Download - Then and Now of Kuala Lumpur
-
8/6/2019 Then and Now of Kuala Lumpur
1/7
-
8/6/2019 Then and Now of Kuala Lumpur
2/7
y Kuala Lumpur was founded in 1857 at the
confluence of the Gombak and Klang rivers.
In Malay, the name literally means "muddyconfluence". The settlement started when a
member of the Selangor royal family, Raja
Abdullah, opened up the Klang Valley for tin
prospectors. 87 Chinese prospectors went up
the river Klang and began prospecting in theAmpang area, which was then jungle. A
thriving tin mine was established and this
naturally attracted merchants who traded basic
provisions to the miners in return for some of
the tin. The traders set up shop at theconfluence of the Klang and Gombak rivers.
Thus, a city was born.
-
8/6/2019 Then and Now of Kuala Lumpur
3/7
y As the town grew, the
British, who ruled
Malaya at the time,
felt they needed to
appoint a headman(Kapitan Cina or
Chinese Kapitan, or
Captain of the
Chinese) to administer the settlement and ensure law
and order. It was the third Kapitan Cina, Yap Ah Loy,
who oversaw the rise of Kuala Lumpur from a sleepy
little mining town to become the foremost city of
Selangor. In the early years, Kuala Lumpur was the
centre of the Selangor Civil War, in which two
conflicts could be discerned, one of them was a
vendetta between Kapitan Yap and Chong Chong,who wanted the Kapitanship. Kapitan Yap and his
backer, Tengku Kudin, were successful and it was
from then,Kuala Lumpur became Selangor's biggest
city. He rebuilt Kuala Lumpur, which was devastated
by the Civil War and repopulated it with Chinese
miners from elsewhere in Selangor.
-
8/6/2019 Then and Now of Kuala Lumpur
4/7
yIt was made capital ofSelangor in 1880 due toKapitan Yap's success. Hegave Kuala Lumpur a systemof frontier justice whicheffectively maintained law and
order, and ensured that KualaLumpur became the centre ofcommerce in Selangor. AfterKuala Lumpur burnt down in1881, Kapitan Yap decided torebuild Kuala Lumpur in brick
and tile to replace thedangerous attap houses. He set up Kuala
Lumpur's first school and a shelter for the
homeless. Sir Frank Swettenham was at this time
appointed Resident of Selangor and he was the
person responsible for making Kuala Lumpur the
seat of administration of Selangor. It was underhis rule that after Kapitan Yap's death the city
continued to prosper. When the Federated Malay
States were incorporated with Swettenham in
charge in 1896, Kuala Lumpur was made the
capital..
Portrait of Kapitan Yap
-
8/6/2019 Then and Now of Kuala Lumpur
5/7
y Kuala Lumpur advanced by leaps and bounds ever
since the Asian Economic Boom of the early
1990s (when economic growth was averaging at
10%). Skyscrapers have shot up and KualaLumpur, formerly a languid colonial outpost, has
become one of the most lively, advanced and
vibrant cities in South East Asia. Traffic jams are a
scourge commuters endure daily, despite the
numerous 6-lane highways constructed all over the
city (including two elevated highways). Busservices are notoriously irregular and inadequate.
-
8/6/2019 Then and Now of Kuala Lumpur
6/7
y The stretch of road facing
Dataran Merdeka is perhaps
the most famous road in
Kuala Lumpur. The Sultan
Abdul Samad building withits signature copper domes
and Moorish architecture
stands here, as does one of
the tallest flagpoles in the
world, which stands in the Dataran Merdeka itself.Up until 2004, the superior courts of the federation
(the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court) were
housed in the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, since
then the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court
have moved to the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya.
-
8/6/2019 Then and Now of Kuala Lumpur
7/7
y The Dayabumi building is visible, being down the
road. This area used to be the focal point of
Malaysia's Independence Day parade, which was
televised all over Malaysia. In 2003 however, the
parade was moved to the boulevard in Putrajaya,keeping with Putrajaya's status as the new
administrative capital of Malaysia. Interestingly,
the white Police Headquarters located atop Bukit
Aman (literally "Peace Hill") also faces the
Dataran.