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Mads Lange
(1807-1856) was the first European to set himself
up in south Bali. He singlehandedly put south Bali
on the trading route and helped prevent Dutch rule
for a period of time.
Europeans have been coming to Bali since 1597 when
the Dutch landed in Kuta and one of the most famous
was Danish trader Mads Lange who came to Bali in
1839. In less than 20 years after his arrival he
managed to set himself up as the "White Raja of
Bali" simultaneously delaying Dutch sovereignty of
the island and also putting it on the trade
map.
Mads Lange first went to sea at age 18 and by 1833
had a trading outpost in Lombok. His business
involved selling rice to China and Singapore in
exchange for kepeng, which are Chinese coins, opium
and other goods. One problem for Mads was an
English guy called George King, who with the help
of a local raja manage to force Mads out. He
subsequently moved to Bali and set himself up in
the Kuta area.
Lange enjoyed great business success in Bali and
his 2 main activities were trading in rice and
acting as a middle man for local Balinese produce
from all over the island. Products he dealt with,
as well as rice include coconuts, tobacco, coffee
and cattle. His "ace in the hole" was he paid
locals in kepeng and set the exchange rate
himself.
During this time he lived in a family compound with
his wives and many other companions. The street
close to the night market in Kuta is called Jl.Tuan
Langa after him, although I reckon if you ask a
Balinese local they would have no idea about
this.
One of the highlights for Lange was his appointment
by the Dutch to the post of official agent for the
Dutch East Indies government in 1844. His personal
contacts which included the higher ranks of
Balinese society and his trading connections meant
he was in a great position. However his new role
was tricky because the Dutch were invading the
north of Bali and had a naval blockage on the
south. Lange had to smooth things over with the
locals and in 1849 managed to get both parties to
sign a treaty. This meant Dutch rule in the north
of Bali and an end to the blockade in the south.
After the treaty was signed there was huge party at
Langes house attended by 30000 people.
That was pretty much the highpoint for Lange as in
later years trading in the region focused on other
places. In 1856 Lange decided to return to Denmark
but right before leaving fell ill and died. The
rumor was he was poisoned by a local raja. He was
buried at his home and his tomb remains to this
day. Mads Lange had 2 sons by a Balinese princess
and a daughter by a Chinese woman. His daughter
went on to marry the Sultan of Johor in
Malaysia.
How do I feel about Mads Lange? He was definetly a
guy who lived an exciting life and who did it his
way. The problem for me was that if you look at
history, the people in Bali and Lombok,
particularly Lombok, were gradually being worn down
by trading their produce to the Chinese and people
like Mads Lange. Mads Lange was part of the whole
scene, whereby outsiders, with business skills and
leverage, could gain access to the assets of a
village people, operating from an entirely
different set of guidelines. Setting himself up as
the only source of kepeng and then setting the
exchange rate for goods, he virtually wrote his own
check. The Balinese, at least the ones who aware of
him seem to have an okay opinion of him.
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