Tong Bee Cloth Merchant
We thank Wai Ming Kuah for this picture. Does anyone remember this Grand Cheap Sale?
We thank Wai Ming Kuah for this picture. Does anyone remember this Grand Cheap Sale?
Here’s another two pictures from Mun Chor Seng. Does anyone recall this float parade? Or, perhaps you remember these unique floats?
We thank Wei Ning Kuah for sharing this picture with us. We were told that this shop was founded in 1939, and that the photo dates back to the early days before the Japanese Occupation. It is said that the original premise was along Brewster Road.
According to The Yamato News, back in February 1942 a new hospital was opened in Ipoh. Based on the above article, this move was started by the Indian Committee (assisted by Dr G. S. Venketesan) and backed by the local representatives of the Nippon Government.
Could this have been the General Hospital in Ipoh (Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun, as it is now known as)?
We thank Mun Chor Seng for this photo. Here we have Ipoh’s black-and-white Amahs walking in a Wesak Day Parade. This is of course Brewster Road…and one of the shop houses in the background is none other than Lean Kap Seng’s photographic studio (which many of you may know as Scoop photo studio).
The activity appears to be centred around the England Dobi Shop where the procession may well have stopped to give a demonstration, and there are large numbers of spectators in attendance. Numerous vehicles in the street are probably being delayed by the festivities and have formed a traffic jam.
I wonder which part of town this was….
Here’s a relatively easy one. I’m sure you can guess where this is 🙂
We thank Chee Ong Ngai for this photo.
Yes, folks. From the above receipt, we once had a soap factory. The office was at No. 80 Hugh Low Street (which is now Kedai Emas Kah Weng, if I’m not mistaken), while the factory was at New Pasir Puteh.
Wonder what’s become of the soap factory…
We thank Chee Ong Ngai for this picture, which is part of a postcard. Here we have Market Street, from Court House Road. You can also see FMS Hotel.
Incidentally, we have this postcard in our collection (along with a little history to it).
Here’s another gem from our donor Harvant Lisa Harper. Do you recognise the buildings in the background?
No prizes for guessing…but I’m sure MANY of you recognise this familiar street corner!
No, this isn’t part of a circus troupe. Neither is this a Chinese New Year celebration (yes, I know some of you spotted the ‘lion’ in the background).
This is actually part of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival parade. We thank our donor – Ann Kesselring Hamon – for sharing this with us.
Here’s another picture from that parade.
Is it a bird…is it a plane…..? No, they are most likely staring at the Birch Clock Tower.
The gentleman (holding some papers) is none other than Rev J Appaduray. The boys in the background are students from St Michael’s Insitution.
Here’s another picture of the group:
(read the full story here)
(picture courtesy of Hovid)
This photograph shows Fujiwara Iwaichi with Captain M. Akram, adjutant to General Mohan Singh, at Fujiwara Kikan headquarters at the Anderson School, Ipoh, on 5th January 1942.
The military headquarters was established by Fujiwara Kikan, the military intelligence agency, on New Year’s Day 1942. The building also served as the headquarters of Indian Independence League (IIL), the Indian National Army (INA), the Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM), and the Sumatran Youth Association.
The month of August is usually known as “bulan Merdeka” (Merdeka/Independence Month). But did you also know that the earliest cinematograph first came to Ipoh in August 1906?
Initially the cinematograph market was monopolized by one company, the Matsuo Japanese Cinematograph Company, who used to hold nightly shows in a tent for 7-weeks running, moving from city to city. The following year however, he had competition in the form of 3 other cinematograph companies, each employing different novelties to attract crowds. (read more here)
We’ve always featured old photos of this famous bridge. Here’s something new – from V Radnell. Yes, it’s non other than the Hugh Low Bridge (now known as the Sultan Iskandar Bridge).
This is a recent view, probably a year or two ago.
I’m sure you know which street this is 😉
The above picture was taken from "Ipoh: The Town that Tin Built"
These pictures were taken from Ipoh: The Town that Tin Built (1962)
Here’s one from 1985, taken at the opening of Wisma Taiko in Ipoh. I’m sure many of you recognise the VIPs in this photo 🙂
Yes, this is part of the famous Ipoh Padang. And the building in the background is of course the Ipoh Club. This was taken off a postcard, which seemed to date back to 1912. Hence, we believe this picture was taken around 1910.
As a tribute to the fallen, here’s an extract from that famous poem by John McCrae
According to this advertisement (from 1988), this place offered a “City Day Special”. Does anyone remember where Cowboy’s Inn was? And, perhaps what’s become of the place?
Dated 1st July 1983, this article mentions the Sun Cinema making its way for a skyscraper.
Do any of you remember that fateful day?
Photo courtesy of: Ruth Iversen Rollitt
…Ipoh was declared a city! Here’s one memorable newspaper cutting of the celebrations. (more samples can be found here)
The Ipoh Bodega was the first European restaurant to open in Ipoh. Its doors opened on the 6th August 1904. Initially catering mainly to the lunchtime crowd, it began serving dinner shortly after and a month later began to stay open until 11pm, with music to entertain the liquor-drinkers. The weather was the death of the restaurant though. Heavy rains in October resulted in the flooding of Belfield Street, the premise of Ipoh Bodega. Accessible only by sampan, Ipoh Bodega was nicknamed the Bog. Less than a month later it closed down and changed hands. The new proprietors faced a different but equally fatal quandary – the night-soil collection carts. These “honey carts” pulled up opposite the Bodega nightly between 8 and 9 pm to engage in their odoriferous task. Angry Ipohites urged for the collection hour to be pushed to midnight but to no avail. The Ipoh Bodega shut its doors for good in early 1905.
The above extract was taken from an article, from the Ipoh Echo (issue 021, 2006). Has anyone heard of The Bog? Where (in Ipoh) would it be….if it were still open today?
In keeping up with the Halloween theme, here’s a familiar landmark that may have had its fair share of spooky tales…
Somewhat triangular in shape the Odeon is adjacent to St Michael’s Catholic graveyard and like the post-war Rex Theatre, rumours that it is haunted abound. One popular rumour is that if you ever take off your shoes inside, you will never find them when the light comes on — even if nobody has sat in front, behind or next to you. Although the theatre was air conditioned, management would occasionally conserve energy by opening the doors on the side facing the graveyard creating a rather spooky feeling. The Theatre seated 850 on its main floor and in the balcony.
Yes, there was a mass gathering in Ipoh back in 1942. According to the article, demonstrators numbering 17000 marched through the streets of the town carrying banners and shouting anti-British slogans….
Wonder what happened after that?
Today’s “celebrity” is not a politician or statesman. Our famous personality once performed as a solo artiste in 1977 at the Green Fern Coffee House, Ipoh. The Green Fern Coffee House is, of course, no longer around.
I’m sure some of you recognise him (pictured above). Yes, this is none other than Joe Chin, formerly of the Fabulous Falcons!
Joe, if you’re reading this….I’m sure your fans would love to hear from you 😉
The Cenotaph came into being as a memorial for those from Perak who died in World War 1. Initially planned to be erected shortly after the war ended in 1919, building was delayed; only to be unveiled in 1927 in a ceremony organised by ex-servicemen. We believe this photograph shows that unveiling ceremony on Armistice Day 1927.
Those of you who’ve guessed it already know this to be part of the Elim Gospel Church. But what was this building used for?
Here we have a ceremony at the Ipoh Town Hall, to observe the Japanese Emperor’s birthday. It is said that Emperor Showa (better known as Hirohito) was born on 29 April 1901; and the Emperor’s Birthday celebrations are always carried out on the actual day of birth. We estimate this photograph was taken in the early 1940s.
On that note, we’d like to extend birthday greetings to all of you out there who are turning a year ‘younger’ this month of April 🙂
No, we’re not in a morbid mood this Friday. In fact, tomorrow (21st March) will mark 71 years since the burial of WW II heroine Sybil Kathigasu (nee Daly).
We have here a photograph taken at St Michael’s Church, way back in 1949. The hearse can be seen arriving at the tree-lined Church Road. Also note the crowds of well-wishers and altar boys lined up on both sides of the road.
The word Thaipusam is a combination of the name of the Tamil month, Thai, and the name of a star, Pusam. This particular star is at its highest point during the festival. The festival commemorates the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a Vel “spear” so he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadman.
We at IpohWorld would like to wish everyone a Happy Thaipusam 🙂
We thank Keith Nelson for the above photographs.
Taken from the Straits Times, dated 25th Dec 1959, it states that many have complained about the long waiting hours at the Taiping District Hospital. One of the patients, who went to the hospital at 9a.m., was not admitted until 5.30p.m.
I guess we’re still having the same issues today, aren’t we? 😉
We thank Sai Chew Yin for sharing this with us. In his words “Lee Heng is synonymous with the Yin family living in Ipoh for three generations, had many fond and happy memories growing up in our home/shop“.
With reference to our previous blog, Sai added “The receipt was made out by one of our staff members, Mr Kwan Kam Tong“.
We thank Barat Kumar for sending us this picture. In his own words, Barat explains:
“As we bear witness to the passing of a great man I would like to share this picture of Our beloved Mr Selvamany. Picture was taken on 14 July 1972 at a farewell assembly. This was when he went on transfer. From left Thian Hock (?) and Chong Kee Seng.Accompanying Mr Selvamany is Principal”
…when Lido Theatre had its grand opening. Thanks to Hong Soon Keong, we have here a photograph taken outside the cinema before the opening. It shows the Band of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment of Taiping by the kind permission of the Commanding Officer, Lt Col S G Doulson performing outside the Lido Theatre.
Hmm….does anyone remember this plan taking form? Could this be the same area where the present “Gerbang Malam” is?
On this date, in 1948, the movie “The Boy with Green Hair” played at Ruby in Ipoh. Anyone watched this movie? Did Peter’s hair turn back to its original colour?
We have many exciting workshops and experience for tourist to sign up. Some are also free.
Including1) Dine in the Dark (rm15 per pax)
Register via WhatsApp name > 012-4128038Rattan Basket Weaving Workshop [1 seat left]
27 Apr | 4:30pm (2 hours)
https://loka.fun/ft-rattan-basket-weaving-27aprFruit and Vegetables Bouquet Workshop [8 seat left]
27 Apr | 7pm (2 hours)
https://loka.fun/ft-fruit-veggie-bouquet-27aprCultural Dining Experience – Malay | Chinese | Indian [28 seat left]
28 Apr | 6pm (1.5 hours)
https://www.lokalocal.com/tour/3737/cultural-dining-experience-malay-chinese-indianIpoh Echo Food & Heritage Trial with Vivien Lian (Halal and Non Halal) [13 seat left]
28 Apr | 7:30am (5 hours)
https://www.lokalocal.com/tour/3735/ipoh-echo-food-heritage-trial-with-vivien-lian-halal-and-non-halalLiberica White Coffee Roasting Workshop [8 seat left]
4 May | 4:30pm or 8:30pm (1 hour)
https://loka.fun/ft-liberica-coffee-roasting-4mayMalaysia Local Coffee Roasting Workshop [9 seat left]
4 May | 4:30pm or 8:30pm (1 hour)
https://loka.fun/ft-msia-coffee-roasting-4mayBees Wax Wrap Workshop by A Bit Less Bulk Store [7 seat left]
4 May | 4:30pm (2 hours)
https://loka.fun/ft-beeswax-wrap-4mayCoffee Scrub Workshop [10 seat left]
4 May | 7pm (2 hours)
https://loka.fun/ft-coffee-scrub-workshop-4mayIpoh White Coffee Story & Heritage Tour [57 seat left]
4 May | 8am or 4pm (2 hours) | English & Chinese session
https://loka.fun/ft-ipoh-story-heritage-4mayMore info is at Ipoh Food Fest Facebook page
https://m.facebook.com/theipohfoodfest/
How sharp are your eyes? Can you identify some of the familiar/popular buildings in this aerial view photograph? Some of you experts out there may already know which part of Ipoh this is too 😉
Don’t know what to do the coming long weekend? Well, why don’t you head on out to Ipoh Old Town. Lots of exciting events will be happening on the 19th and 20th of January 2019 – you wouldn’t want to miss it!
Curious? Want to know more? Visit the Sama Sama Perak Facebook page.
If they ever came to life (like in those Disney cartoons), perhaps these vehicles would have been good friends 😉
Here we have a bicycle, a car and a van; all three of them ‘worked’ for Ho Yan Hor.
We’d like to hear from the car-lovers out there – can you identify the type of car shown in this picture?
Many of you managed to ‘solve’ our Monday puzzle. Let’s see how many of your can guess THIS one.
Ruth, if you are reading this…don’t give up the answer too soon 😉
Take a good look at the building in the picture below. Looks familiar? They used to be at No. 84 Hugh Low Street. Anyone know what they traded? 😉
Remember this memorial? Any idea where in Ipoh Town it stood? Or…maybe you might know WHO built it?
Ever wondered what was at the back of the Ipoh Railway Station? Well, here’s a late 1930s view (picture courtesy of Winson Saw):
Remember the Times of Malaya? Well, here’s a photo of their second building; probably around the 1930s (we could be wrong though). Last we heard, this building was rented out to the Yayasan Perak company.
“Fancy travelling down the memory lanes in Ipoh?
Commander Ian Anderson would bring you through the tourist trails of Old Ipoh, to allow you to relive the good old glorious Ipoh.
The speaker will guide the audience along the first published tourist trails of Ipoh in 1914, continuing with a look at the differences created by development in the trail of 1921.The lecture will conclude with a look at the development of today’s Old Town Heritage Trail.”
Mark your calendars, folks. Come by to STG Ipoh Old Town this Sunday 19th August 2018, from 2.30pm – 5pm.
For more details, check out the link below:
https://www.samasamaperak.my/jom/tourists-trails-old-ipoh/
Yes, those in the leading car in this parade were the Perak State Table Tennis Team. Incidentally, the team won the National Table Tennis Championship back in 1967. The winners went on parade through Hugh Low Street – passing the premises of the Oversea Chinese Banking Corporation. The President of the Perak Association, Towkay Chong Kok Lim (later Tan Sri) was said to be in the leading car. Does anyone remember this parade?
Synopsis
GE14 marked an end to half a century of a “one-party state” paradigm, which started with a Malay Tsunami (not a Chinese Tsunami!) in 1969. Tun Razak’s “one-party state” paradigm came with two heavy drawbacks. First, UMNO/BN’s unchecked power bred corruption and abuse of power, which culminated in the 1MDB global scandal. Second, by attempting to eliminate Malay opposition parties, UMNO unwittingly radicalized PAS.
The 2018 Malaysian Tsunami swept away UMNO’s synthesising the state of the party. But are we seeing a “two-party system” now? Even if we can have a “two-party system”, will it benefit Malaysia? Will the elimination of UMNO reduce or worsen communalism in Malaysia? Should Pakatan Harapan make a conscious effort to choose and nurture its loyal opposition?
Be prepared to have many of your established ideas and conventional wisdom challenged and examined by a speaker who is known for counter-intuitive ideas and unconventional analysis.
Interested? Contact FT Lum for reservation, latest by 11 June 2018
Tel/Fax: 05-241 3742
Mobile: 016-221 3742
Email: contact@perakacademy.com
This photograph was taken high up from a nearby building. Yes, it’s the Yau Tet Shin Market. You can also see some of the shophouses in Cockman Street.
