Having Fun at Sam Poo Kong Temple, Semarang, Indonesia



Welcome..

Have you been visiting Semarang, the capital city of Central Java, Indonesia?


I have and I love it.


Semarang has long been known as a melting pot for Indonesia. Many Chinese and Arab descendants live for generations in this beautiful city, while Javanese and more tribes from other parts of Indonesia also reside here. The beautiful blend can be seen in their cultures, cuisines, clothes and more, including religions and worship places.


One of the outstanding landmarks in Semarang is Sam Poo Kong Temple.

Have you heard about it before? 

This temple is the oldest Chinese temple in Semarang, the capital city of Central Java provinces. It is also known as the Gedung Batu temple due to its location. Strikingly standing in the middle of  the city with beautiful, bold red painting and typical yet incredible architecture, this temple has an interesting history indeed.

Built originally by the Chinese muslim explorer, Admiral Zheng He or Sanbao, this temple was initially built on a cave area as a resting place. Looks like the Admiral loved this place so much so that he ordered his crews to build and stay in the area while he was exploring the region. 


The story about the admiral and his crews
We can see the story of this carved on the wall in the temple. It is interesting to see how a muslim built a Buddhist temple complex which embraced the Chinese as well as local, in this case Javanese,  beautiful cultures. 


Love the carving..

The complex is quite big, covering the area of more than 3 hectares. 

The oldest and the biggest temple is Sam Poo Kong I believe, and other temples include  Tho Tee Kong, Kyai Juru Mudi Temple, Kyai Jangkar Temple, and Kyai Cundrik Bumi Temple.  There is one additional Mbah Kyai Tumpeng temple as well in the area. You can see they use the mixed names of Chinese and Javanese here. 



The tickets for this area comprise of recreational or praying areas. For the recreational areas, you basically stay in the courtyard and do not go nearer the temple. The tickets for that are Rp 7000,- for local adults and Rp 5000,- for local kids. While for  foreigners, the tickets cost Rp 10000,- for adult and Rp 7000,- for kids. They have slightly more expensive ones for the weekends. But still, very cheap indeed, less than USD 1! While for the praying area, the tickets are Rp 27000,- for local adults and Rp 15000,- for local kids during the weekdays, while weekends will cost you Rp  Rp 28000,- for local adults and Rp 15000,- for local kids. For foreigners, the tickets are Rp 40000,- for adults and Rp 25000,- for kids during the weekdays, while weekends will cost you Rp 45000,- for local adults and Rp 28000,- for local kids. Still manageable as the most expensive ticket is less than USD 4.

So, are you ready?
Let's go having fun at Sam Poo Kong Temple, Semarang, Indonesia!



So, this is my second visit to the temple.
The first time I came here was in 2013 and I didn't get a chance to try the costume. 
Yes, you can rent the traditional Chinese costumes here in the temple for a short period of time. The prices starts from Rp 80.000,- to 150.000,-  and you get a wide range of choices ready to be rent, including for men and children. A special photographer will take your photos outside and inside the temple and you will get 2 printed version. You can pose and ask for the photographer to take several shots which you can have. I have to say you should not miss the opportunity to take this special photo shots.

Cheers from the Queen Mother  :)


So, what do you think?
Will you use the costumes and take pictures like me?
Have you been visiting the similar temple?

See you in the next adventure.



31 comments:

  1. Indah you look amazing, what an awesome experience. When we went to China about 7 years ago we were able to tour inside a Buddhist Temple, it was amazing! But I had no costume.Thank you for being a co-host on #omhgww

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  2. Waaw cakep amaat :D
    Aku yang sering bolak balik semarang belum pernah pakai baju seperti itu disana. Jadi pingin cobaaa

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  3. Buseeeet, kamu pake baju-bajuan ala-ala sampookong sana keren juga, MBa :D

    kubaru tau kalau disana nyediain begituan wgwgw :D

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  4. I love your outfit, and the building is fantastic as well!

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  5. Mba Indaaahh, tsakeepp amat pake outfit ini. Keceee!!
    Aku beberapa kali ke SMG, tapi blm b'kesempatan untuk jelajah sam poo kong temple ini sih.
    Moga2 next year deh
    --bukanbocahbiasa(dot)com--

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  7. Your pictures are beautiful as always. Thank you for sharing and for co-hosting at #omhgww. Have a great weekend.

