MET is an independent cultural space rooted in Glodok—Jakarta’s oldest Chinatown, dedicated to exploring and sharing the layered histories of the neighborhood and its Chinese-Indonesian heritage. Through immersive, community-rooted programs including heritage tours, talks, workshops, and exhibitions, we engages with Glodok as a living archive shaped by migration, trade, and everyday life.
Founded in 2024 by fourth-generation Glodok local and multidisciplinary artist Metta Setiandi, the space grew from her deep personal connection to the area. Alongside its cultural programs, a weekend café welcomes neighbors and visitors to experience the neighborhood at a slower pace.
JOIN MET GLODOK HERITAGE WALKING TOUR
MET GLODOK
HERITAGE
WALKING TOUR
EVERY SATURDAY MORNING
08.45 – 10.30
AVAILABLE FOR
PUBLIC & PRIVATE BOOKING
Glodok often known as jakarta’s oldest Chinatown. Visitors are welcomed by packed alleys adorned by lanterns, wet market, traditional chinese medicine shops, and distinctive smell of incense hanging in the air. But a name can only hold so much, as this neighborhood proves to be more complex than that.
From its early formation during the Dutch colonial period to its continuous evolution through external policies and urban interventions, the neighborhood reveals itself as a place defined by movement — by those who settled, those who adapted, and those who only visit. What Glodok is today is never fixed; it continues to be redefined over time.
Walk with us to understand Glodok beyond its label as Jakarta’s oldest Chinatown, and discover how we at MET Glodok see and engage with the neighborhood today.
Why Glodok matters today?
Glodok is Indonesia's oldest Chinatown and a living archive of Chinese-Indonesian culture–shaped by generations who have called it home.
Today known as Jakarta’s historic Chinatown,
the neighbourhood of Glodok was established by
the Dutch colonial government following the 1740 Batavia Massacre as Chineesche Kamp, a segregated settlement for the Chinese community.
To this day, it remains central to Indonesia’s urban and cultural history, carrying stories of trade, migration, resilience, and community life that
continue to evolve across generations.
Amid the rapid urban transformation unfolding across the neighbourhood, MET Glodok approaches Glodok not merely as a historic district, but as a living cultural landscape where memory, migration, and everyday life intersect. Through research, cultural programs, heritage tours, and hospitality, MET engages with
the layered histories of Jakarta’s Chinatown and the evolving narratives of Chinese-Indonesian identity, ensuring these stories remain visible, relevant, and collectively remembered.
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