This picture is a follow up to a previous blog entry.
We thank Ipoh Remembered for his untiring efforts (and creativity!) in producing this picture – complete with labels of the various landmarks in Ipoh Old Town.
More details (also provided by Ipoh Remembered) can be found on the database entry.
Today’s blog picture is from Sybil de Roquigny (via email). She tells us that this is the embankment (with a flight of steps) in front of her grandmother’s house; if you stand at the top, you get a good view of the Kinta River. Sybil’s grandmother – Chow Yoon Soo – was the second wife of Leong Eng Khean, and she lived at No. 8 Clayton Road. The house of course is no longer there. It was demolished and now standing in its place is Cititel Express. This picture was taken in 1950.
How many of you remember The Drifters?
How many of you saw them perform at the Rex Cinema?
How many of you remember the dragons on the walls, which ‘watched over’ the cinema goers?
Here’s a fun fact: This building was opened by the British Resident of Perak, Mr R W Thomson, in 1928.
This building was also the 3rd Ipoh Court House (read about the others here).
We thank Ruth Rollitt for this 1957 photograph. The lady in the trishaw is Mrs Iversen – yes, the same Iversen who built a number of iconic buildings in Ipoh (like the Telekom building along Cockman Street, the Geological Museum, as well as quite a few cinemas).
Do you see the building in the background? Recognise it? If you do recognise it, do let us know what it is…and WHERE it is 🙂
No, not our website….but this beautiful icon of Ipoh is said to be turning 100 years old this year!
This special heritage building was even mentioned in the Star recently (read the article here).
These two postcards show a Then and Now view of the famous Hugh Low Bridge, which connects New Town and Old Town in Ipoh.
We know such pictures often lead to a debate between preserving the ‘old’ and embracing the ‘new’. However, we’d love to hear your thoughts on this 🙂
Here’s another river scene, from one side of the Hugh Low Bridge. Can you see the wooden bench near the lamp post? I doubt there’s such a thing there today. Even the bridge is different now. But don’t let all the changes discourage you from enjoying this nostalgic photograph.
Drop us an e-mail at info@ipohworld.org if you are interested in joining our team of part-time guides at Ipoh World at Han Chin Pet Soo
Looking at this picture (from Lay Jin Chew), I couldn’t help but wonder how much Ipoh’s landscape has changed over the years. Could that bridge (far left) be part of the Hugh Low Bridge, or part of the Birch Bridge? I would also like to draw your attention to the area on the left of the shop houses (other side of the bridge). Any idea what that building is?
The photo doesn’t really show this once famous bakery, but you can see the sign on the wall (extreme right). I vaguely remember this bakery, which was a family-run business. One of the daughters (or maybe the grand daughter) was my classmate in primary school. Sadly, we lost touch in later years. I never got a chance to ask her about the history of this bakery. Does anyone know the story behind this famous shop? We thank Lay Jin Chew for this photograph.
We also received this photograph from Ruth Iversen Rollitt – showing the Paris Bakery Factory.
Of late, Ipoh old town has been getting increasingly popular — it’s great, but everyone also goes to the same spaces for the same experiences.
We know there is plenty to learn of Ipoh old town, many more places and stories to explore and uncover. So we’ll be working with Doodle Malaysia to draw out a map — let’s bongkarkan all the secrets the place may hold.Read more here.
So, mark your calendars, folks….this 13th – 20th November 2016 is going to be exciting!
From what we know, there was a parade in Ipoh town back in 1947 – in support of the Kuomintang. We believe the above picture (from Lay Jin Chew) was taken at the same parade, which ran through the streets of Ipoh. Can anyone guess which street this is? On that note, do you know what business Barlow & Co Ltd was?
From past blog posts, we’ve had Readers sharing their memories about some of the many smaller departmental stores in Ipoh. With the coming of hypermarkets and malls, these small businesses eventually folded. On that note, does anyone remember Angel Departmental Store? Do you remember where it was located?
We featured the above picture in a previous blog. Do you know what this looks like today? The pictures below are courtesy of Charlie Choong.
Here’s more proof…that with a little hard work and determination (and love for heritage as well!), historical buildings like these CAN be restored (instead of being demolished).
On the morning of 30th April 2016, Treacher Street was all abuzz with activity. That day marked the grand opening of the Ho Yan Hor Museum – a museum which tells the story of Ho Kai Cheong, who began as an operator of a humble tea stall and later became a famous entrepreneur and philanthropist.
People from all walks of life were there, some even came from overseas. As can be seen from the picture, many were fascinated with our vehicle collection 🙂 We were happy to have helped in one way or another for the restoration of the Ho Yan Hor Museum. More about this event can be read at this link.
On a car-free morning in Ipoh, I just happen to pass through Hugh Low Street and noticed this building. It’s at the corner of Hugh Low Street and Jalan Che Tak. I’m not sure what building this is…but I’ll say kudos to their restoration work! Does anyone know who / which company owns this building? For that matter, what was this building originally used for?
Do you recognise these panels? They can be found on the four sides of the Birch Clock tower. Still wondering what I’m talking about? Well, the next time you pass by the clock tower, take a closer look 🙂
THE J W W BIRCH MEMORIAL CLOCK TOWER PANELS
The Growth of Civilization.
The following is a description of the figures represented in the painted panels:
PANELS A AND B: Prehistoric Times to the Time of Christ.
PANEL A NORTH.
The Stone Age – A Hunter.
A Fisherman.
A Woman spinning.
The Iron Age – Man and Woman.
The Early Eastern Peoples – A Nubian with gold and ivory.
A Chaldean Astrologer.
A Woman making pottery.
An Egyptian.
An Assyrian.
A Persian.
PANEL B WEST.
The Eastern Meditteranean – Judaism.
Moses.
David
A Phonecian.
A woman representing the Agean civilization.
The Far East – Confucius.
Buddha.
Lao Tzu.
Greece and Rome – A woman representing Greek Art.
Alexander the Great.
A Greek Philosopher.
Augustus.
PANELS C AND D – From the Time of Christ to the Present Day.
PANEL C SOUTH
The Byzantine Empire – Constantine the Great.
Islam – Mohammed (pbh).
The Age of Chivalry – A Crusader.
The Age of Faith – St. Clara.
Gothic Art – A Bishop with a model of a Cathedral.
The Renaissance – Science – Galileo.
Art – Michael Angelo.
Literature – Vittoria Colonna.
Enterprise – Columbus.
The Reformation – Luther.
The Elizabethan Age – Shakespeare.
PANEL D EAST – Modern Science, Art and Social Services.
Physics – Newton.
Medicine – Harvey.
The use of steam – Watt.
Easter Art – Embroiderer.
Music – Beethoven.
Engineering – Stephenson.
Photography – Daguerre.
Social Service – Miss Nightingale.
Natural Science – Darwin.
Electricity – Edison.
Humane Surgery – Lister.
Sometime ago, we featured this building – the former Oriental Hotel, which was turned into an electrical store.
One of our readers, Charlie Choong, sent us the following photographs recently.
Looks like the electrical store is closing down….or perhaps they are relocating….we don’t know. Does anyone know what’s going on?
I’m sure you have driven past this building in New Town Ipoh. This is the side view of a former hotel – which is now an electrical store. This building is opposite the Kamdar textile store, just in case you’re wondering. I’m sure some of you already know which building I’m talking about. What we would like to know is what those Chinese characters on the upper wall mean. Below is a close up of the words.
It was a solemn and heart-wrenching occasion, as the people of Ipoh (and even from others towns in Perak) came to pay their last respects to D R Seenivasagam. Some estimate the crowd of mourners to be well into the tens of thousands!
We’d love to hear from anyone who witnessed this event – perhaps you could also tell us who these gentlemen (pictured above) are. I’m sure they must be some of the many VIPs who came to D R’s residence to pay their respects.
And just so you know we were not exaggerating about the funeral crowd, the picture below was taken during the street procession, which passed through Brewster Road.
We thank Chan Kok Keong for sharing these photographs with us.Sometime last year we gave all of you hints about a project of ours – at No. 1 Treacher Street (Jalan Bijih Timah) in Old Town. Yes, the blue building next door to Han Chin Pet Soo.
The story is in today’s Star Metro (15/1/2016) – “Telling A Tale Of Tea”. This new exhibit will be fully open to the public by Chinese New Year. Stay tuned for more updates!
picture courtesy of Star Publications
We admit that it was not easy, but through much hard work and determination we managed to restore the Han Chin Villa (Han Chin Pet Soo) and turn it into a museum. As can be seen in the above picture, the restored Villa stands proudly amidst the other shops. Our up-and-coming project is the blue building next to it (a secret we shall reveal in the near future, so stay tuned!).
From what today’s Star newspaper says, restoring / maintaining such buildings can be a burden to the owner(s). What do YOU think? We’d like to hear your views on the matter.
You can read the full Star article here.
ONE NIGHT ONLY!
Tapestry performs for the first time in Ipoh at the Event Hall of the Sarang Paloh Heritage Hotel. Come experience an evening of songs in this beautiful and striking heritage space.
Friday, 9 October 2015 @ 8:30 PM
Tickets are priced at RM35 (free seating), and can be purchased from Sarang Paloh, and also from our website:http://www.wearetapestry.com/index.php/tapestry-events/
or, you can follow us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1450288048610502/
This book provides a fresh perspective and deepens previous studies of his [Charles Compton Reade] town planning ideas…..Charles Reade’s obscure and unattributed position in the history of Malayan town planning is now accorded its due recognition…a pioneer and founder of the town planning service in British Malaya (1921-1929).
Here’s a book by Kamalruddin Shamsudin (KLDIN) who was the Deputy Director General of the Federal Department of Town and Country Planning in Malaysia (2006-2014). Since the 1990s, he has both written and given talks about Reade’s contributions to Malaya during the British Administration.
Tentatively, the launch date for this book will be on 15th August. The book will be available after this date, but details will be confirmed later. We’ll keep you updated!
receipt courtesy of: Charlie Choong
Back in the 1980s, there was a place called The Nautilus Inn along Leong Sin Nam Street. As shown in the receipt (above), a seafood cocktail cost $3.90 – it’s probably 3 times the price today!
Does anyone remember Nautilus Inn? Who owned this place? What was their specialty?
Yes, folks. This trap door opens up to a tunnel!
The door can be found in the court room floor of the Ipoh High Court building, and it leads to the Town Hall. During the Emergency, it was used to moved prisoners in temporary lock ups in the Town Hall (which at that time was a police station) to the court house. These prisoners were from the Taiping and Batu Gajah prisons. Today however, there is only a few metres of tunnel left as it has been blocked.
“Lady Justice is most often depicted with a set of scales typically suspended from her left hand, upon which she measures the strengths of a case’s support and opposition.She is also often seen carrying a double-edged sword in her right hand, symbolizing the power of Reason and Justice, which may be wielded either for or against any party. Since the 15th century, Lady Justice has often been depicted wearing a blindfold. The blindfold represents objectivity, in that justice is or should be meted out objectively, without fear or favour, regardless of money, wealth, power, or identity; blind justice and impartiality.”
This icon can be seen on the outer wall of the first floor, of the Ipoh High Court (the wall facing the flag poles).
Once an exclusive place meant only for the higher class tin miners and triad members, the Han Chin Pet Soo (Han Chin Villa) at Jalan Bijeh Timah in Ipoh is now opening its doors to the public.
The villa underwent a 15-month restoration work and has been turned into an exhibition centre that showcases the history of the Han Chin Miners’ Club and the tin-mining glory days of yesteryear.
The centre’s curator and project manager, Ian Anderson, said the villa was formerly a double-storey building before it was rebuilt into the three-storey structure it is today.
(more can be read here – http://www.thestar.com.my/Metro/Community/2015/03/11/Remembering-the-past-Ipoh-folk-proud-to-work-together-to-showcase-their-unique-legacy/)
We’re not ones who blow our own trumpet, but we are proud of this project of ours.
For those of you who haven’t visited Han Chin Pet Soo / Han Chin Villa do make your reservations at: www.ipohworld.org/reservation
We all know Elvis Presley had his share of impersonators; some were almost as good as the ‘King’ himself – with the deep voice AND the gyrating hips!
Frank Sinatra (or Ol’ Blue Eyes, as some know him) had his share of impersonators too. Speaking of which, does anyone remember the Frank Sinatra singing contest back in 1959? It was held at the Lido Theatre…perhaps this picture might refresh your memory!
If you’re one of those in the photograph, do share with us your memories!
‘As Indians prepare for Ponggal, which falls today, earthen pots were snapped up at Little India in Jalan Lahat recently.’
Shoppers had the choice to either buy the plain pots or those with colourful designs.
Besides the pots, other essential items for the harvest festival that shoppers bought were sugarcane, milk, brown sugar, firewood, cashew nuts, raisins and Indian traditional sweets.
Wooden spatulas to cook the sweet rice were also in demand.
Ponggal, which is celebrated over three days, is a harvest festival marked by Indians all over the world.
The festival is to mark the auspicious month of Thai in the Tamil calendar.
It is held to mark the harvest of crops and also as a special thanksgiving to God, the sun, the earth and the cow that produces milk.
More can be found here.
Much has been said about preserving our heritage buildings in and around the Kinta Valley. But alas, profit always seem to over ride conservation efforts.
The following photos (taken this afternoon) is yet another incident whereby pre-war shop houses are forced to make way for more modern structures….
One of our local dailies covered this story too. I’m sure some of you would have seen the demolition taking place – along Anderson Road (Jalan Raja Musa Aziz).
Back then, some folks in Ipoh counted the cinema halls and the famous Ipoh Race Course as part of their usual hang-outs (of course this was before Parkson and Aeon/Jusco came about!). What I found interesting about the above photo – of the race course nonetheless – is the outside of the Grand Stand. Note the potted plants along the steps. I wonder if the Grand Stand looks the same now. Anyone been to the race course lately?
I believe the little girl in the photo is none other than our donor Ruth Iversen Rollitt. 🙂
We’ve featured pictures and articles from various clubs and associations before. This time, we’d like to present (what we believe to be) a page from the Rotary Newsletter. The picture below is a close-up view of the Ipoh Branch meeting details.
Rotarians out there might recognise some of the names. We thank Nicholas Jennings for the picture.
This is not an “artist’s impression”…it is the real thing 😉 This is indeed the Ruby Cinema – all done up for a recent advertisement by Petronas. For those of you who didn’t know, this is what the Ruby Cinema used to look like once upon a time. Also take note of the old movie posters along the side of the building.
Not much is known about this park. We’re wondering if anyone could fill us in on its history. Of course, the Memorial Park is not there anymore – this picture (from Angie Yeow) was obviously taken before the park made way for the state mosque. Does anyone know more about this?
According to our photographer (Leong), this place is near the Birch Memorial Clock Tower. Judging by the crowd, I’d say this is a very popular stall 🙂
Could this be the same Nasi Kandar stall which once started out under a shady tree in the same vicinity? We’ve heard stories about the old stall; one tale states that a former judge from the nearby court house was a regular patron – often sending a ‘runner’ to pack some lunch for him.
Yes, you really never know what you might find to surprise you on our heritage trail. This delight was more than a little surprising just after we passed Concubine Lane at the Treacher Street (Jalam Bijeh Timah) end.
