How Well Do You Know Ipoh?
This postcard shows an aerial view of Ipoh Old Town. We think the road meeting at the cross-junction are Jalan Panglima and Belfield Street. Among some of the famous landmarks which can be seen are the Birch Clock Tower, the Perak State Mosque, the Chung Thye Phin building, the Straits Trading Building and the Dramatist’s Hostel.
Think you can identify more? Do let us know!
The car park is now a furniture shop… next to it the famous Kong Ah Kopitiam, reknown for their breakfast foods and behind it, the United Asian Bank, now another abandoned building
my guess is this photo is taken sometime in 1980s… correct me if i am wrong
Hi D-Tourist,
Kong Ah Kopitiam? hmm, shall check it out the next time I’m there. Do they only serve breakfast?
As for the year, we think it’s the 1980s too – since the postcard has a 1990-postmark.
D-Tourist, it’s not Kong Ah, but Kong Heng, side to side with Thean Chun coffee shop, with the Panglima Lane separating them.
yeah… got the name wrong…
De Silva Building on the right of this pix was in biege colour. It’s now painted in white.
I find 2 small single storey building behind Kong Heng which i never realize. Probably the furniture gallery is currently blocking the view. Do anyone know what’s it?
There is another remarkable building at Belfield Street, the Kah Ying Building (upper left in this pic, belongs to Hakka) which is 7-storey tall. According to dad, Hakka miners were rich & prosper. But after the State Mosque completed, it is said the feng shui of Kah Ying building had been surpassed & lead to the fall of Hakka miners. I dont know how true is it…
Thanks for that interesting bit, Mashi74. About those 2 single storey buildings….we’re as lost as you are! maybe someone out there might know more?
The 2 single storied buildings were a kitchen and a storage area. I went inside once to look at it. It was a dark and dismal place. It was deserted even in the late 40′s. As there was nothing interesting in it, I left it alone.
The car park was once an old opera theatre, It was also deserted in the late 40′s. I also went inside to look at it. It was empty and dark even during the daylight hours. It was a single storied building and it looked very hugh, tall, dark and empty to me.
How did I come to know about the 2 single storied insignificant buildings and the old opera theatre. I was staying on the first floor of the kwong heng coffeeshop for a few months.
The state mosque was completed before the construction of the Kaying building. The Khek wanted to build it higher than the mosque but the state authorities did not allow it. They too seemed to believe in feng shui. The Min Tet school was demolished to give way to the Kaying Building.
The car park which is now as a furniture building will be demolished and to be a 7 storey Budget Hotel.
My dad has a barber shop (Star Hair Dressing Saloon)just a long the
Belfield Street (Jln. sultan Yussuf) will also go for major renovation sooner.
Yes Karu, sadly you are so right. How on earth can the State Government talk about UNESCO listing when the City council allow such monstrous developments? I can only judge that the State Government are simply talking and not walking what they talk. What’s new?
Not only is the hotel development 7 storeys, much of it will be entirely out of keeping as it is to be stainless steel and glass!
the Kong Heng Restaurant mentioned needs restoration. The building looks nice.
The Kong Heng Coffee Shop does not own the building. It is rented from a landlord. The landlord is not renovating. The present people who run the the Kong Heng Coffee shop took over the management from the old group, some of the people are very old. For the information of some of you, the proprietor of Thean Chun is a partner in the partnership of Kong heng which is rented out to the present people running the coffee shop. Kong Ah Restaurant is in Anderson Road and is owned by some of the partners. The proprietor of Kong Meng Coffee Shop (near Kwong Fatt) is also a partner of Kong Heng Coffee Shop.
Those days, the Hainanese have a unique system where they get together and run a coffee shop, sometime as partner running one or more coffee shop and sometime taking turns to run a coffee shop, with one partner running it for one year or more (depending on his contribution to the capital0 and the next partner/s running thereafter. As they say, to the Hainanese, all men are brothers. Don’t be surprised if they call each other “brother” – but it was those days.
Some years back, wasn’t Thean Chun – & the senior gentleman who operates the counter – featured in one of those Nescafe advertisements on tv? Correct me if I am wrong.
S.Y.Lee, great that you are here to add to the database for this wonderful site about Ipoh’s Heritage.
I still visit Kong Heng whenever I am back in Ipoh without fail! Not that I cannot find tastier food elsewhere but for old time sake!
Dear Scandles,
The proprietor of Kong Meng (near Kwong Fatt) was the one who was fetured in the Nescafe advertisement. I used to tease him about him being an actor. He is a fine old gentleman now in his late 80s if not 90s. He is still around.
It’s a pity they removed the old termite infested mirrors at the hall of mirrors at Tian Jin ..another lesson to learn that we ought to maintain old heritage buildings
i see the ipoh railway station dome.
could this picture be taken from the current Maybank building (formerly U Meng)?