Batik Lasem: Traditional Javanese-Chinese Batik Making in Indonesia

LASEM, CENTRAL JAVA, INDONESIA - 2014/01/30: Workers doing the dying (colouring) process at the Sekar Kencana batik factory. Batik Lasem which originated in Lasem city in Central Java is well known for its unique red color called "abang getih pithik" (Javanese: chicken blood). Batik Lasem cloth displays a motif showing the inter-marriage of two cultures: Javanese and Chinese. This is because the city of Lasem was once the entrance point for the first ethnic Chinese settlements in Java. In the early 19th century, more than 90 percent of Chinese ethnic settlers who lived in Lasem were batik entrepreneurs, while the indigenous Javanese became batik laborers. UNESCO has awarded Indonesian batik a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity award on October 2, 2009. (Photo by Arief Priyono/LightRocket via Getty Images)