Prominent Chinese During the Rise of a Colonial City Medan 1890-1942 This book about the social history of Medan studies the role of the most important Chinese entrepreneurs during the development of the city from a small settlement to an important financial and economic center. Essential for the development of the city was the rapid growth in the number of tobacco and later rubber and palm oil plantations from 1863 in the Deli district around Medan. However, the harsh labor regime gave rise to countless abuses, so that the plantation industry can be labelled as a conflict society. From 1890, the city of Medan grew rapidly, and in contrast to the situation on the plantations, urban development was characterized by a relatively harmonious atmosphere. The driving forces behind this urban development were the European planters, the Sultan of Deli and the Chinese entrepreneurs. Among these Chinese businessmen, nine people distinguished themselves by playing a crucial role in the period 1890-1942. Partly due to the role of the Chinese elite, the conflict society of the plantations turned out not to apply to the city of Medan. In 1930, the Chinese community represented around 30% of the population. The central question in this study is: What was the role of the Chinese elite in this multi-ethnic society between 1890 and 1942? How were the tensions inherent in colonial society limited and controlled in the city, and what role did the Chinese elite play in this? How did they earn their money and how did they spend it? What was their role with regard to politics, their relationship with the mother country of China, education, health care and culture? As this book is a city history as well as a study about a Chinese community, attention is also paid to studies on other colonial cities in the Dutch East Indies as well as socio-economic- political studies about Chinese communities on Java and Singapore. In the first chapter the development of the East Coast of Sumatra as an administrative unit and the history of the large ...