Bagus， Bagus

Geng Xingqiang

“When I was in college， I first heard about Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China，” says Tiara Marliani， a 25-year-old Indonesian girl who is fluent in Chinese. “At the time， I was not clear about what the initiative meant. But now my personal experience has shown me that it benefits people of both countries.”

Attachment to China

Born on Indonesias Belitung Island， Tiara Marliani is a third-generation Chinese Indonesian. Her family still maintains traditional Chinese customs， which have nurtured her constant attachment to China. Encouraged by her mother， Marliani applied to the Chinese Department at BINUS University and was accepted. Before she graduated， she passed the fifth level of HSK， an examination for foreign Chinese language learners. High marks helped the student stand out as one of only 12 recipients of scholarship from the Confucius Institute.

In 2014， Marliani furthered her studies as a postgraduate at the overseas Chinese education center of Xiamen University. Thanks to her hard work and strong interest in Chinese， she passed every course with high scores as well as the sixth level HSK examination and intermediate spoken Chinese test.

During the many years Marliani has studied Chinese， she has become more interested in China— its history and culture in particular. She often travels around China alone. “I got to know Confucius when I was a child， so I went to his hometown of Qufu first before climbing Taishan Mountain and visiting Baotu Spring and Daming Lake in Jinan.” Whisked to and fro by high-speed trains， she also left her footprints in other cities across China including Shanghai， Hangzhou， Suzhou， Beijing and Kunming.

On January 23， 2017， while the ink on Marlianis diploma was still drying， she was hired by the Indonesian office of PowerChina Resources Ltd. “I am so honored to score such a great job just out of school，” she says. “The company is a global top 500. Everyone in my family is happy for me.” Marliani has three elder sisters and one elder brother. They run businesses in her hometown. “Because I learned Chinese， I got a job at a Chinese company， which has changed my life，” she explains.

Goodwill Ambassador

As an office assistant， Marliani is responsible for translating， printing and distributing documents， booking air tickets and hotels and renewing various certificates and approval materials as well as the Chinese staffs visas. “The job is not stressful， but it takes me all over the place，” she notes.

Although she got used to the work fast， she met her greatest challenge after being with the company for three months. The Indonesian office switched representatives， which meant that the names on at least ten documents had to be altered for various authorities at different levels.

“I first checked out what documents were needed for the change on official websites，” explains Marliani. “The visas for representatives and the company leaders appointment letter both required five to ten pieces of supportive material. It was exhausting to collect everything.” During that time， she first went to the office to deal with daily tasks and then shuttled between different governmental organizations. “Through the work， I got to know the procedures， provisions and regulations of the Indonesian government. I think this experience will be valuable in the future.”

The policies and provisions of the Indonesian government change frequently. So Marliani checks the websites of energy and mining authorities often to stay current and have reference points for company leaders.

In the company， other locals also serve as office assistants， receptionists， cashiers， drivers and custodians. Marliani is the only branch employee of Chinese heritage. Because of her proficiency in Chinese language and Chinese culture， her Indonesian colleagues ask her to help communicate with the bosses. “Our bosses and Chinese colleagues are very kind and I am happy to be the person to bridge communication between Indonesia and China.”

In her 2017 work report， Marliani detailed the procedures and required supportive materials to change documents. In February of this year， she received the excellent overseas employee award of PowerChina Resources Ltd. The reference written by her boss reads， “Marliani is active and engaged in her work. She is competent at both Chinese and English. She is an outstanding employee.”

Better Life

“Thanks to PowerChina Resources， Thailand， Singapore and Indonesia are seeing booming hydro and thermal power plants. A big company and renowned brand， PowerChina Resources will only become more international and powerful… ”

Last August， PowerChina Resources Ltd. held a singing competition， at which Marliani adapted a popular Chinese song into an Indonesian version she called “Bagus， Bagus” （literally “Great”）. The brisk rhythm and interesting lyrics won her second prize. In the music video， Marliani is confident and happy with a guitar in her arms.

She has been even more uplifted by the changes taking place in her hometown. “Belitung Island used to have frequent blackouts—daily or more，” she says. “But with more power plants now in Indonesia， fewer areas suffer from electricity shortages. I believe the situation in my hometown will also improve.”

“It used to take only three hours to drive from Jakarta to Bandung，” remarks Marliani. “But now it takes seven or eight hours because of traffic congestion and a nearby construction work.” Marliani reveals that many locals are aware that Chinese enterprises are building Indonesias first high-speed railway to connect Jakarta to Bandung. “We are all looking forward to its completion，” she says. “When I found out my company was participating in the project， I felt so proud.”

“Its rare to see wire poles and power transmission lines in the streets of Beijing，” opines Marliani. “The cables are all underground. The Belt and Road Initiative has brought great changes to my country. At this pace of development， Jakarta will be a modern world-class city in no time.”