Yes it is, it really is – a water meter right in the middle of the pavement! At first I thought someone had thrown it away, but no it is firmly fixed in position. Thank goodness I saw it otherwise my last night’s little jaunt into Old Town and its heritage may have turned out differently.
Dare I ask what are the “authorities” doing to produce such a monstrosity?
By the way, speaking of heritage trails, there are now a range of printable Heritage Trail Maps available on ipohWorld’s database, including Ipoh Trail Map 1 in English, Malay and Japanese, Ipoh Trail Map 2, Gopeng Trail Map, Batu Gajah Driving Trail map, Kuala Kangsar Trail. Please use then as that is what they are there for.
But my apologies are in order for we failed to include this water meter in Ipoh Trail Map 1.
Happy Trailing.
Some of you out there may remember this restaurant. I wonder if it’s still there….or, perhaps it’s been replaced by another business? According to the images on this souvenir matchbox, Tai Seng Restaurant had two branches within Ipoh – one at Theatre Street and another at Green Lane. If anyone know more, we’d love to hear from you 🙂
Some years ago this site held two of the original Panglima Lane homes from 1893. Then one literally fell down into a pile of bricks. Fortunately no one was hurt. Then because the second one was considered dangerous it was also taken down.
For a while it became a sort of recreation site but soon the Lalang took over and it became an eyesore.
Just in the last few days a team of contractors moved in and this is what the site looked like this morning.
From the position of the concrete and reinforcement it looks like a double unit is going up but the big question is what will they look like from the Lane? As this is one of the main attractions of the Ipoh Heritage Trail, have the Town Council insisted on an old style matching facia to blend in with the old homes still there or have they approved some monstrous, faceless structure as they have done so often before?
Time will tell but I know what I would like to see.
The Ipoh Railway station forecourt underwent a major renovation recently and one of the first things the tourist sees when he arrives is a large round fountain area surrounded by nicely constructed boundaries which hold engraved pictures and words about the delights of Perak. I took friends down there and here is a sample of what I found. They are all as bad as each other.
This is a picture of Cunung Lang and the original colour can be seen at the top.
Now we proudly present Ipoh!
Pasir Salak!
And finally Pangkor Island.
Now I promise you that these were taken this afternoon in the bright sunshine and they have not been meddled with in PhotoShop or in any other way.
Now it is not for me to judge but I do believe that somebody in authority should ask if the money was well spent.
What do you think?
This is one dessert Ipoh has long been famous for……Tau Foo Far for those feeling a little peckish, and Soya Bean Milk for those who want something cold on a hot day.
We wonder if Funny Mountain’s tau foo far is as good as the one Ipohgal’s father used to make 😉
Yes, this is indeed a Malay Funeral procession. This was taken, with kind permission, from the Imperial War Museum London. The photo was taken from a colour transparency, back in the 1950s. If you look closely you can see the Ipoh East Post Office in the background – that should give you a clue about the location.
We thank Mario Francis Armadass for giving us the link.
We’re hoping some alumni from Sam Tet, Ipoh, would be able to help us out with this photograph (see below).
This was taken from the 90th Anniversary Magazine of St Michael’s Church (which is next to Sam Tet School). Does anyone remember when this photograph was taken? We don’t seem to have a caption for this photo, so we’re hoping someone out there could fill in some details for us.
We look forward to meeting some former Sam Tet students on our blog 😉
In our previous post, we had a reply from the brother of the pretty lady sitting on the sports car. We now know her as Joan Lau. After some searching, we found a picture of Lawrence Lau (see below).
The caption for the above picture is as follows: “Adrian Boudville looking on, Barry Jansz acting as Time Keeper and Lawrence Lau acting as Starter.”
This was taken on 18th August 1971 at the Ipoh Railway Station. Anyone remember this event?
I remember passing this building quite often on my way to St Michael’s Institution. But I never really paid attention to what it was. All I know is that this is the Sri Perak building. Any idea what’s inside? Was it one of those government offices? Or, was it like the present UTC (former Super Kinta)?
We thank Hasbi for this picture-postcard.
One look and most of you can already guess what this iconic building is. Of course, so much has changed now: the small field in front of this cinema is no longer there; instead there’s a row of food stalls. Also, right next to the cinema is one of the entrances of Sam Tet School. Lately, I did notice that there seems to be some construction going on at this very site. Are they restoring/renovating Odeon?
Photograph courtesy of John McAuley, a former serviceman who worked in Malaya in the 1950s.
Just look at this grand old postcard from the 1920’s. Recognise the place?
Well I guess most of you will not be able to pin this down, but as the postcard caption shows, it is the People’s Park, Ipoh. Historically the land was gazetted as the ‘People’s Park’, a gift from the government to the people of Ipoh. At the time the land was valued at $70,000 and was used to display a fantastic collection of Chinese plants presented by Yau Tet Shin. The Park was officially opened on the same day as the Birch Memorial Clock Tower was dedicated in 1909.
Today we have what is known as the beautified park, with its red yellow and blue plastic etc. For me I prefer Mother Historically Nature as it used to be.
What about you?
…and that ‘something’ is none other than the ‘ol Radio & General Trading Co Ltd!
So, what’s happened to this store? Was it taken over by another company? Or, has this row of shop houses been demolished (like the many unfortunate ones around Ipoh Town)?
This photograph was probably taken in the early 60s (but we could be wrong). We’re hoping someone out there could tell us more about Radio & General.
One look at this photograph and you will notice that not only were the Ipoh Girls pretty, they also dressed in style 😉
If you look close enough, you can probably deduce where in Ipoh Town these buildings are. But we’d like to draw your attention to the sign behind the lady with the handbag – ‘Dress Maker by Chan”. Is this tailor/dressmaker still around?
[We thank Charlie Choong for this photograph]
A couple of days ago I happened by chance to meet up with a group of KL tour guides in Old Town. They were with a Perak member of our Tour Guides’ Association and I joined up with them for a while to tell the heritage story as per ipohWorld.
When we were close to Kong Heng they noticed the above buildings, just a couple of shops away, all behind new fencing and asked what was happening. I had to say I did not know but would try to find out. My guess was that they will be demolished! They were shocked and asked why. I have no answer, do you?
The buildings include the old Modern Photo Shop on the left (Market Street) and continue round the corner of La Beaute and the two shops next door in Leech Street.
The signs on the fencing reads RENT!
Can anyone offer me a clue as to the future of this famous old part of the town?
Yes here it is having just passed over the Hugh Low Bridge. Proceeding at a steady, somewhat leisurely, pace, the Trichair turned left and looked as if it was going to the nearby market. The photo was taken around 10.00 am on 23 July 2013 when I overtook them on the bridge and having pulled over sharply, jumped out of my car and caught them with the iPhone. They were totally unfazed with my performance, with the lady lightly gripping the side bars – completely comfortable in her plastic chair. By the time I had got back in my car they had disappeared into the traffic..
With the Trishaw no longer allowed to ply for fares in Ipoh, the Trichair is clearly the way ahead for those who don’t have cars, but I wonder what MBI would say if a few dozen of these hit the streets.
We thank John McAuley – who was once part of the British Military serving in Malaya, back in the 1950s – for this photograph. Yes, folks it’s none other than the Majestic Cinema :). Although it doesn’t show up clearly, but if you zoom in you can actually see some vendors just outside the entrance of the cinema. Anyone remember them? What did they sell?
Yes, folks – this is none other than Anderson Road!
Taken in the mid 1950s, you can see that not only is the traffic light…the skies are clear too! Here’s hoping that the haze situation resolves itself soon.
By the way, anyone know what building that is on the far right corner? From the words, it looks like a hotel….
Yes, we’re talking about the Sultan Yussuf Fountain (see picture below). While many of you have interesting stories about this unique landmark, we’d like to draw your attention to the plaque. Any idea what was written on it? As far as I know, that plaque is no longer there (or perhaps it’s hidden among the flowers?).
We thank Edwin Seibel for this photograph.
No, I’m not referring to the famous cowboy series. I’m talking about this row of shops along Hugh Low Street. At present, seven of these shops have been painted according to the seven colours of the rainbow. This picture however was taken back in the 1950s.
We’re not offering any prizes for guessing, but all the same can you name any/or all of the seven shops in particular?
We thank John McAuley for this picture.
This isn’t a hard one to guess. Yes, it’s another photograph of Ipoh Motors Ltd. What I’m curious about is the street vendor – far right of this photograph (click to enlarge). What was he selling at that time? Can you also spot the petrol pump (below the sign Fargo Truck)?
This photograph is part of John McAuley’s collection. McAuley served in Ipoh in the mid 1950s.
Here we have a cigarette vendor somewhere around the Ipoh Market. This photo was taken back in 1972 by Cheang Kum Seng, ARPS, a local professional photographer who has kindly allowed us to publish it. Do you recognise this man? Perhaps someone out there has seen him back in the 70s. I wonder what’s become of him now….
…no, we’re not talking about UFOs! Look closely at the shop house in the middle. Yes, the shop that says ‘Chop Thong Heng’…
Are those petrol pumps? I’ve never come across such a scene before. Does anyone remember these? On another note, does anyone recognise the row of shop houses or the street?
This was taken back in 1956/57 by John McAuley, a former British serviceman.
Sometimes we’re so caught up with ourselves that we don’t ‘stop to smell the roses’ 😉 Here’s a look at what used to be a common sight in Ipoh – probably in the 1950s or 1960s. I do wonder if such a sight is present in this day and age…..but, like many of us I too am sometimes guilty of not observing my surroundings….
We thank Keith Nelson for this gem!
Based on feedback from our previous blog posts, we know some of our Readers know Ipoh SO WELL that they give us such detailed answers for every question we throw at them! Thank you for all the feedback and encouragement 🙂
Here’s yet another puzzle for you – do you know which street corner this is? I don’t recall seeing such a large shady tree anywhere along the main road of Ipoh today. Perhaps the building will give you some clue(s).
This arch was put up by the Perak Chinese Celebration Committee (you can vaguely make out the fine print if you zoom in).
Today, there’s still an arch above Brewster Road (roughly the same location as the above picture states). I wonder who decorates it now? Does the Celebration Committee still exist?
Despite Ipoh’s long romance with all things food-related and the abundance of hotels, restaurants and clubs in town, Ipoh has never before taken part in the international tradition of the waiters’ race. On the 25th of May 2013, that is about to change.
Organised jointly by the Ipoh City Council (MBI), Perak Tourism Association (PTA), Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH), Perak Chapter, and the International Waiters’ Race Agency, Ipoh will be hosting its first International Waiters’ Race in D.R. Seenivasagam Park.
The Waiters’ Race (www.waitersrace.com) is a tradition originating in France, created to exhibit the skills of the famous French garcons by challenging them to race a street course while balancing a tray of beverages on the palm of one hand.
The earliest photographs of a Waiters’ Race were taken in the London Race of 1901, but the French roots of the race are over a century old.
Today, Waiters’ Races are held all over the world, including several held in Malaysia in the past. This is, however, the first time one will be held in Perak.
Demonstrations of ice-carving, flower-arranging, food-carving and a barista competition in coffee decoration will be held, along with a mini-treasure hunt, children’s race, parade of Perak school bands, and cheerleader demonstration for younger participants.
Over one hundred waiters and waitresses from Perak’s favourite eateries will be running the 1 ½ kilometer course through the park in three different races.
Visiting participants will be included from Ipoh’s sister city in Japan, Fukuoka, and Ipoh’s “friendship cities” Medan, Pusan, Hangzhou and Guangzhou.
Each runner will attempt to gain the fastest time while balancing their tray on one hand, without spilling any items. Running alone is worthless; winners have to arrive with a full tray or close to it.
The first race will be a Full Service Waiters’ Race where competitors run in traditional waiters’ attire over a challenging course including the steps leading to the bridge and a turn through the Japanese Garden.
The Quick Service Waiters’ Race will include hotel students as well as professionals and allow running shoes. Both races are open to men and women, prizes to be given separately to the best gentleman and best lady.
The third race will be an Amateurs’ mixed relay with teams comprising two men and two women each, dress code open to any attire.
Organizers hope to make this an annual event, celebrating Ipoh’s waiters, waitresses and culinary heritage for locals and tourists alike.
Here’s a nice one from a family album. We thank Alexander for this gem. According to him, the girl (standing) is his grandmother Madam Ursula. Behind her are her parents Mr Arokiasamy and Mrs Iruthayamary. The little one on the car is Ursula’s sister Kolanda Theresa. Incidentally, Mr Arokiasamy was involved in the textile & liquor business.
Anyone else have similar memories of their childhood to share? We’d love to hear from you 🙂
Special thanks to Ruth Rollitt for the one – yes, you read it right….this is none other than the Eastern Hotel. This was taken in the 1940s; according the Ruth, he father (Danish architect B M Iversen) had an office here. Today, the facade seems so different – and the hotel is now known as D’Eastern Hotel (last I checked)!
Well folkjs they were promised for the New Year and here they are, the last brush strokes being co,pleted just a few hours ago. They may be found between Hugh Low and Hume Streets across the road from the multicoloured shophouses in Hugh Low Street. Maybe this picture will give you a better idea of location.
We thank Charlie Choong for keeping his finger on the pulse and alerting us to these.
See that little circle below the arch? If you look closely, you can make out the Freemason symbol. This was probably one of the buildings used by the masons before a permanent one was built (along Tiger Lane, next to the Royal Perak Golf Club). Last I checked, the building was still there….but I didn’t take notice of the symbol. I do wonder: is it still in place or has it been removed?
We’ve put up quite a few pictures of Brewster Road in the past. But this one caught our eye – notice the words Lam Looking Building written above the entrance.
I wonder how many building Towkay Lam Looking owned here in Ipoh….
Some may call it artistic…some might say it’s just a badly angled photograph. But if you look closely, you will notice a fountain in the middle of a roundabout. Familiar? To those who are still squinting, this is none other than the Chamberlain Road Fountain 🙂
We thank Ko-chi Wai for this 1963 picture.
I have chosen to feature this photo today to honout the owner, Mr. Lim of the Lim Kopi kopitiam in Hugh Low Street, who has done an outstanding restoration job on this building, inside and out. For those of you who are not aware this is the de Silva building in Belfield Street, Old Town, Ipoh which was derelict less than a year ago.
If only there were more owners like him.
Noting the concern of some of ipohworld’s loyal followers about the apparent near-death state of the famous Ipoh Tree in the Station gardens(!) I contacted the Ipoh Echo with a request that they investigate.
James Gough immediately swung into action and today (8 December 2012, posted a report on the Echo Website at http://ipohecho.com.my/v2/2012/12/08/dying-ipoh-tree/.
Basically it appears that this is a normal situation from which the tree will recover. The report tells us:
“A check with MBI’s Director for Landscape and Recreation, Encik Meor Abdullah Zaidi Meor Razali dispelled any fear of the tree dying. Meor stated that the tree was undergoing a wintering season or ‘musim luroh’ when the tree sheds its leaves before growing new ones. “This had happened to the tree at Taman DR a year ago”.
Do read the whole report so that you are fully in the picture.
From what our donor (Ko-chi Wai) tells us, this is a “view from inside Choon Seng shop house along 156 Hugh Low Street, ground floor front. Shows the structure of the horizontal sliding metal grill/shutter door, and an old heavy-duty weigh (in green, left bottom). My brother, sister and myself on the old Honda cub.”
