Editor’s note:
Since 2019, we have launched the “On site” column, which focuses on the precious interview experiences of Xinhua News Agency reporters who “calm down, bend down, and immerse themselves in the situation”, telling the stories of what they saw, heard, thought, and thought at the scene of major news events.
Together with the people, walking with the times. In 2024, Xinhua News Agency reporters will continue to deeply practice the “four forces”, from on-site reporting from Nauru to direct attacks on the front lines of the Israeli Palestinian conflict; From the “jointing growth” of Xiong’an New Area to the ten-year transformation of the Grand Canal; From capturing the moment of Chang’e-6’s return home through the lens to documenting the growth of the Chinese Eye through photographs; From the landslide disaster in Zhenxiong, Yunnan to the rescue experience of the Yajiang mountain fire in Sichuan; From the shining light of youth on the holly Olympic stage to the blooming of “Chinese red” on the Paris Olympic stage; From the cliffs carved out of the sky channels to the shaded oases planted in the desert; From the “health gatekeeper” walking through the mountains and towns to the education defender deep in the mountains
Struggle never stops, records never cease. Starting from January 1, 2025, the “I am on site” program will gradually broadcast the high-quality works of several Xinhua News Agency reporters in 2024, hoping to show you the intriguing stories behind the photos through their storytelling.
Unconsciously, I have already spent three years in Indonesia. In my mind, it seems that my family and friends are still blessing me during the Spring Festival of the the Year of the Loong. Look at the coconut trees and the blue sky and white clouds outside the window, turn the calendar, and the new year will come again.
On February 14, 2024, presidential candidate and then Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto (left) greeted staff at a polling station in Bogor, Indonesia (mobile phone photo).
In 2024, Indonesia experienced a presidential election that lasted almost the entire year from the start of voting to the announcement of election results and the inauguration of the president.
On February 14, 2024, Indonesia held its 2024 general election nationwide, with approximately 204 million registered voters going to over 820000 polling stations nationwide to vote and elect a new president and vice president, members of parliament, local representative councils, and local council members. My task is to go to polling station 35 in Bogor, where one of the three presidential candidates, Prabowo, will appear to vote.
On October 20, 2024, Joko (center left) and Prabowo (center right) arrived at the Indonesian People’s Consultative Conference building in Jakarta, Indonesia, preparing to attend the presidential inauguration ceremony.
Although Bogor is a satellite city of Jakarta, the largest city in Indonesia, the 35th polling station is located in a remote mountain village.
The night before the shoot, I was driving my phone map navigation and walking along the cement road in the mountains. After arriving at the polling station, I found that many of my peers had also arrived here with their feet up and down. Everyone opened their sleepy eyes, trying to seize the best position. After marking my location and checking the time, it was not yet 3am.
As the sky gradually brightens and there are more and more people around, many TV media reporters have started live streaming. The subsequent voting, arrival of Prabowo, and Prabowo’s greetings to villagers and media reporters were all smooth sailing. Preparing and waiting for more than ten hours in advance, just for this shooting that lasts about an hour.
At the end of the interview and as I was about to leave the polling station, I realized that both shoes were covered in mud. In the rainy season in an Indonesian mountain village, with continuous rainfall, the red carpet at the polling station had also been stepped on and soaked into the grass.
I have been working and living in Indonesia for over three years. I have visited many cities, big and small, and have had contact with people of all kinds, gradually gaining a better understanding of this place.
Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world and the largest economy in Southeast Asia. The country is composed of over 17000 islands, with a land span of over 5000 kilometers from east to west. The country spans three time zones: East Zone 7, East Zone 8, and East Zone 9. Many Chinese people live in cities such as Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, and Sanbao Long. Familiar Chinese songs such as “Beautiful Solo River” and “Sweet Honey” are all from Indonesian folk songs.
This is a picture of the city scenery taken on July 12, 2024, in Sinayan Park, Jakarta, Indonesia (mobile phone photo).
When I first arrived in Indonesia three years ago, I packed a lot of daily necessities such as dental floss and mouthwash in my luggage, fearing that it would be difficult to buy here. After arriving in Jakarta, I realized my own absurdity – the high-rise buildings here are densely packed, the traffic is busy, the modernization level and English proficiency are high, and the products in large shopping malls and convenience stores are also dazzling and abundant.
This is a panoramic drone photo of Jakarta, Indonesia taken on April 10, 2024.
