Semarang’s Chinatown is worth investigating, particularly around the riverside Gang Lombok. Rich with pagodas, shop houses, jade jewellers, pharmacists, fortune tellers and food stalls, Semarang is Indonesia’s most Chinese city and the depth of culture here is compelling. The focus of the entire community is the Tay Kak Sie temple , dating back to 1746, with its huge drums and incense-clouded interior.
This temple overlooks the Sungai Semarang, where there's a model of one of the ships of legendary Chinese explorer Admiral Cheng Ho (he visited Java several times). Next to the temple is Pujasera Tay Yak Sie, a Chinese food court and also a community hall used for martial arts. Sadly, the river is grossly polluted these days, and its odor is not easy on the nostrils.