This picture was taken in 1979. I wonder if the shop house is still there….perhaps another establishment has taken over? Those of you familiar with the layout of Hugh Low Street might be able to tell us more 🙂
…such a scene (picture above) was a common sight around Ipoh Town. I never had a pair of striped pajamas, but I do remember (as a child) walking about in cartoon-themed pajamas and bed-hair! This cute picture was sent to us by Ko-chi Wai, who also included this message:
My mum (Lau Siew Hwa), my uncle, and my cousin on the stairs at the side of the Rex Cinema building. On the right one can see the rear part of the row of shop-houses facing Hugh Low St. where my mum’s family stayed in one till late 1990s. One can see the back doors to the shop-houses, as well as the small trap doors at the bottom where the “night soil” buckets were placed. Taken in 1959.
As most of you can guess, this is Station Road. I’m guessing this picture was taken in the 50s (I could be wrong though).
We’d like to draw your attention to the row of shops on the right. What we’re trying to find out is: what was the shop on the extreme right (next to Charles Grenier)?
This picture was sent to us by Nicholas Jennings.
This was taken off a postcard; the date on the stamp says 1938, so we think the picture was taken a few years earlier.
Nevertheless, on the far left of the picture is the sign that reads as Huttenbach, Lazarus & Sons Ltd. Did any other business take up residence at the Chua Cheng Bok building?
It was early in the new millenium when the Yau Tet Shin Bazaar was demolished. It now remains an empty plot and has since been turned into a parking lot 🙁 Recently we heard about some plans to rebuild it…
What the Bazaar looked like in the 90s (the Syuen Hotel can be seen in the background, far right).
The proposed design for the New Bazaar.
Has anyone heard the latest news regarding this project? Do tell us more.
Due to popular demand, we have here some of the pictures taken of the interior of the former Lido Cinema – after the recent fire.
Left to Right: the lobby; the false ceiling
Left to Right: the stairs leading to the balcony; the balcony
For more pictures, do visit our Facebook page.
We thank IpohBornKid for the above picture. In his email to us, he mentioned that this picture was from Brian Cole of Bath Spa (UK). The picture belonged to the Cole family patriarch who served as a British Army personnel (in Ipoh) in the early 1950s.
The movie being advertised (see the board outside the main entrance) is none other than the Tony Curtis movie ‘The Black Shield’. While a lot has been said about the Rex Cinema (and the other cinema halls in Ipoh), IpohBornKid drew our attention to the Omnibus Service within the city:
The Ipoh Red Omnibus displaying Menglembu-Pasir Puteh or Menglembu-Pasir Pinji route, took movie goers to the front door. The bus route travelled from Menglembu (via Lahat Road) to Kidd Bus Station passing Ipoh ACS. From that, it headed toward the old Ipoh fountain, cut across Belfield Street into Leech Street, right into Hugh Low Street, then right to Rex Theatre. It then wound its way through Majestic Theatre (Dai Wah), and finally turned right into Jalan Pasir Puteh to its final destination. Cost of travel from Menglembu to Rex is 15 cents.
…when you could buy a Chevy in Ipoh 😉
As some of you may have guessed, the building on the far left – with the large ‘Chevrolet’ sign – is none other than Borneo Motors. Next to Borneo Motors is Ipoh Motors (formerly Cycle and Carriage Co, Ltd.) and across the road is the Brewster Road Fire Station.
Note that: Yik Foong Complex is NOT in the pictur; which means this was definately taken before the 1960s. Also observe that Brewster Road was still a two-way street (and almost FREE from traffic jams!). Could it have been the 1940s? Or earlier? You tell us 🙂
We thank Dr Ho Tak Ming for this picture.
We pick up where we left off in our previous post – regarding the Lido Cinema – where we were told that the the top two pictures were in fact the Rex Cinema and NOT Lido. Today, we present to you MORE pictures of the inside of Lido. 🙂 We thank Ruth Rollitt for her contribution.
This was taken by Ruth back in 2009 (see below). It is said to be the inside of the former ticket booth.
And now – the Lido Floor Plans as requested.
Remember what Lido Cinema used to look like back then?
A special thanks going out to Ruth Rollitt for sending us these lovely gems! 🙂
Dear Ipoh-ites…..can you guys guess the year this photograph was taken? The familiar landmarks may give you some clues 🙂
Here’s another hint: at the bottom left there seems to be some construction going on (at the back of Waller Court Flats) – this site later became S.K. Coronation Park 😉
Happy guessing!
Here’s a photograph of Ipoh Motors – yes, the same Ipoh Motors which was once a familiar sight along Brewster Road. It is said that the building was previously the premises of Cycle & Carriage Co. Ltd.
Any idea as to WHEN this photograph was taken. We think it’s the 1950s – since Ipoh Motors did move off to another premise, leaving the building empty for some time…
Iris Cheng posted on our FB timeline this very sad picture of the Art Deco Majestic Theatre in the throes of demolition. We heard about it on Saturday but honestly I found it too depressing to bother to go and take a photograph. However as Iris did bother I felt it was only right that I should publish it here for those of you who do not follow us on Facebook.
I fear that before too long we shall have nothing left that actually has any traditional architectural styles to please the eye. But perhaps I am that voice in the wilderness – the dinosaur that refuses to lie down. I make no apologies for that and believe that one day the people might understand why I think like that.
Believe it or not, the Pasar Besar in Ipoh New Town isn’t that ‘old’! This early 1900s picture (taken from the Kinta Valley book) is quite unique – has there been that much change since Towkay Yau Tet Shin built this place?
I’ve noticed that those large rattan baskets are still in use today….
Back in the early 1900s, Hoot & Company were “direct importers of motor-cycles and tri-cars” (more can be found at our database). I wonder what has become of this shop lot today? It is also interesting to note that while Hoot & Co operated at No. 93 Belfield Street, their neighbour at No.95 was none other than Hinode Photographer.
Besides the Seenivasagam brothers, Ipoh was also ‘home’ for two brothers of the LaBrooy family – C H LaBrooy & H W LaBrooy. These brothers used to live at Dulcieville Lane, Ipoh (the area which is now Parkson Ipoh Parade).
We have here a 1980s picture of the LaBrooy Building. As you can see, it was once used by UMBC. Anyone know what the LaBrooy building is used for now? Has any company bought it/renting it?
One thing I do not understand about Ipoh is that here we have a beautiful hotel building used as an electrical store while so many entrepreneurs are knocking up ugly buildings all over the place which they happily call one of the three b’s – backpacker, budget or boutique hotels . Why didn’t one of them consider this fine building for restoration instead?
Do you have any thoughts on this anomaly or any stories about this building?
No, this is NOT a product of Photoshop!
There was a ‘Parkson Ria’ shopping mall in Ipoh, somewhere in the late 1980s/early 1990s. Does anyone remember it? Did it close because of the fire….or before the fire broke out?
[ For those of you still wondering, let me put you out of your misery – yes, this IS the famous Lam Looking Bazaar 😉 ]
Yes folks, your eyes are NOT playing tricks on you – that IS an F&N bottle on the rooftop of the Lam Looking Bazaar! This form of advertising seemed quite common back then; there was a similar bottle on the other side of the rooftop (front part of the building) – which can be viewed here.
We thank KKFoong for this picture 🙂
A while ago, we featured a post about the on-going ‘renovations’ of the Station Gardens. So far, we’ve heard no news about what’s going on behind those boards. Has there been any progress lately? If anyone has noticed anything, do let us know.
In the mean time, here is a 1950s picture of what the gardens used to look like. Picture by Ruth Iversen Rollitt.
Here’s a rare picture of the former Post Office (behind the Ipoh Town Hall). Notice the stalls beneath the shady tree – and the crowd of patrons too!
We thank Ruth Rollitt for this gem 🙂
Charlie reminds us (#13 below) about Savings Stamps and immediately Hasbi sent us these scans. Thank you both so much.
I never cease to be amazed and fascinated by how well our readers support us. We are so glad to have you all with us. Thank you.
Here is a copy of the 2nd Ipoh Heritage Trail Map. If you don’t have a copy of the map, here’s one you can print for your reference
This is the other end of Leech Street. On the left is the Sun Cinema (yes, the SAME Sun Cinema that our local cartoonist Lat drew in his cartoons!). Does anyone know the building on the right?
We thank Ruth Rollitt for this rare gem 🙂
Mark, of Kinta Heritage Group took these two photographs that I failed to get earlier in the week. He first posted them on Facebook, but I am sure he will not mind them being also published here. Remember these were taken this week. They need no explanation.
But the question Mark has for you is, “Does anyone know if the MBI has plans to makeover Station Square along similar lines to the pre-war original landscaping design? Has anyone seen the final design plans? Did the MBI invite public submissions as to the final design??”
Can any of our readers give him an answer?
I had a brief ride around Old Town this morning to see what was happening. I couldn’t get any photo or update on the Railway Station Gardens as they are still hidden behind tall blue fencing. However apart from the Cenotaph and the Ipoh Tree there seems to be nothing of the gardens left. Not a great welcome for the tourists in “Visit Perak Year 2012!”.
Then I wandered along the road to see the Birch Clock Tower Garden renovation. What a surprise – as although it is unlikely that anything has been done to preserve the two statuues, Justice and Fortitude from falling down (see http://ipohecho.com.my/v2/2012/03/01/ipohs-virtues-in-danger/) the tower has been repainted Black and White.
Although that may be approproiate ……… Black and white stands for mourning and cheerless occasions. For example, traditional garb for a funeral is black and white. Black for the loss, and white for their passing onto the heavens, ……… I must say I don’t like it, but then again I did not like the pink either, much preferring the 1909 odiginal version which was all-white. Clearly I am a traditionalist.
By the way, could someone suggest (again) to Datuk Bandar that he gets the clock working.
As you can see the gardens have not progressed too much either. Sigh, maybe they will be ready to celebrate the successful (?) end to our special tourism year.
We welcome your views.
Just look what happened yesterday! I passed by in the morning and only the top half was painted but by the time I got around to going back with my camera the FB site “All About Ipoh” had beaten me to it and posted this photograph.
I am sure the authors won’t mind me using their photo as thay are clearly just as dedicated to the grand old lady as we are.
By the way the aforementioned site has many more “Likes” than we do. It is time to remind all your FB friends about us. Don’t hang back – “Just Do IT!”
…..folks in Ipoh witnessed the 9-Goddess Celebrations. The procession passed through one of Ipoh’s busiest roads, back in 1982/83.
As you can see in this picture, they are passing by the Perak Chinese Foundry Association (building on the left). Anyone have any idea about the other building in the background – the one under construction?
Here’s another picture of the procession.
In this picture you can see the crowd standing at the sidewalk. And for those of you who (still) don’t recognise this street – check out the building on the left: yes, it is none other than the Times of Malaya building!
We’d like to thank Shuen Huey Foo (of Ipoh) for these pictures 🙂
But can anyone tell us when they will open again please. The world misses this famous hostelry which has been closed for restoration since 1 March 2008 – almost 4 years!
But what a night the 29th February was – the last night. Were you there?
By the way, for more photos of this grand old building and its history I have just put up a new album on our Facebook page.
Photographs kindly supplied by Weng Ong Lee.
One look at this picture (click to enlarge), and I’m sure many of you out there are already grinning – yes, this is a VERY familiar street in Ipoh 🙂 But what we’d like to know more about is the shop in the background (far right) – ‘Any & Co Gift House’. What’s become of this shop?
We thank the Yeoh family for this picture – which is actually part of the Funeral Procession of the late Yeoh Kuon Joo, back in 1947.
Yes, this archway was decorated specially for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
Notice the building that says ‘Borneo Motors’ (which is now a restaurant/pub called ‘OverTime’). Brewster Road was rather quiet in those days, wasn’t it? 😉
I wonder…..when was the facade of this archway renovated to it’s present design?
Yes, folks…this is what the People’s Park used to look like in those days!
Ladies and Gentlemen, we present to you 99 Anderson Road, Ipoh!
This building was originally owned by Foong Seong. Later, the Cheong family bought it. When the Cheongs lived here, the front part of the building was a men’s hairdressing salon while the back portion was a famous tailors shop from where hundreds of made-to-measure school uniforms would emerge. Any of the old girls remember Mdm Loong Foon Yoong who used to measure all the girls herself?.
The Cheong family then moved away, thus the shop became a computer shop.
This picture was taken back in the late 1970s, when Utama Computer Centre sold Apple Computers. Probably the only Apple Store in Ipoh then – unless you know different! 🙂
What is it now?
N.B. The story of the Cheong family growing up in Anderson Rioad is in the book “Ipoh, My Home Town”.
The shop 3rd from left is ‘Chop Cheong Chin’; next to that is ‘Syarikat Perak Travel Agency’, which is also an agency for Singapore Airlines. That’s about all we could make out from this picture. Now, across the street from this row of shop houses…..(see picture below)
….is another similar row. Notice also that at the end of this street is what seems to be the roof top of the Market.
Could anyone help us with the name of this street. While you’re at it, what is that tall building in the background (seen in both the pictures)?
Now the question is, do you recognise any of these partygoers from 1962. After all, it is only 50 years ago!
The next session of Northern Writers takes place at No5 Gopeng Road at 1030, Saturday 5th November. New books, new readers and a little food. Do come along. It’s very interesting.
And this month we have the special treat of the Poi Lam Choral Speakers, now internationally known.
Contact yusufmartin51@googlemail.com for more information.
Familiar? Well, we believe that this was part of the Jubilee Park ……..yes, the FUN-Section where there were carousel rides, game stalls..etc.
How much did such a ride cost? Did they have a day-pass or something similar (as what Lost World of Tambun has today) ?
Recognise this street?
Well, put those thinking-caps on, people 🙂 I’m sure some of you are grinning madly…while typing away your answers!
This picture is part of the late Geoffrey Clark’s collection. (We featured one of his pictures in a previous blog post) Clark served in Malaya from about 1945-1947 under the 4th Regiment Signals Troop (which arrived in Malaya just after the Japanese surrendered).
The quality of the picture may not be that good….but I’m pretty sure that the building in the far right is the back portion of the Grand Theatre (which once stood at Brewster Road and Cowan Street).
Of course many of us remember that the Grand Theatre was also part of Jubilee Park; with that in mind….I’m taking a wild guess as to the date of this picture – perhaps 1930/1931? Keeping in mind that the Shaw Brothers began Jubilee Park around 1932, hence I feel that this picture was before the Jubilee Park was built.
Anyone with other theories? Perhaps someone out there could tell us MORE!
Here’s a picture of the PCADA (Perak Chinese Amateur Dramatic Association) Building, taken on the day of the association’s Golden Jubilee. At the time the picture was taken (some time in 1953) the 3rd floor had been completed.
Foh Sun restaurant used to occupy the groud floor, before it moved. I do wonder what’s become of this building now? Care to tell us MORE?
This was taken by the late Geoffrey Clark, of the 4th Regiment Signals Troop (one the the early British army groups to arrive in Malaya after the Japanese surrendered). Clark served here from about 1945-1947, and sadly passed away in 2006.
Look at the picture carefully…..WHERE do you think this place is? We’re stumped ourselves, but we know some of you out there know Ipoh so well – so, start typing out those answers! 🙂
This photo was provided by the Cheong family for use in “Ipoh, My Home Town” but it was not used as there were much more appropriate images to use for their story.
