Jakarta

Herald van der Linde has travelled, lived and worked in Indonesia and Hong Kong since the 90s. Married to an Indonesian, he is passionate about the social and cultural history of Indonesia and is the author of Majapahit: Intrigue and Betrayal in Indonesia's Greatest Empire. Fluent in Dutch, Indonesian and English, he enjoys delving into local Indonesian archives to unearth intriguing narratives from the archipelago's past.

'A very readable account of Jakarta's history and geography, linking the past to the present and to the names of its component parts, kampungs, streets, and its several vital but often forgotten rivers and canals, a port city as well as the Jabodetabek megacity of today.' Philip Bowring, author, in Asia Sentinel

• Map of the Region xPreface xiiiA Note on Non-English Terms xixList of Illustrations xxiTimeline of Events xxivPresent-day Greater Jakarta xxviA Word of Warning, a Fortuitous Meeting and a New Home 1From Kelapa to Batavia 11Trijntje and Souw Beng Kong 30Beyond the City Walls 61A Grisly Execution, an Outbreak of Malaria and a Massacre 82The Travails of Slave Girls and Chinatown Reborn 104Moving the Capital, British Invasion and the First Taste of Luxury 126A Dutch Bestseller, Batavia's Robin Hood and a New School 151The Murder of a Housewife, Japanese Occupation and the Seeds of Independence 171An Attempted Coup, Deep Purple's Debacle and a Jakarta Love Story 194Thinking Local: Why Jakarta's Kampung Spirit Can Save the City 219Notes 232Further Reading 242Reference List 244Acknowledgements 264Index 267