. The tatungs pose like when their deities possess them, expressing the respective characters of the deities. Audiences can examine their costumes closely.
A video displays on the red shelf at the centre of the light boxes. It blends several parades and pre-events of Cap Go Meh, as well as birthday celebration of Lo Fong Pak, a deified Hakka who founded a predominantly Hakka ‘republic’ in Borneo in 1777. Two of the tatungs on the light boxes are present in the video. Rather than explaining the practice, the video instead emphasises the sensations tatungs give — the movement, the acts, the sound, the music, the scent, roughly following the proceedings of a tatung event, from poe divination, playing with to kiu (sword palanquin), to the parade.
On the back of the shelf hangs six booklets corresponding to the six tatungs on the light boxes. Each booklet contains more photos of the tatungs, especially the particulars of the clothes. The booklets also include stories told by the tatungs: about the clothes, their relationship with their deities, journeys of becoming tatungs, and their view of tatung’s future. The booklets allow a more relatable understanding of the tatungs.
From static (the portraits), in action (the video) to the personal and mental (booklets), the installation offers layers of understanding and appreciation of the tatungs and their sensational practice.
The practice of tatung is, literally, an embodied kind of inheritance of Chinese culture. Chinese deities encompassing history and traditions possess Chinese Indonesians. The duality of God-human is also present in Chinese-Indonesian; the identities of each duality are in constant negotiation. Could the practice be a search for connection with the distant homeland, and power from the ancestral roots? Why has the practice blossomed in Indonesia and not as much in Hong Kong and China? Why do I feel so distant from all these deities and practices?
裝置外圍（背面）｜Exterior (back)
錄像〈西加跳童〉**如欲觀賞錄像，請與我聯絡。｜Video ‘Tatung, West Kalimantan’ **Please contact for a link to the video.
媒體報導 Media Coverage:
Zolima / Art Asia Pacific / art-mate.net
主辦 Presented by:
CHAT六廠 (香港) Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile (CHAT) (Hong Kong)
鳳甲美術館 (台灣) Hong-gah Museum (Taiwan)
駐留計劃 Residency:
Susur Galur
研究 Research:
Gusti Enda
黃國雄 Budiarto Yosdi Ngatidjan
攝影/錄像 Photograpy/Video:
Tito Prastio
Ari Singkawang
製作 Production:
Gusti Enda
Fairin Ahlini
傳譯 Interpretation:
Gusti Enda
黃國雄 Budiarto Yosdi Ngatidjan
Dwi Sosta Kanaya
翻譯 Translation:
李太后 Rita LI
黃國雄 Budiarto Yosdi Ngatidjan
相片後期製作 Photo retouching:
周嘉誠 Dabinlo
書刊封面 Booklet cover:
杏姐 Kwok Hang Lin
清姐改衣 Sister Ching
第一熊 Hong Kong Champion Bear
跳童（拍攝）Tatungs in photoshoot:
Cong Asuan
郭美英 Guo Mei Ying
Novalia Lisa
饒建平 Nyiau Kian Phin
黎英英 Tjai Jin Jin
鍾喜財 Tjung Hi Chai
Heri Saja
Regina†
Hery Sentoso (Afen)
Phang Hien Kong
Clarisa Rorensia
跳童（受訪）Tatungs in interview:
三天伯公 Yayasan Keluarga Sosial Sam Thian Pak Kung
張少光
鳴謝 Special thanks:
吳祝升 Ucuk SENTOSA
西婆羅洲客家文化中心 Hakka Cultural Center of West Borneo
Djapyip Ci Hien
Ahin
Priska Yeniriatno