The banner reads something like “Professor Shu Tong Zen, Exhibition of his Chinese Paintings including an exhibition of his Malaysian Students’ Work”.
Now the questions are: where was this Guild, when was the photograph taken, who are the people and where does the Guild have its premises today?
No prizes, just the glory of being able to show that you know the Ipoh of days gone by.
Some time ago, we featured a picture from the Jennings Collection – showing part of Panglima Street, which was under water in 1919. Here we have another look at the same street.
This was taken in 1926/1927, when yet again Ipoh suffered another great flood. Notice any difference from the 1919 photograph and this one?
Yes, at last Ipoh, My Home Town has gone to the printers.
There are stories from a “Flying Tiger” who grew up in Market Street in the 1920s, Professor Wang Gungwu, a Greentown boy before the war, Lat (who has also written the Foreword) and a number of others from stage, screen and radio plus of course successful businessmen and women, housewives and mothers, but interestingly, no politicians. Our oldest contributor is 92 and the youngest 12. The book therefore is really a history of life in Ipoh through the eyes of young people. With 276 pages and a wealth of original photographs and illustrations it has been a fascinating exercise for an expatriate, ably supported by his Malaysian wife.
The book will be launched by Tun Lim Keng Yaik on the morning of Saturday 17th September at the Royal Ipoh Club so if you can be in Ipoh that day that will be the place to be. Details of the programme and invitations will be sent out as soon as possible, but if you don’t get one and would like to attend, please just let me know.
Regarding the price, as this is a self funded project we have been able to keep the price down to a bare minimum with no profit taking. Hence the book will be on sale in the bookshops at RM100 and direct from us at RM90 excluding postage and packing. There will be plenty for sale at the launch, but if you cannot make it then you can always pre-order via info@ipohworld.org , providing your postal address. We can then advise you of the total cost as soon as the book is in our hands.
I look forward to seeing you at the launch.
Here’s a lovely coloured postcard of St Michael’s Institution. Care to guess the date of this picture? Needless to say, those palm trees aren’t there anymore….and the space behind the school building is now where the new Primary Block is.
You can also see St John’s Anglican Church; notice also a green-roofed mansion (top most of the picture). Wonder whose house it was?
This was brought to our attention by Mark Lay of Kinta Heritage.
Apprently, there’s been some ‘activity’ going on along Jalan Mustapha Al-Bakri (New Town) recently. From the notice that MBI put up, it appears to be “small renovation works”. Really? Well, we’ll let the pictures (below) be the judge of that!
So much for Ipoh garnering a place as ‘UNESCO World Heritage Site’……. 🙁
From the recent comments we’ve had, some of you love looking at old photographs. Well, today you’re in for another treat!
We estimate the date of this photograph to be 1926, around the time of the great flood. The picture shows part of Station Road – notice the sign on the far right “Charles Grenier & Co Ltd”.
I’m sure many of you are grinning and nodding your heads at this picture!
Yes, this is what Medan Kidd looked liked in the late 1960s. Some of the buses shown in the picture have seen better days, but they still make their way round the town 🙂
There was some talk about giving this place a ‘face-lift’……I wonder what’s become of it?
We have here a rare picture of the Capitol Cinema, which was along Anderson Road, Ipoh. From what we’ve found out, this cinema was a ‘victim’ of a fire almost 20 years ago. Since then, the vacant site was turned into a car park. Sometime last year, the car park closed and the site is now under construction for a row of shop houses.
Can you guess the date of this picture? One clue would be the Kuomintang Flag flying above the large sign. Another clue would be the movie poster.
Mark Lay of Kinta Heritage recently informed us about the demolition of these pre-war shophouses – along the corner of Jalan Sultan Abdul Jalil and Jalan Lau Ek Ching . (see pictures below)
Notice that in the second picture (above), the frames of the door and windows are STILL in good condition. Sadly, they will soon be torn up and stacked on the ground (like the pile of planks in front).
We have here a picture of Cedric and an antique car (note the number plate!). This picture of Cedric and the Austin 7 was sent to us by Nicholas Jennings.
Now, what about the building in the background, which is under construction? Here’s a tiny clue: this picture was taken around 1961….so, this building was opened to the public the year after.
I know some of you have the answer already! We’ll be looking forward to your comments 🙂
I’m sure some of you remember what this part of Ipoh looked like – way back in 1967/68.
Of course, now….a LOT has changed! The SHELL station has been renovated a number of times. As for the row of shop houses beside the SHELL station; well the half nearer to the junction is now Maybank, while the other half has been demolished (sadly). Across the road is Jubilee Park, which seems to be a shadow of its former self. 🙁
So, what was it like in the late 1960s? We’d love to hear your many stories!
Ruth Rollitt was so incensed by the multicoloured Cathay that we featured, she sent us this photograph of how the Theatre looked when it first opened in those days of Movies and Mercedes. She included a newspaper article from 1958, the first part of which is inserted below. The whole article will appear on or database archive before too long. Unfortunately we received it to late to catch the movie! Did anyone out there see it?
“Special Cathay Supplement
A Milestone in Cinema Entertainment
Ipoh’s New Cathay Theatre
To build a luxury theatre in Ipoh has long been a wish of the Cathay Organisation. This is in keeping with their policy to provide the best that there is available in cinema comfort and entertainment.
Costing over $600,000 their new Cathay, Ipoh will be officially declared open by His Highness the Sultan of Perak, Raja Sir Izzudin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Jalil, KCMG, OBE, before a distinguished and cosmopolitan gathering at 8 pm tonight, the eve of Chinese New Year.
Out of a piece of rubber estate land there has risen a handsome steel and concrete structure housing one of the best equipped theatres in the state of Perak.
Among the guests who will attend tonight’s opening ceremony will be State and Town Councillors, community leader, heads of Government and other personalities.
Cathay Organisation personalities include Mr Loke Wan Tho, Head of the Organisation, whose inspired leadership and farsightedness has provided Ipoh town with the handsome and imposing entertainment landmark.
Mrs Loke will accompany her husband and Mr John Ede, Director and General manager of the Cathay Organisation will also be present.
This new theatre – a worthy acquisition to the large number of theatres already controlled by the Organisation – was designed by Mr B M Iversen, the well-known Ipoh architect.”
More about the Cathay can be found here.
…..that back in 1956, the Anderson Road Playground was affected by floods? (see picture below)
Notice the cars….as they drive through the water-logged road. Anyone recall this incident? Got any stories to share?
Back in 1919, there was a terrible flood in Ipoh town (as you see in the picture here, sent to us by Nicholas Jennings). This part of Ipoh is just off Panglima Lane (or Concubine Lane, as it were). What we’re curious to know more about is the name of this particular shop in the background – Japanese Curios. I believe the building is still there today (though I could be wrong); I do wonder what’s become of it?
We thank Nicholas Jennings for this gem – yes, there was a great flood in Ipoh in 1919!
I’m sure some of you recognise the street and the famous white building in the background.
From what we’ve heard, Ipoh’s legendary Station Hotel will soon be closed.
Does anyone know more? We’d like to know the details, please…….
I do wonder what will become of the hotel once it’s closed :-O
Today’s feature is none other then the Star Barbershop, at Belfield Street.
Star Air-Conditioned Hair Dressing Salon,
97 Belfield Street (now Jalan Sultan Yussuf) IPOH 30000
The Star Hair Dressing Salon came into being in 1927, it was started by Megarai Karuppiah with just 2 barbers – Katchiappan and Manickam – and the premises were shared with a Japanese tailor before it was fully owned by the barbers.
It is a very old and well- preserved hair salon, with two 4th generation barbers still working. One of them started working at the salon in the 1953. The exterior of the shop is quite old and the building is old though there were few changes made to the structure of the shop over time. The shop has a unique style of tilted mirrors which run across the right side of the wall when entrance is made
through the front door, according to Thirunavu Karasu a/l Krishnan, the 4th generation barber, the mirrors were tilted for a better view for the customers. Right opposite that wall, there are 2 gorgeous ceramic basins without any damage of cracks over all these years.
There are electric hair trimmer and hair dryers ( Italian made) in the shop though rusty and old but still in working condition. There are few remaining chairs in the shop which look absolutely fine and strong, these chairs were imported from Japan, with the grey embossed letters “TOKYO – TAKEHANA CO – KURAMAE” on the metal frame of the foot rest, where Kuramae meaning “as strong as a sumo wrestler”.
Leaning against the back wall of the shop is a wooden cabinet with slots cut on the drawer fronts. These slots were used by each of the barbers to put in the daily takings from the customers.
Initially there was no electricity supply in the shop, so the cooling used to be provided with a Punkah Wallah to fan the customers before the ceiling fans were installed. Then in 1954, a ducted air-conditioning system was installed which was then replaced by 3 window air-conditioning units after 10 years.
The shop once employed 14 barbers and they used to live above the shop where they were provided with food as well. Their records were adequately kept and at the end of the month, each barber would be entitled to a salary depending on number of haircuts achieved, minus food and laundry allowance.
There is a framed group photograph (above) of all the barbers and the valued customers, hung from the top edge of the mirror and dated 1965. In the centre is Dr. Moreira who would normally ask for a barber to visit him in his office.
The salon has been given a notice from the property owner which means that there has to be end to its service after 84 memorable golden years.
This is a summary of the full story and a great selection of photos submitted by Peter Shaoming Wang. The full story and photographs may be found here.
On the left, we have Mr Thiru’s grandchildren. A traditional family they are seen saying their prayers. On the right, is Thiru (today) with his wife and granddaughter, Saathana.
Some of our fans out there love old photos. Hence we decided to feature this one on our blog today.
Here’s one of J A S Jennings (Editor of Times of Malaya) and his wife Freda – being chauffeur driven round the town. In the background is the first Times of Malaya Building.
Here’s a Day and Night shot of Cathay Theatre (when it was STILL a cinema) – notice that the mall behind Cathay was Ocean (now, it’s The Store). We thank Valerie for these pictures who has now provided the following additional information:
“The dayshot was taken in the morning of October 1998 when the street was not busy.
The building was just freshly repainted with new color shemes that combine the
best of traditional art deco and modern day glitziness. The “C” on the right hand
side of the marquee is the Cathay logo that was not yet put back up after the paint job
but was up for the night shot.
The nightshot was taken that same day right after Ocean turned off their lights
to close up for the night. The timing of the nightshot was perfect as it made the glittering lights of Cathay stand out elegantly without the distractionof Ocean in the background.”
Thank you Valerie.
I’m sure the Ipoh-ites out there are grinning at this picture (courtesy of Jeffrey Liew) – especially those who frequently travelled along Club Road (Jalan Panglima Bukit Gantang)!
Remember the Milano Tailor? I wonder where he is now…..since this building is no longer around (so much for ‘development’). Yes 🙁 sadly this is now an empty lot which houses abandoned/wrecked cars.
Anyone care to fill us in with MORE information?
Here’s a copy of the 1st Heritage Trail Map. This trail covers Old Town and is held every Saturday morning at 8am, starting at the Ipoh Railway Station.
A full size printable copy of this map is now available on our database athttp://db.ipohworld.org/view/id/3875 in PDF format.
Remember the old fire brigade at Brewster Road? Here we have two pictures of the fire brigade’s compound – showing the girls from the Main Convent.
These girls were part of the Firefighter Cadets Club, which was established in the school in the 1980s.
The fire brigade has moved to another premise (opposite the Perak Stadium), but the old building still remains. Anyone know what’s become of the old building?
Thank you to Puan Zora, a former student and teacher from the Main Convent, who lent us these pictures!
The Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) was the first English school (and first Christian mission school too!) in the Kinta Valley. This school was established by the Methodist Episcopal Mission in 1895. It was said that just five days after his arrival, Rev W E Horley opened ACS in a small attap-roof Malay house rented from Datoh Panglima Kinta Muhammad Yusuff.
Here we have Std. 5C, from 1968. Our donor Mr Sundralingam is somewhere in the picture. What about you? I’m sure we have some former ACS boys out there (especially from this class!). What about the teachers shown here – are they still around?
This is the first Times of Malaya building, which was along Post Office Road. The first issue of Ipoh’s first newspaper was published on 9th March 1904. 2 years later, the newspaper was taken over by J A S Jennings – who remained the paper’s most influential editor for a good 30 years!
In the early 1930s, the Times of Malaya moved to a new building, along Brewster Road (see picture below).
After the war (after 1945), this building was used by the Public Works and the Department of Drainage and Irrigation. What’s become of it now? Can anyone fill us in on the latest?
We thank Nicholas Jennings – the grandson of J A S Jennings – who sent us a copy of these rare pictures.
This picture was sent to us by Ruth Rollit, the daughter of the Danish architect B M Iversen.
Familiar? No? This is what the interior of the Lido Cinema looks like today – as you can see, it’s not longer a cinema. Lido has now been converted into Florex Restaurant.
In this picture, the raised level shown was where the bar used to be. Has much of the interior changed? I noticed that the original floor tiles are still there. What about the rest of the place?
At that time, this $ 600,000 cinema was considered luxurious. It was declared open by His Highness Raja Sir Izzudin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Jalil (the Sultan of Perak), on the eve of Chinese New Year. Designed by B M Iversen, this fully air-conditioned cinema (with its ‘colossal 75-foot tower of jade tiles’), stood proud along Cockman Street – the same area which was once ‘home’ to rubber trees!
This picture was taken on the opening night; after the grand ceremony, the patrons were treated to Darryl F Zanuck’s ‘CinemaScope 55’ production of – you guessed it – The King and I. How many of you out there were at the opening ceremony? How many of you ‘fell in love’ with the movie?
We’d like to thank Ruth Rollit (the daugther of B M Iversen) for sending us this precious photograph.
Calling ALL Convent-Alumni!!!
As stated in the flyer, there will be a Christmas Party on 11th December 2010, organised by the Convent Old Girls Association (COGA). This party will be at the Convent Primary Hall, from 4 pm till 7 pm. Besides good food and some fun games, this is a chance to revisit your dear alma mater; maybe even a time to catch up on the latest! We were also told that Convent’s very own band – Tradimode – will be performing too.
Those interested may contact Florina Ng, the Convent Music Teacher. Start marking your diaries, girls!!
Those were the days: when the traffic in Ipoh was rather scarce, and riding around the town on a bicycle was SAFE! Here we have some youngsters riding past the Lido Cinema. This Iversen building is no longer a cinema now; if I’m not mistaken it’s been turned into Florex Restaurant.
Playing in the cinema at that time (1958) was ‘Rock, Pretty Baby’. This movie starred Sal Mineo, John Saxon Shelley Fabares, Luana Patten and Edward Platt. It was a simple story about a teenager who, despite his father’s objections, formed a rock and roll band with his friends. He later tried his best to obtain bookings.
Did anyone out there watch this movie? Did the movie start a trend among the younger generation – as in starting their own band? Or, perhaps it started a fashion trend?
This is the 2nd FREE map in this series – the first one was featured in this blog late last year. This map/brochure is published by Kinta Heritage Group Sdn Bhd, in collaboration with Perak Tourism and the Perak State Government. Inside shows another heritage trail which covers: Belfield Street, Cross Street, Leech Street, Treacher Street, Jalan Datoh, and along the river into Jalan Mesjid (Hume Street).
Also featured in this map/brochure is a short history of the Eu Chateau, as well as Dato Panglima Kinta. Copies of this can be obtained from leading hotels, the Railway Station, Tourist Information Centres, and also the Perak Academy Office.
