Basic HTML Version
22 | FireFlyz
KualaLumpur isamodernAsianmasterpiece, yet
beneath thenew liesa richhistorythat deserves
to be celebrated.
Sarah Rees
takes a walk in the
footsteps of the founders to remember where
the citywas born.
WANDER
In the Footsteps
of the Founders
F
or
those passing through Malaysia’s thriving capital city,
it is easy to see nothing but skyscrapers and flashy malls,
be dazzled by modern architecture and ride the rush and
throb of this blossoming, vibrant place.
Yet beneath all the new glamour lies evidence of the
old Kuala Lumpur, the village on the muddy swamp as it
started life. Early KL was a place just as much fuelled by
commerce as today’s edifice and yet far rougher and tougher than the
modern city dweller can imagine.
It is refreshing to be reminded of beginnings in a city so focused on the
future, and a day spent exploring KL’s starting point is a rewarding and
worthwhile way to understand the city’s journey from humble hovels to
iconic towering buildings.
Here’s what you need to know and where you need to go to take a
trip into the past of Malaysia’s capital:
What to Know
• Founded in the 1850s as a frontier town to cater for the mines in
Ampang, Pudu, Batu, the city was established at the confluence of
Sungai Gombak and Sungai Klang.
• The early years of the city were tumultuous with gang fighting,
diseases, fires and floods. Life began to settle when Yap Ah Loy was
made the Kapitan in the 1870s and began the process of transforming
KL from a small backwater to a booming mining centre.
• Kuala Lumpur means ‘muddy estuary’, effectively where the city was
established.
• Tin and rubber were the two main industries during KL’s early years.
• After a flood in 1881 swept away most of the buildings, the British
rulers decreed that all buildings must be created with bricks. A brick
industrywas established (Brickfields) and permanent structures swiftly
erected.
• The three main roads of old KL were Jalan Ampang, Jalan Pudu and
Jalan Petaling, with the commercial heart of the town centred in what
is known today as China Town.
• The British administration, who ruled the land until it became fully
independent in 1957, were based around Merdeka Square. They built
themselves office buildings, a cathedral (St. Mary’s), and a club house
(Royal Selangor Club) for their use.
• In 1896 when the Federated Malay States was formed, Kuala Lumpur
was chosen as the capital, and was named capital of the country when
Malaysia was formed in 1963.