Then and Now of Kuala Lumpur

8/6/2019 Then and Now of Kuala Lumpur

1/7


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.


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.


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


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.


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.


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.

Documents

Then and Now of Kuala Lumpur