Here’s a scene from the old Ipoh Airport. As you can see in the background, there’s an airplane with the words ‘Malayan Airways’ on it. Hence we think this picture was probably taken in the early 1950s – by 1963, the airline was renamed Malaysian Airways Ltd (MAL).
I remember in the late 1980s or early 1990s, there were joyrides for the public at the Ipoh Airport – needless to say, my brother and I never stopped talking about it after our first ‘adventure’ in the air!! Don’t know if they have this service anymore. I wonder what’s become of the Ipoh Airport these days; heard that they’ve started a flying school there (but I may be wrong…).
What were YOUR memories like? Perhaps someone out there could tell us more about the Ipoh Airport…..
This arch was set up over the Hugh Low Bridge, in Ipoh, somewhere in 1947. This was before the grand parade – which was held in support of the Kuomintang Party (led by General Chiang Kai Shek).
Notice the three flags at the top of the arch: the Perak Flag, the Kuomintang Flag and the Union Jack. To what we know, this parade was jointly sponsored by the Chinese Assembly Hall members and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
How many of you out there remember this arch? Anyone witnessed the parade, or maybe took part in this parade?
Not a very difficult question for you on this bright Monday morning, but of all the grand old buildings in Ipoh that have been torn down, I think this is the one I miss the most.
Fortunately we have this photograph as a memento of what, in my humble opinion, should never have been demolished. But it was – suddenly and without warning – for that is how we do things under Malaysia Boleh. I think it was lost to us in 2002 but I may be wrong. Does anyone know when it was built or have any history about it? More photographs would also be welcome.
Felicia is sick today so some interesting replies would certainly brighten up her day.
Familiar?……..it’s at the lower end of Hume Street, not too far away from the Panglima Mosque.
Some of you must be nodding your heads in agreement – “yes, I know this place!”. Well, for those who do know…………do tell us MORE: perhaps there’s a story or two behind this structure.
Clearly the ‘old’ and ‘new’ don’t match here…..one looks like it may fall apart anytime soon, while the other has been left uncompleted!
These two ‘neighbours’ live at Brewster Road, Ipoh. We do wonder what the modern building is. Also, we noticed that the building has been ‘windowless’ for some time now!
Any ideas? What was there BEFORE the modern structure came up?
This Friday (24 September 2010), there will be a Heritage Unity Walk – starting out at the Ipoh Railway Station. It’s a special event for 700 underprivilaged Perakian children; these children will be treated to games and a food carnival prior to the walk. And since it’s the Mid Autumn Festival, we’ll be carrying lanterns while we walk the heritage trail. The schedule for this event is as follows:
6.30pm – Arrival of participants
Registration
7.00pm – Arrival of Children & Guests
Games for Children & Food Carnival
7.50pm – Arrival of YBhg Datuk Bandar Ipoh & EXCO Tourism
8.00pm – Arrival of Menteri Besar Perak
8.05pm – Welcoming speech by MC
Welcoming Dance
Speech by Organising Chairman
Speech by Menteri Besar
Official launch of the celebrations by Guest of Honour
8.30pm – Start of Heritage Trail of Unity Walk (with Lanterns)
9.45pm – End of walk
Supper for VIPs
10.30pm – End
All are welcome to join this event – bring your own Lantern!
These ‘friends’ live at Leech Street – opposite the low cost flats, next door to the old Kinta Aerated Water building.
Who owns them now, we wonder….and what’s become of them? We see the one on the extreme right has been painted pink; which now sells groceries (at wholesale price). What about the others?
Anyone with more information, do let us know.
Meet Mr and Mrs Tan – the diligent and creative couple, who produce ‘lion heads’ (and ‘bodies’ too).
We featured Mr and Mrs Tan’s store in a previous blog; we can’t help but feature them again – together with some of their masterpieces (pictures below).
Such an art seems to be fading as time goes by. It’s a pity, since these vibrantly coloured ‘lions’ and ‘dragons’ never fail to entertain us – especially during the Lunar New Year!
We thank Charlie for these pictures.
Those who frequent the Pasar Besar (Main Market) of Ipoh might be familiar with these (picture below)
Yes, these shop houses have stood the test of time; and they’re STILL going strong! The 3rd shop from the left is particularly interesting – the one painted yellow, with the words ‘Market Terrace’ at the top.
As can be seen (picture above, left), it’s a double shop; the shop with the grey shade makes ‘lion heads’ (picture on the right). It’s rather fascinating to know that this trade is still being carried on, even till today!
Has anyone been there? Do share your thoughts; perhaps some of you have met the owners….
This place was said to have a large hall on the top floor. During the war, the hall was a Japanese mah jong den. Later (after the war), it was turned into classrooms for the Sam Choy Primary School – this was during the day time; at night, it was the venue for the Chinese Opera!
We know some of you out there need no introduction to this famous landmark! We’d like to hear from anyone who has MORE information. As in the picture, the ground floor is being fully utilised – but what about the hall?
Most of us are familiar with the Birch Clock Tower (along Post Office Road). In one of our previous posts, we were wondering what building seemed hidden in the background, far left of the picture (see below).
Well, the mystery has been solved – the building is none other than the old Court House!
Yes, this was what the court house looked like in the late 1800s. This court house was built in 1888 and remained a court house till 1909. The court moved to another location, but later settled at its present place – Club Road. This structure, however, remained there till the 1960s; it later paved way to the construction of the Perak State Mosque.
My grandma Yim Mun had a penchant for classical things. This was due to a privileged upbringing in her childhood home. As the daughter of a wealthy and respectable man, she had an eye for high quality and lasting items. She always went for good brands.
This was a vintage Singer treadle sewing machine which grandma bought in 1928. She paid RM130 for it, quite a princely sum back in those days.
Based on its serial number Y 3254573, I managed to trace its origin. It was manufactured in Clydebank, Scotland in the year 1925. That makes it almost 85 years old.
Grandma used it to do some light patchwork. Many years later, she gave it to her daughter who was a tailor. After many years of heavy usage, it could no longer function so smoothly.
My aunt simply abandoned it and bought a new electronic machine. It was left to gather dust and stand idle at a corner for many decades. However, being a possessive woman, she does not allow anyone else to touch her mom’s property.
It was not until 1973 after my grandma’s death that my dad decided to overhaul it and bring it back to life. He felt it was a waste to leave it idling around.
First, he traced the details of the machine into a piece of blank paper and marked them accordingly. Next, he took out part by part and sorted them into different categories. Since they were very rusty due to years of neglect, Dad soaked each part in kerosene for some time to remove the rust. Then he painstakingly polished them until they were shiny again. Every nuts and screws were given a touch up.
It was truly a labor of love. He wanted to give it to Mom who really needed the machine to sew some clothes for us.
Every night, after he had finished sharpening scissors, he would labor on this machine. It took him almost two months before he could restore it back into its original glory. Once it was finished, it was as good as new! Today, it could still function so well.
Mom was so thrilled to finally have a sewing machine and we could have some clothes to wear instead of old hand me downs. Especially for me, because as the youngest child, I always got fifth hand clothes!
Beside this sewing machine, grandma also bought a vintage Bush Radio which was manufactured in London around 1940s. This radio was bought in 1945 after my dad opened Nam Foong Coffee Shop at 188 Hugh Low Street. It was actually sold to her by a regular customer.
This customer was a hardcore gambler and he lost heavily at the Race Course. Desperate for some quick money, he took his family’s radio and made an offer to my grandma who could not resist this gem. She wanted to buy it so that the patrons of the coffee shop could have some entertainment. It was a good decision.
While enjoying the smooth and aromatic tau foo fah, the customers were serenaded by music and songs from all over the world. During its prime, we can actually tune in to stations from the USA, Europe, Africa and most parts of Asia. It was on from morning till night. It served us until mid 70s, a total of almost 30 years. Due to heavy usage, it eventually broke down.
I found out that it can still be repair but it has to be done in London where the manufacturer has a department to repair and restore its vintage radios. And they also have a website for buying and selling such vintage gems.
There were many other valuable items which my grandma bought throughout the years. Among them was a big grandfather clock, a vintage typewriter, a gramophone, a charcoal iron and some porcelain wares. My family had sold them off to antique collectors to raise fund to treat my youngest uncle in China. He eventually died from a tumor in his neck at a very young age. Today, only these two items were left to remember my grandma.
Looks familiar? To those who (like me) often visit the Hilltop Cafe (the orange building at the far end, right side of the shady tree), you would have noticed these rows of shop houses – particularly the ones on the right of the picture. (Hilltop Cafe is along Hugh Low Street). These shop houses, on Jalan Chung On Siew, were once used in a movie. (see picture below)
This is what the shops looked like, when they were touched up/painted/decorated. This was done to portray a ‘scene in old Shanghai’ – specially for the Ang Lee movie ‘Lust, Caution’. (more about this can be found here)
But alas, these shop houses won’t be able to live up to their ‘fame’ – for they are being torn down!
Has anyone heard anything about this? Maybe someone out there knows what’s going on; and maybe what’s going to be built there once these shop houses go……..
Remember this shop? Here’s a clue: it’s at Market Street…..
If I’m not mistaken, I think the shop is still there – going strong after all these years! They specialized in Kain Pulikat, (the locals might know it as sarong) which was said to be made in India. They also sold Kain Batek (Batik).
Here’s another landmark – our local Indian barber, which still does business at Belfield Street. My late grandfather used to visit him every month or so; I don’t think grandpa went to any other hairdresser in his lifetime!
These two sketches are part of Amiruddin Mohd Daud’s collection – titled ‘Ipoh Old Town’. Amiruddin is a self-taught artist from Ipoh, and also a former student of ACS. Together with his wife, they are quite involved with charity and fund raising activities; 10% of the sale of his drawings will go to MAKNA (Malaysian Cancer Council).
For more information on Amiruddin and his works, you can contact him via email: rat.adventure@yahoo.com
We featured this building in http://www.ipohworld.org/?p=1712 where we showed the original mansion that belonged to Dato Seri Lau Pak Kuan OBE JP and what the owners of the Coliseum Club had done to deface this beautiful building.
In the comments on that blog mashi74 reported that the stylistic roof had been removed and, as you can see from this photo it has been replaced with something far less easy on the eye. But worse! Look what they have done to the stonework! Garish is not a strong enough word for this abomination.
And finally, it appears that have torn the whole inside out and are to renovate with modern (Ugh!) materials.
Have these people no eye for beauty, history and heritage. Maybe they just have no soul!
Hugh Low Street was once a 2-way street, and a very busy one too…even today! This picture was taken from a postcard, dated 1985. At the far end, just before the bridge, there used to be an arch – it’s not there now, wonder when it was taken down?
Also notice that there were many shops (on either side of the street), selling everything; from jewelry, to groceries, to Chinese herbs – there’s even a Bata shoe store! Anyone remember other famous stores? Have any new ones come up lately?
We look forward to hearing from you, so DO tell us more about this part of Hugh Low Street!
Chan Tai 陈黛, the charming girl in this photo, used to live in a small village in the district of Shun Tuck 顺德 in the province of Guangdong, China in the 1920s. This district was renowned for producing silk. Her family owned a small silk worm farm. She helped them to cultivate silk worms and weave the silk thread into cloth.
One day, a professional matchmaker called “mui yan poh 红线人” approached the family with a marriage proposal. A guy in Ipoh, Perak, Malaya, needed a wife and was looking for a girl from a decent family.
In those days, many families in small villages in China dreamed of having their daughters marrying off to faraway lands and lead a better life. At that time, Perak was famous for tin and it was very fashionable to come to this land of plenty.
The prospective groom was a guy called Chow Yee Phooi 周毅錇, from the district of Phun Yee番禺. He has already migrated to Malaya together with his brothers many years before. He was the youngest among the brothers and the only one still single and eligible.
They opened a shop selling fruits in Ipoh. This shop, called Chow Hang Kee 周亨记 , distributed fruits to other fruit sellers in the market nearby. The shop was located between Yik Foong Complex and Lam Looking Bazaar, facing the back portion of the present Pasar Besar Ipoh.
Life was good to him. Flamboyant and carefree, he always frequented gambling dens in his spare time. He was particularly fond of mahjong and “pai kao”, a game of black tiles.
In the past, a girl has no say in her marriage. Everything was decided by her parents. The Chinese called it “Mang Fun Nga Kar 盲婚哑嫁” meaning a “blind and mute marriage”. She has neither meet the groom nor can she voice out her opinion about the match. As a daughter, she just has to follow everything planned for her.
Her parents gave their approval at once and a simple wedding ceremony was conducted in her village, minus the groom. In his place, a cockerel was used in the ceremony although I don’t know why they chose this animal to represent the groom!
After the wedding ceremony, she left her village and boarded a steamer, stopping at Singapore first and then later, Malaya. Next, it was to Ipoh.
Upon her arrival, this photo was taken. The purpose of taking this photo was to send it back to her family in China to show them that she has arrived safely to her new home. There were only two such photos. One she sent back to her family and the other appeared in this blog, which she kept as a keepsake. Later, it was handed down to my mom who was her eldest child. Mom gave this photo to me. Today, this is the most prized item in my collection because it is the oldest and the only photo of my maternal grandmother.
From this photo taken circa 1920s, you can see that she was a very stylish lady, an epitome of an Oriental beauty of her time. She sewn the white samfoo and black knee length skirt herself, using the silk cloth which she had weaved. It was part of her wedding wardrobe, looking prim and proper to face her new husband and his family. Her hair was combed neatly into a bun. She was also wearing a pair of white leather high heeled shoes and carrying a white fur handbag. Such a graceful blend of East and West.
The family stayed in Kampung Kuchai, Ipoh. Needle work was her main forte. She sew baby’s clothes and accessories like gloves, booties, caps and carriers for some extra pocket money although her husband’s income was sufficient to support her. She was a very quiet and gentle person, yet fiercely independent, earning her own keeps.
But alas, her life was tragic! In 1930, she gave birth to my mom. Soon, another daughter followed and the next was also another girl! Three girls in a row and soon her mother –in law began to show her displeasure. No son was produced and that was a bane for the family. Under mental pressure, she conceived again although her health has deteriorated. But by now neither her husband nor her mother-in law show any concern. In their mind, it will be yet another girl. Girls were so unwelcomed in a Chinese family at that time. They preferred boys to carry on their surname and attend to the family altar. This was a typical Chinese mindset at that time. Luckily, it was not like this anymore.
Her parents came from China to Ipoh to visit their daughter. After a brief stay, they went back to China, bringing my mom together with them to lessen their daughter’s burden of looking after the children in her fragile condition. It was 1938 and my mom was only 8years old then. She spent the next four years in Shun Tuck together with her grandparents, helping them to feed the silk worms with mulberry leaves.
Not long after her parents left Ipoh to go back to China, one day, my maternal grandmother experienced a terrible stomach pain at home. She was already in her seventh month of pregnancy. She sent her two young daughters out to search for their father and asked him to come home at once. That day, he was not at the shop. Instead, he was at the mahjong parlor near home. He was an addicted mahjong player and was too engrossed in his game to bother about his pregnant wife at home.
“Go home and don’t bother me! Ask her to apply some medicated oil and get a rest!” he barked at his young daughters as they pestered him to go home quickly to attend to their mother. The mother –in law was nowhere to be found. The two young girls were at a lost as to what to do seeing their pregnant mother in pain. Finally they called their neighbor for help.