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  8. Salah satu keindahan budaya di Semarang yang wajib dikunjungi ini ya, mba.
    Bajunya keren banget, mirip yang di film-film.

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  9. Is the costume heavy? I like it's bright colour..make u look bright too

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  10. Ku snang sekali wisata budaya begini kak. Banyak cerita yang bisa diambil lalu semakin menambah wawasan dan juga pengetahuan yah. Kostumnya cantik amat kak, nyaman ga dipakainya?

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  11. Wah cantiknya Mama Bo. Bagus juga ya pakai baju itu. Aku pernah sekali ke Sam Poo Kong ini tapi nggak sewa bajunya. Duh jadi kepengin difotoin pake baju itu :D

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  12. So beautiful outfit, kakaaak. Maybe next time kalo ke Semarang, aku mau nyobain juga

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  13. Waw Mba Indah lagi mudik ke Indo kah? BTW aku yang deket Semarang malah belum pernah ke sini loh hehehe....

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  14. Selalu kagum sama karakter bangunan cina. Unik banget. Jadi gampang ngenalinnya. Btw you look so amazing mbk. Kpn2 kalau aku ke sana mau ah nyobain baju tradisional ini. Cakep

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  15. I’ve been there Mba. View nya amazing banget, the architecture of building so fantastic. An acculturation among China, Java, Budha/Kong Hu Cu/Tao and Islam culture right? For me, Sam Po Kong is the most beautiful place nuanced of China in Indonesia.

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  16. Indah banget dengan berbagai budaya yang diperkenalkan, semoga bisa jalan ke Sam Po Kong ini ya mbak.

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  17. Wow....cantik banget mbak Indah. Di Semarang ada ginian? Wow pastinya bikin ramai pengunjung ya mbak....sukaaaa...

    Kok jadi pengen ke Semarang ya biru mbak Indah pakai baju yang begini hihihihi.....

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  18. Ini salah satu destinasi wajib ya kalau ke Semarang. Bangunannya eksotis kyk di Cina beneran apalagi bisa sewa kostum gtu. Puasin deh foto2 hehe

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  19. Cantik dan bagus sekali temple nya. Jadi mau berkunjung ke sana :)

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  20. Aku udah kesini tapi kesorean :((. Jadi cuma sebentar. Aku pengin foto pakai kostum di foto itu mbak. Harus dijadwalin lagi nih kesana yg bener :)

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  21. Cantik bgt itu ukiran patung naganya, dan ukiran lainnya. semua so detail dan mengagumkan. Belom pernah maen ksana nih Mba

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  22. Saya belum pernah ke Semarang sengaja untuk traveling begitu Mbak. Atau kunjungan dinas dan lainnya. Cuma numpang lewat doang. Makanya penasaran banget nih dengan Semarang.

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  23. I love the vibrant red and I love your outif Mbak. Pengen nyobain biar berasa jadi ibu suri di drama-drama he he

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  24. Ish ko seru sih mbak di sam poo kong temple bisa pakai pakaian adat seperti ini.. duh baru tau aku.. kalo mba indah yang posting ini mana aku tau.. dan emang ke semarang baru sekali aku mbak dan belum eksplore banyak

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  25. Suka nih dengan pilihan baju nya, terlihat cerah gitu mba. Cantik kayak putri Tiongkok nih.
    Aku udah tiga kali kesana tapi belum pernah nyewa baju khas Tiongkok gitu

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  26. Bagus banget tempatnya ya, Mbak. Next time kalau ada kesempatan ke Semarang lagi, mau berkunjung ke Sam Poo Kong Temple. Mau nyobain pakai kostumnya juga hihihi

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  27. udah lama banget ga ke sampo koong beberapa kali ke semarang selalu gak ada kesempatan mampir, semoga kapan hari bisa main kesitu

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  28. You look so cute with this Chinesse traditional costume. Jadi kangen niiih.. bentar lagi kita bisa ketemuan lagi yaaa... yuuk jalan-jalan kemana lagi kita berdua.

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  29. Belum pernah ke Semarang kalau ada kesempatan ke sana pengen juga deh bisa mampir di sampo koong ini

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  30. aku belum sempat nih nulis tentang ceritaku pas ke sam poo kong... baca ini jadi inget PR yang belum aku tulis buat blog cariangin nih mama bo

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  31. The temple has some interesting roots and history, thanks for sharing it and yes I think I would dress up too!

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