As the communication deepens, I feel that people from both China and Indonesia do not have enough understanding of each other – some people know about Bali, but do not know that Bali belongs to Indonesia; I have also seen photos taken in Indonesia being included in the entire article discussing India
Similarly, many local friends I met in Indonesia were also surprised by the more than 4-hour Beijing Shanghai high-speed railway and the inability to distinguish between Chinese and Korean characters… As a foreign journalist, I also began to realize that there is still a lot of work I can do.
This is a drone photo of Jakarta, Indonesia taken on April 10, 2024.
In recent years, China and Indonesia have had increasingly frequent and close exchanges in fields such as economy, trade, humanities, and technology. The opening of the Jakarta Bandung high-speed railway, the continuous growth and development of the China Indonesia “Dual Park” cooperation project, the debut of Chinese new energy vehicles at the Indonesia International Auto Show, the popularity of Chinese tea drinks in Indonesia, and the rise of Indonesian volcanoes on domestic social media all reflect the deepening of cooperation between the two countries and the increase in people to people exchanges and interactions.
On July 18, 2024, at the Indonesia Convention and Exhibition Center in Tangram, Banten Province, Indonesia, people visited the booth of Chinese car brand BYD at the 2024 Indonesia International Auto Show.
As a full-time photographer stationed in Indonesia, the most unforgettable thing for me in the past three years is to record the construction, opening and stable operation of the flagship project of China Indonesia “the Belt and Road” cooperation – Ya’an Wanzhou high-speed railway.
On April 17, 2024, in Bandung, Indonesia, the Jakarta Bandung high-speed train was running along the Jakarta Bandung high-speed railway line (drone photo).
On October 17, 2023, the Jakarta Bandung high-speed railway officially opened for operation. Every month thereafter, whenever I have time, I will bring my camera to the Halim station on the Jakarta Bandung high-speed railway in the eastern suburbs to take photos. For over a year, several security personnel at the entrance checkpoint of Halim Station have remembered me. Every time they meet, they greet me with full smiles and say “Hello Sir!” (meaning “Sir, hello!”), and I respond with smiles and greetings.
Because of filming the Yawan high-speed railway, I also made many friends. It was through the Jakarta Bandung high-speed railway that I discovered the simple, optimistic, and lovely side of Indonesians.
On October 17, 2024, at Padararam Station in Indonesia, passengers took a selfie in front of the Jakarta Bandung high-speed train.
When occasionally traveling on the Jakarta Bandung high-speed railway, train attendants would shout out the Jakarta Bandung high-speed railway’s signature slogan “WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH, YES!” (“Whoosh” is Indonesia’s name for the Jakarta Bandung high-speed railway train, inspired by the whistling sound of the high-speed railway passing by at high speed) before the announcement in the carriage ends; Whoosh “is the acronym for” time-saving, “” efficient, “and” advanced “in Indonesian. Passengers will recite it together in unison, and then the entire carriage will be filled with laughter and cheers.
Whenever Indonesian passengers are preparing to board the train at the platform or see the train entering the station, they will seize the time to take selfies and photos with the high-speed train. This phenomenon has existed since the opening and operation of the Jakarta Bandung high-speed railway, reflecting not only the Indonesian people’s sense of novelty towards high-speed trains, but also their inherent pride – their country is the first country in Southeast Asia to have high-speed trains.
On October 17, 2024, at Halim Station in Jakarta, Indonesia, employees of China Railway Electrification Group, one of the construction units of the Jakarta Bandung high-speed railway, and the Jakarta Bandung high-speed railway high-speed train combination were seen.
On October 17, 2024, the Yawan high-speed railway officially opened for one year of operation. Indonesia China High Speed Rail Corporation, responsible for operating the Jakarta Bandung high-speed railway, held an event in its office building to celebrate safe, stable, and sustainable operations. For both Indonesia and China, the Jakarta Bandung high-speed railway has extraordinary significance. It is Indonesia’s first high-speed railway and the first project of China’s high-speed railway system, all elements, and all industry chain to be implemented overseas.
This is a photo taken on July 12, 2024 in Jakarta, Indonesia, of the Compass Multimedia Building and sunset (phone photo).
Java Island in the southern hemisphere experiences hot summer all year round.
On the day when I had been stationed abroad in Indonesia for three years, I posted a message on my social media:
A long summer, 1096 days, three years abroad, yet to be continued