It was late at night when my maternal grandfather finally came home. His face was as dark as “Kuan Kung 关公”from losing money at the mahjong parlor. A midwife had just left the house. On the bed were a stillborn baby boy and his dead wife, paled and cold from losing too much blood. His two young daughters were sobbing at a corner, traumatized at seeing their dead mother and baby brother. My maternal grandmother was about 28 then. What a young age to die and in such a tragic way.
To a Chinaman at that time, losing a wife is akin to losing a shirt. I really don’t know how he must have felt at that time but according to my aunts, he looked very cool and calm. After burying his dead wife and stillborn baby, he approached a matchmaker to look for another wife and in a few months time, a new one was found and life was back to normal again, at least for him. My poor mom and her little sisters found themselves with a stepmom but luckily she was not exactly the type from hell. But nevertheless, life was not the same anymore without your own mother.
According to my mom, one night, while she was sleeping in a dimly lit room in her grandparents home in Shun Tuck, she was awoke by an apparition of a lady beside her bed. She opened her eyes and saw that it was her mom. The apparition was sobbing softly and was trying to pull a blanket to cover her young daughter. It was gone in a blink of an eye. At that time, my mom has not learnt about her mom’s death yet because she was far away in China. A month later, a letter from her father in Ipoh reached her, informing her of her mom’s death.
Many years later, my maternal grandfather was blinded by firecrackers being carelessly thrown out from the window of a shop near Foh San Restaurant at Osborne Street. He was just coming out from a mahjong parlor at that time. That incident stopped him from playing mahjong ever again.
In 1980, on his death bed, while breathing his very last, in a very weak voice, he asked his daughters for their forgiveness for neglecting his first wife and depriving them of their mother’s love. His last words were, “I deeply regretted my folly. I still loved her very much. She was a good wife. She is beside me now, waiting for me. Please forgive me and goodbye. I am going to be with her again.”
My mom and her sisters have finally forgiven their father and came to terms with their profound loss.
It’s that season again; where all Malaysians young and old, some foreigners too, join in the fun.
To the die-hard fans out there, yes…we’re talking about DURIANS! Here we have a picture of durians being sold along Osborne Street, Ipoh (in the early 1970s). Were there many stalls selling durians in those days? We’d like to hear from you – of your fond memories with the King of Fruits!
All the last rites performed for the dead in the funeral parlors along Hume Street were a fusion of Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism beliefs.
The core belief is that death is universal. When a person dies, the soul will leave its body. But it will not realize immediately that death has occurred upon itself. This detached soul will hover above the body, become very distress to find itself in a new dimension. It will take a week for the deceased to finally realize its departure. And it took about 49 days for the next rebirth to occur.
Therefore, it is paramount to offer guidance in the form of prayers to comfort this disorientated soul and steer it to the path of another rebirth. Hence, a wake will be conducted to chant prayers to pacify the soul and lead it to a safe realm.
After the family had purchased all the necessities, an undertaker washed the corpse with scented water and dusted it with talcum powder. It was then dressed in the silk longevity suit and for a female, “make up” will be applied to its face. All these tasks were done on a hay mat. Once complete, the deceased will be placed into the coffin, with feet facing out towards the door. The coffin will be put on a stand about a feet from the ground.
A small piece of ancient coin is placed between the lips. The face will be covered with a small piece of yellow silk cloth. Another bigger piece of blue silk cloth printed with mantras or Buddhist scriptures will be used to cover the corpse. A paper umbrella is opened up and placed on the coffin. To prevent the body from decaying, dried ice will be pumped into the coffin.
An altar will be set up at the foot of the deceased. Foods were placed in front of the deceased’s large portrait. A large urn to hold joss sticks will be placed in the middle. A pair of big white candles will be placed on either side. The pair of male and female servants made from papers were placed on either side of the coffin. All around the coffin were blue and black cloth banners with words of condolences. Floral wreaths were also displayed around the altar.
Two large white paper lanterns with the deceased’s surname and age written onto it were placed outside at the doorstep of the funeral parlor. For a married woman, both the surname of her husband and herself will be written. The husband’s surname will be written first follow by her own. It is interesting to note that three additional years were added to the actual age of the deceased. One year each for Heaven, Hell and Earth.
Nearby, a separate table will be set up against the wall for the “nam moh lou” to conduct prayers. On the wall, you can see a large scroll with the paintings of three very important figures in Buddhism. They were the Sakyamuni Buddha in the middle representing enlightenment. On one side is the Avalokestivara Boddhisattva (Guanshiyin Pusa) who had vowed to release all sentient beings from sufferings. And on the other side is the Ksitigarbha Boddhisattva (Dizang Pusa) who is in charge of karmic retributions. The prayers to evoke the blessings from the above three for the deceased were chanted accompanied by the clanking of cymbals, blowing of trumpets and beating of gongs.
It is proper for all the children to be at the bedside when a person dies. Sometimes many could not make it in time. For those who could not, they were required to kneel down and crawl towards the coffin. It is a form of asking for forgiveness for not making it. Later, the children and grandchildren would sit on straw mats beside the coffin, burning paper money in a large urn throughout the night.
Those attending the wake are required to light incense and bow to the deceased as a form of respect. They will also place some money called “pak kam” or “white gold” into a donation box to help defray the cost of the wake and funeral. The bereaved family will give two pieces of sweets tied to a red string or a red packet with the words “toh cheh, yau sum” meaning “thank you for your sympathy” to the donor.
Other relatives and friends would help fold some gold and silver paper ingots for the deceased. Some would indulge in a game of cards or mahjong to stay awake during the wake. Normally, a wake lasted for 2 nights from 7pm to 11pm.
All the paper offerings were burned on the second night. This was done after the “nam moh lou”, using an ink brush with some red ink at the tip, activate the paper offerings and chant some prayers. These offerings became valid and they will serve their new master or mistress diligently. Doesn’t this sound like a fairy godmother using a magic wand to turn all things into real?
When the ceremony was finished for that night, everyone will leave. All the lights at the parlors went off and doors slammed shut. The two large white paper lanterns with candles inside still remained at the door, leaving the lights of the candles flickering in the dark. In the dead of the night, stray dogs loitered around and began howling. The ambience is so spooky and eerie, enough to make your hair stand on ends. In moments like this, I will quickly shut my bedroom window and jump into bed, pulling the blanket over my head!!
At the funeral, everyone present got a last glimpse of the deceased and according to their ranks, made a final bow. The deceased favorite possessions and more hell bank notes will be piled into the coffin. Amidst the crying and wailing of the family, all looked away as the coffin were sealed with yellow papers and then carried out onto the hearse by pallbearers. The spouse of the deceased will stay behind and not allowed to follow the procession. The deceased and the spouse are in the same rank. In olden days, a spouse is called “half way spouse”.
It is customary for all the son-in laws, who were the closest “outsiders”, to hoist up together, a long piece of red cloth held by a pole. This act is called “hei chew”. This auspicious act will bring them good luck. Next, they were also given the honor to lead the procession with two friends carrying the two white giant lanterns. The hearse will follow from behind.
The eldest son of the deceased will sit next to the coffin in the hearse. He will hold a large lighted joss stick and a paper tablet bearing the deceased’s name.
With their hands holding to a long piece of white cloth and their heads pressing firmly against the hearse, the rest of the grieving family followed closely from behind, weeping and wailing.
Friends and relatives will follow from behind, many holding umbrellas under the basking sun.
A few meters in front, the bereaved family will stop and turn around to face these friends and relatives. They will have to kneel down and make a deep bow to these “guests” as a gesture of thanks and appreciation for turning up for the wake and funeral. After this, the procession will continue on….
The “nam moh lou” will lead them, chanting prayers and sprinkling small white rectangular papers into the air, bribing the malign spirits along the path to “move aside and make way”. The funeral band played some solemn music as the cortege winds its way slowly along Hume Street…….what a sorrowful last journey on earth!
Perhaps the only consolation for the bereaved family is the belief that this death is not the end of it all. Death and rebirth is a continuous cycle, without a break, until Nirvana is attained. Nirvana means the cessation of birth and suffering. It is Enlightenment.
Part 2 ~ The most extravagant journey in life…..人生最昂贵之旅程
http://www.ipohworld.org/?p=2064
Part 1 ~ Unfolding a Panorama Called Hume Street….伸展“谦街”的一幕
Hume Street is also known as “Koon Choy Kai” in Cantonese, meaning “Coffin Street”. Do you know why?
Phun Yue Wui Kun 潘禺会馆 , the tall building at the far right, is one of the busiest funeral parlors along Hume Street. It caters to those who died away from home and also one who died young and unmarried. It is “fully occupied” the whole year. Sometimes two families even “shared” the premise at the same time. So, can you imagine how many people died in a single day?
Above this funeral parlor is a convalescent home, which is a dreadful place to stay. It is a place for the aged and sick to wait for the Grim Reaper. Many families send their old and sick relatives here to live out their last days after which the deceased is carried down stairs for the last rites.
It is very expensive for a Chinese “to die”. Unlike other cultures, this “once in a life time” event called for spending on many expensive items which are “unavoidable”.
On the extreme right are some casket shops. The owners of these casket shops are very aggressive and competitive. With a walkie-talkie in hand in those days, and a mobile phone in modern times, they waited at hospital mortuaries, clamoring for business when they spotted a bereaved family. Some even “combed” the ICU wards to search for potential customers! Each will try to offer their best “deal” or “package”.
Most of them doubled up as priests or “nam moh lou” who will conduct wakes and funerals. It is a skill that took many years to master and is usually handed down from one generation to the next. In those days, a “nam moh lou” is usually a middle aged man but now you can find young and handsome guys, their sons, perhaps. Ever heard of overseas university graduates with degrees in accounting or business management coming back home to take over their father’s trade as “nam moh lou”? I have. It is that lucrative!
Do you know how a casket is chosen? According to the casket shop owner whom my family knew, when somebody dies, the “nam moh lou” together with the kin, will light up a joss stick, chant some prayers and “lead” the dead soul to the casket shop where they will wait for a signal, normally a faint knocking sound coming from the casket which the deceased “fancies”! Throwing 2 small pieces of wood on the floor will confirmed the choice.
In those days, the casket was made in the traditional style, a long rectangular box with 3 humps. It was big and heavy, normally made from teak or pine wood. It is very frightening just to look at them. But today, they are very modern and westernized. Just a rectangular box with gold flower handles and came with a small glass window where one can see the deceased’s face as he or she laid inside. A casket is normally expensive, costing several thousand dollars each.
A bereaved family will always try to indulge on the deceased. A suit made from expensive silk cloth with dragon and flowers motifs were usually bought to dress the deceased. They came in silver, gold or blue color. A cap and a pair of sandals of similar material and color were normally chosen to complete the look for a “grand exit.” The richer and older the deceased, the grander his or her suit will be.
The casket shops also offer to bathe and dress the corpse for a fee. Another spin off trade is to provide “make up” for female corpse. Arch eyebrows, blue eye shadow, pink cheeks, red lipsticks and hair neatly combed into place. Yes, all women like to look beautiful, even in death! After the bathing and make up session was done, a special ancient Chinese coin is placed between the lips of the deceased for him or her to bribe the guards in the hereafter! Yes, they even practice corruption in hell!!
An umbrella made from oiled paper in light brown color is purchased from these shops. It is opened up and placed on top of the coffin to provide “shelter” for the deceased on the way to the hereafter.
For those who chose cremation, rows of marble and porcelain urns were available in these shops to choose from. They came in white for marble while the porcelain ones are normally in maroon, green or yellow. There were intricate designs of dragons, unicorns and flowers on the urns and Chinese characters “sau 寿” meaning “longevity” were crafted on them. For those who chooses burial, they will have to buy a plot of land and it is even more expensive, especially those with good “feng-shui 风水”. Expect to pay between RM50,000 to RM80,000 especially in memorial parks with beautiful landscapes. Normally the owners of these casket shops will act as middle man between the family and the developer of these memorial parks.
These shops also sell mourning clothes. Normally black clothes, sack vests, white hoods over the heads and white waist bands were reserved for the children and daughters –in laws to show that they are the closest and grieved the most. It is blue clothes and white waist band for grandchildren and great grandchildren. The son-in laws wears light color clothes and white waist bands because they are considered “outsiders” since they have no blood relation and did not shared the family surname with the deceased.
There were a few shops specializing in making paper offerings for the deceased. Among the things a dead person needed in the afterlife was a big double storey mansion completed with a pair of male and female servants, a big limousine with a driver and of course everyday items like TV set, fan, mahjong table and chairs, suitcase with clothes, shoes, accessories like watch and jewelries and not forgetting hell bank notes, lots of them! They said if one cannot have luxury on earth, at least one can after death.
In those days, a lorry is often used as a hearse. A large portrait of the deceased is put in front of the vehicle at the center and surrounded by a flower garland. Nowadays, modern vehicles like MPV were used. Two white lanterns with the deceased’s surname and age written were hang on each side of the hearse, ready for the last journey on earth. And in this case, that journey starts from Hume Street!
Don’t you agree it is a rather long and expensive shopping list, one that will surely burn a hole in the pocket?
Final part ~ One journey has ended. Another is about to begin…… 今世毕. 来世始…
http://www.ipohworld.org/?p=2131
Part 1 ~ Unfolding a Panorama Called Hume Street….伸展“谦街”的一幕
A stone’s throw away from #188 is Hume Street, now known as Jalan Mesjid. Along this short but interesting street, one can find many traditional trades co- existing harmoniously with modern ones.
Let’s start with this building at the junction of Hume Street “ 谦街 ” and Jalan Yang Kalsom. This building once housed the Century Omnibus Station (百年车站). It was there for many decades. Their red coloured rickety buses plied from town to Taman Chempaka, Ampang, Chemor, Tanjung Rambutan and the Race Course along Tambun Road. Back in the 60s and 70s, this was a bustling place, along with some taxis in front.
There were rows of long wooden benches outside. A jukebox in the coffee shop next to the bus station always blasted out English songs which my mom loved although she did not understand a word of English. The most memorable ones were those favorite songs sung by Elvis, Beatles, Bee Gees, Osmond Brothers, Jackson Five, etc.
One night in the early 80s, a big fire gutted the station and a few buses were destroyed. Many people came out to watch the fire and even the FRU were called in to control the swelling crowd. Those staying in the vicinity were worried that the fire might spread because of the electrical wires linking the bus station to the row of shops opposite. Luckily that did not happen and the fire was eventually brought down. A few years later, the bus station closed down and today, this place is taken over by travel agencies and a locksmith.
A few steps away, one can see many shops dealing in various traditional trades like making paper offerings, lorry tarpaulins, sofa covers, curtains, car upholsteries, tailoring, hair dressing and motor workshops.
Just opposite were some funeral parlours with convalescent homes on the upper floors and of course, a few shops selling coffins.
Further down is the iconic Rex Cinema which faces Brewster Road. In its heyday, this cinema was filled to the brim with patrons watching mainly Cantonese movies. You could find stalls selling sugar cane juice, yellow steamed peanuts, kacang putih and even plastic toys outside. Inside the cinema, there were stalls selling light snacks like sweets, chewing gum, sour plums, salted groundnuts, dried red ginger and prawn crackers.
