Modernization

This is Jalan Warung, i.e. Food Stall Street, in Semarang's China Town. In the weekends this street is closed off for traffic and is opened for food and karaoke lovers. Up to the seventies the buildings in this street had traditional Chinese fronts. The government issued a decree that traditional building fronts were no longer allowed, because modernization ought to be the goal. And the Chinese were afraid for repurcussions.