On June 28, at Fatahillah Square in Jakarta Old Town, the sound of melodious music filled the air as a “flash mob” of ethnic song and dance from Yunnan, China, took the stage.

On one side of the square stands the Jakarta History Museum—formerly the governor-general’s office of the Dutch East India Company. Teachers and students from Kunming City College, dressed in traditional ethnic attire, spun and danced to the rhythm of drums and music, drawing an ever-growing crowd. Nearby, tourists pedaled past on vintage blue and pink bicycles. This was a roadshow stop for the upcoming “Zheng He Odyssey: Global Friendship Envoy” series of cultural exchange activities. Amid the crowd, an Indonesian girl watched intently, then stepped to the beat and spun her way into the dance troupe.

On June 28, at Fatahillah Square in Jakarta, Indonesia, Indonesian girl Wang Xiaoyun (second from left) dances the Munao Zongge together with teachers and students from Kunming City College. (Photo courtesy of the organizer)

The girl’s name is Komang Ayu. She comes from Bali Province, more than 1,000 kilometers from Jakarta, and is currently studying Chinese at a local language institute. She has given herself the Chinese name “Wang Xiaoyun.” “In Indonesia, mastering Chinese means more job opportunities and better pay,” she said.

The Yunnan ethnic song and dance before her was not unfamiliar. In June 2019, an ethnic arts troupe from Yunnan, Bali’s sister province, made an appearance in the opening parade of the 41st Bali Arts Festival, with Dai and Wa dances drawing cheers from spectators all along the route. Wang Xiaoyun, then still in middle school, was among the crowd, watching in fascination. “That was when I learned that Bali and Yunnan had long been friends,” she said.

In 2003, Yunnan—the “Colorful Southern Land” and Bali—the “Island of Poetry”—formally established a sister-province relationship. The two lands, separated by over 3,900 kilometers yet both renowned for their stunning scenery and rich folk traditions, have since engaged in ongoing exchanges in culture, tourism, agriculture, and beyond.

In 2024, the rice paddies of the Jatiluwih area in central Bali became the first stop in Indonesia for the “Heart-to-Heart Connectivity · Yunnan in Action” eco-agritourism demonstration project. Yunnan provided funding and shared experience in green development models, while the Indonesian partners purchased rice seeds, fertilizers, and agricultural machinery locally, and invited technical personnel to conduct organic farming training—revitalizing the centuries-old Subak irrigation terraces.

On May 25, 2024, the donation ceremony for the “Heart-to-Heart Connectivity · Yunnan in Action” organic rice cultivation assistance project in Bali Province was held in the Jatiluwih area, Bali Province, Indonesia. (Photo courtesy of the Yunnan Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries)

The project cultivated 254 mu (approx. 17 hectares) of organic rice, increasing average yield per mu from 267 kilograms to over 300 kilograms, benefiting 125 local households—more than 400 people—and was included in the outcome list of the second high-level conference of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development. In 2025, it further focused on an “organic agriculture + eco-tourism” development model, integrating training, cultural exchange, and tourism infrastructure, adding new features such as on-site coffee kiosks and farm experience activities.

On the story of this “heart-to-heart rice,” Wang Xiaoyun remarked, “China not only provides financial support but is also willing to share development experience and philosophy. It reminds me of a Chinese saying I just learned: ‘Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.’”

The partnership between Yunnan and Indonesia extends beyond Bali. In Surabaya, East Java, the largest waste pyrolysis and gasification power generation project in Asia—invested and built by Yunnan Water Investment Co., Ltd.—has been supplying electricity to some 200,000 local residents since its operation began in 2021, while resolving solid waste treatment challenges for a population of approximately 1.75 million. In 2025, Yunnan also signed a letter of intent to establish a sister-province relationship with West Sumatra Province. Yunnan, the “Colorful Southern Land,” is increasingly becoming part of everyday life for more and more Indonesians.

As the closing Yunnan ethnic song and dance—the Munao Zongge—came to an end, applause rang out across the square. What does Wang Xiaoyun most want to do after mastering Chinese? She said she wants to visit Yunnan herself, to see its economic development and the terraced fields that, like those in her hometown, rise in layers upon layers. (End)