Today, this place is occupied by a furniture shop and a car park. The stone benches in front are not there anymore. Dad and I would sit there to eat “kuaci” or melon seeds, yellow steamed peanuts and “lin toong” or seeds of the lotus plants after a movie.
Across from the cinema you will find some coffee shops, clan associations, mahjong parlors, a pet shop, an optical shop and one that makes car plates and rubber stamps. You will also find the Kinta Small Traders Association here. At the isolated end of this street is the Panglima Kinta Mosque near the Kinta River bank, the oldest in Ipoh.
Unfolding the panoramic Hume Street brought back some fond memories. When I was about 5 or 6, some nights after my eldest siblings were asleep, the owl in me would pester my dad to take me out for walks around the neighborhood. Dad called it “jalan jalan” or “sau kai” in Cantonese.
First, he took me to Jubilee Park for a ride on the musical carousel and the breathtaking giant wheel. After that, we will head straight to Hume Street for a light supper at the “luk luk” stall in front of the shop next to the coffee shop in brown paint. I usually chose a few sticks of fish balls and squid and dipped them into the boiling water. Next, I would apply some red colored sweet sauce or “tim cheong” on them before eating. Hmm, yummy, yummy!
After that, it was time to go home when we had had enough.
Many shops along Hume Street were already closed by then, so was the bus station. We quickened our steps as the place was dark and quiet. If we were out too late, Mom would scold us because she believed some malicious spirits were lurking at the corners along this street and these would make children fall sick!
Ah, if only I could turn back the clock and walk down this path again with dad holding my hands, just one more time……
http://www.ipohworld.org/?p=2131
Part 2 ~ The most extravagant journey in life…..人生最昂贵之旅程
http://www.ipohworld.org/?p=2064
Note : Special thanks to Aaron Ong who kindly took these photos and shared them with us here.
This blog is published at the request of Kinta Heritage Group
PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL ENQUIRIES SHOULD BE PASSED TO
MR RAJA, +6012 524 2357
Ipoh Heritage Walk (Old Town)
Come and experience the grandeur of this beautiful city and learn why the town that tin built became known as the City of Millionaires.
Departing every Saturday from the main entrance of Ipoh Railway station at 8:00 AM.
Conducted by Mr. Rajasegaran, a licensed Tour guide and member of Kinta Heritage Group.
Fee is RM 20 per person – All are welcome!
JEJAK WARISAN IPOH (PEKAN LAMA)
MARI MENGALAMI KECANTIKAN BANDAR IPOH DAN SAMBIL BELAJAR BAGAIMANA IPOH MENJADI BANDAR YANG DIKENALI RAMAI SEBAGAI PEKAN JUTAWAN HASIL DARI PERKEMBANGAN BIJIH TIMAH.
PERJALANAN AKAN BERMULA DARI PINTU UTAMA STESYEN KERETA API
SETIAP HARI SABTU PADA PUKUL 8:00 PAGI.
ROMBONGAN ADALAH DIBIMBINGI OLEH ENCIK RAJASEGARAN, PEMANDU PELANCONG BERLESEN DAN JUGA AHLI DARI KINTA HERITAGE GROUP
PENYERTAAN RM 20 DAN SEMUA DIJEMPUT.
怡保旧街场文化遗迹之行
让我们共同欣赏怡保独有的山城之美,同时了解这座原是貌不起眼的小镇如何通过锡米发展蜕变成富豪之城。
此趟文化遗迹之行将由近打文化遗迹队会员兼资深导游拉惹锡加兰先生 (Rajasegaran)带领我们深入体会。
就让我们约定您每逢星期六早上八时,从怡保火车站门口一起踏上不一样的文化遗迹之行。
欢迎各方踊跃参与。
PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL ENQUIRIES SHOULD BE PASSED TO
MR RAJA, +6012 524 2357
We have here a postcard, from roughly the 1930s. At the top, right, it says “Belfield Street”.
The mystery here is this: on the far left of the picture, is a building that says ‘E.W. FMS Hotel’. Was this the location of the 1st FMS Bar and Restaurant?
Notice too that almost across the street from the said FMS building is Mikasa Photo Shop (which seems to be promoting a ‘cheap sale’). Along the same row of this FMS building is also Abdullah Cigarettes, Hock Hin & Co, and a shop lot owned by Labrooy (which probably was Caxton Press).
We hope our fans out there can shed some light on our mystery……..
Dad has only a primary education. Without a stable job, it is difficult to feed a large family. We have already pawned whatever that can be pawned. We were close to living in poverty.
Finally, Grandma let out the front portion of #188 to a couple who turned it into a mahjong parlor. Many whores, massage ladies, bargirls, pimps, hawkers, taxi drivers and housewives came in for several rounds. It became a very noisy place, sometimes extending into the wee small hours. Many times fights broke out and the police were called in to break them up. What was once a home to us suddenly became a vice den filled with cigarette smoke and vulgar languages. Sometimes we could not even hear our own voice with all the noises around us.
We kept to ourselves, spending our time mostly upstairs but it was already filled to the brim with tenants. There is hardly any space left for us to study in. This was the last straw for Dad. In a fit, he kicked all the mahjong players out and took back the shop for us to study in peace.
In his early days, Dad was trained in a mechanical work shop in Batu Gajah before the Japanese invasion interrupted his apprenticeship.
He quickly got hold of some motor parts and assembled them into something you see in these pictures. I really do not know what to call it. There is no name for it. We simply called it “the motor”. It was this device that gave our family hopes again. More importantly, it put food on our table and saw all of us through school.
You see, with this device, Dad started another business. He cycled to all the tailor shops, hair salons and garment factories in Ipoh town, offering to sharpen their scissors. In the beginning, business was quite scarce. Nobody would trust him with their cutting tools. After all, he was just a new kid on the block in this trade.
There were some established ones in town. There is one at Cockman Street, next to the shop that sells joss sticks and paper offerings. Others operated along back alleys in the old town area, doing their business long before my Dad appeared in the picture.
However, with patience and skill, he soon won them over. Before long, they discovered that the sharpness lasts longer compared to those done by others. Moreover, Dad charged the same like the rest, RM1 for a pair. Within 2 years, he managed to build a base of regular customers.
He even painted his own signboard and put it in front of the shop every morning before he started work. I remembered it was a big scissors with a light blue background. The blades were painted in silver while the handles were in black. It was just a picture, without words.
Dad used sharpening stones or whetstones to sharpen the scissors. Some came in the shape of a small circular wheel which was fixed to the motor. Others were simply blocks of rough or smooth stones.
They were used separately or in combination, depending on the size, length and quality of the scissors. Normally the bigger, longer and superior blades were sharpened using the motor while the smaller, shorter and inferior ones were done by hand only, to prevent them from breaking.
Yes, the blades can break under intense pressure! I have seen this before and in the end, Dad has to compensate his customer with a new pair of scissors.
To sharpen a pair of scissors, Dad unscrewed the bolt and nut to separate the two blades. Dipping the scissors and sharpening stone into a pail of water to make them wet, he would slide the beveled edge on one side of each blade against the stone. He has to slide the entire length of the blade many times before the scissors is sharp enough to be oiled and screwed back.
Sometimes it took 2 or 3 hours to sharpen one and sometimes, in less than half an hour, depending on the scissors. He also sharpened kitchen knives and all kinds of cutting tools.
It was hard work. It was a one man show. With so many scissors to be sharpen and everyone wanted it done quickly, Dad has to work from morning till night, standing on his feet. He could not get the work done sitting down because, to slide the blade, he needed to use force.
Therefore, his feet would get swollen by the end of the day. His hands numbed and his back pained by the many hours of bending over the work table. Sometimes he accidentally cut his fingers and bled. With a bandaged hand, he continued with the work because he has datelines to meet and many mouths to feed.
Many customers told Dad he was the best scissors sharpener in town. They wanted him to sharpen their scissors in the quickest possible time. Of course Dad could not meet their demands because he has so many scissors waiting for him to sharpen. It is piling up by the day.
“If you wanted it to be sharpen quickly, then please go to other scissors sharpener. Here, you have to wait longer as you can see the pile of scissors and I am doing the work alone!” he could AFFORD TO SCOLD his customers. Many were fearful of him but they loved his skill.
In the end, they meekly gave in and left their cutting tools with Dad. Many bought extra scissors to use while waiting for Dad to sharpen theirs. They preferred to wait for several days rather than go elsewhere. They knew they left their tools in good hands. Throughout all the years, no customers complained about Dad’s work, except that he was rather fierce when pressured!
When I was in Std 6, some foreign tourists past by Dad’s work place which was at the back portion of the shop. They were fascinated to see such a trade done in a traditional manner and decided to video and photograph him as he goes about doing his work.
Many people in the neighborhood called Dad “Scissors Sharpener Uncle” and Mom “Scissors Sharpener Aunty”. When I took taxis in front of Rex Cinema, many taxi drivers who knew Mom and Dad even called me “Scissors Sharpener Daughter”!! LOL.
Dad toiled on until all his children finished school and were able to stand on their own. By then he was old and haggard, having slogged most of his life. As a result of working too hard, it put a toll on his health. His heart became weak, his hands stiff with arthritis and his legs from rheumatism.
Dad retired in 1996 after 25 years in this business. He spent the remaining years nursing his health and staying home resting after working hard most of his life.
This article is a tribute to Dad, a very determined man who believed in nothing and no one, except his own pair of hands and who overcame all odds that life threw into his path, without any help from anyone. I am very proud of him.
I am still keeping this motor with me as a remembrance of Dad who was once a very skillful scissors sharpener in Ipoh. It is a waste that his hand painted signboard became rusty after 25 years and he threw it away when he finally called it a day. But he gave me a pair of scissors and a few whetstones to keep as well.
Yes ladies and gentlemen the exterior restoration of the Lam Looking building is complete, and it really is looking good. But before you feast your eyes on the wonderful building please allow me to show you what it looked like about 60 plus years ago when still in operation.
Well there you are, with the Celestial Hotel, Cabaret and Restaurant upstairs and the bazaar on the ground floor, this was a really happening place through the 30’s and 40’s. Even the Japanese partook of the delights of the upper floors and turned part of it into a high stakes gambling casino.
Later as the clientele diminished the hotel was turned into a cinema, The Movieland Theatre, specialising in Korean and Cantonese Opera movies. But soon that also went to the wall and after the fire we all thought the old girl was finished. How wrong we were and may I present a GREAT LOOKING LAM LOOKING, photo courtesy of Peter Wang Shaoming.
Ruth Iversen, daughter of the original architect, Berthel Michael Iversen must be delighted, and so are we for at last a major building in Ipoh has actually completed its restoration. Now we await completion of the Old Post Office. Let us hope the trend catches on.
But one final thought. “I wonder what they are going to use the building for?”
…the Sun Cinema was still in one piece!
This picture we have here is from around 1985, a little after the Sun Cinema closed its doors to the public. It was located at the corner of Brewster Road and Hale Street (behind the building was the Kinta River). Incidentally, sketches of this cinema were done by our very own cartoonist Lat (in ‘Town Boy’).
Built in 1917 as the Oriental Cinema, by Leong Eng Khean (the son of Towkay Leong Fee), it was leased in 1920s to Run Run Shaw (of the Shaw Brothers). Shaw renamed it the Sun Cinema. Meanwhile, the Oriental Cinema rented the Harima Hall (1910-1917).
Sun was managed by Ho Ah Loke and in November 1929 showed ‘The Rainbow Man’ – the 1st of the “talkies” (movies with sound). ‘The Rainbow Man’ used a travelling movie company; after its success, Ho Ah Loke installed his own equipment. By the 1930s, Sun was deemed the most modern “talkie” theatre in Malaya!
Sadly, it closed down in 1983 – only to be replaced by a car park…..
At last Perak State has made a bold and positive step in the UNESCO direction by declaring that Perak is preparing the nomination dossier for five locations to be presented to UNESCO to list them as World Heritage Sites.
In this firm and welcome statement, State Chairman for Industry, Investment, Industrial Development and Tourism, Datuk Hamidah Osman, said a committee had been formed comprising of the National Heritage Department, Tourism Perak, Ipoh and Taiping local councils, district offices, related government agencies together with the heritage societies to prepare the nomination documents. Under the nature category, the sites are Royal Belum (Tropical Rainforest and Biodiversity Heritage) and Gua Tempurung (Limestone Heritage), and under the Nature and Culture Category the locations identified are Taiping (Heritage Town), Kinta (Tin Heritage and encompassing the area between Ipoh, Batu Gajah and Kampar) and Ipoh City (Cultural Heritage).
Of course that is great news, particularly for those of us whose main interest is Ipoh and the Kinta Valley, but let us understand, UNESCO do not give away these accolades easily and in the case of Penang/Melaka the whole process took masses of work from all concerned over many years. So the people of Perak must be prepared to help wherever they can and be prepared for a long haul.
Now have a look at the following photos, all taken recently in Ipoh Old Town and you will see areas where planning and control by the authorities together with landowner responsibility have completely failed. Areas like these will make negotiations with UNESCO an uphill struggle unless they can be overcome. The pictures are not intended to highlight any one person or organisation but are just shots taken at random. There are dozens more examples in the same area.
Close to the defined heritage area and the river bank we have a permanent lorry park and ugly renovations.
Close by there are gaps like pulled teeth and turned into rough and unsightly car parks.
Buildings are abandoned and collapsing.
And many are simply neglected.
So having taken the first bold step the government/City Council now need to take another one and enforce planning and maintenance rules that accord with the UNESCO requirements from TODAY, for the fear is that landowners, afraid of UNESCO regulations will simply demolish their old buildings rather than risk additional expense in the future. They have taken such action before and no doubt will do it again unless prevented by law and the severest penalties.
And for us, the readers, please do support the various organisations like the heritage societies and tourist association in the above committee, I am sure they will welcome your help.
Sometimes life can be cruel.
It was late 1969. Dad has a younger brother staying with us at #188. He was a carpenter at a furniture shop in Ipoh. A young man of just 23, he was healthy and full of life vitality. Everyone liked him. He was steady with a pretty girl next door and they dreamed of a happy life together. In fact, they were busy planning for their big day.
One night, looking into a mirror while combing his hair and getting ready for a date with his sweet heart, he saw a small lump on his neck, the size of a 5 cent coin.
Thinking it was an insect bite, he just applied some cream onto it and left it to heal by itself. But it did not, instead it got bigger by the day. Before long, it ballooned to the size of an adult’s fist. It was a malign tumor.
Dad was very worried for him. Being the eldest brother, he felt it was his duty to send him for treatments and was prepared to bear the costs. Treatments were sought for him in Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur at private and government hospitals but to no avail.
In Singapore, doctors there advised Dad to send his brother for treatments in Canton, China. Overseas treatments are expensive but Dad did not mind paying to save a young life.
At first, he got better and stayed on for a year there for further treatments. But the tumor recurred and in the end, he passed on, after several unsuccessful operations. A wedding it was not to be but a funeral instead for this unlucky young man.
A few months later, paternal grandpa, a heavy smoker, was diagnosed with lung cancer. Again, as the eldest son, Dad did what is necessary for him but grandpa also lost the battle. The old man was given a proper last rite and burial. By then, Dad was almost broke to the bones.
Before he can even recover, along came a notice from the Ipoh municipality. Three conditions must be met before business license can be renewed again.
Firstly, operators of all eateries must tile the walls of their shops to 6 feet high. As the bucket system will be phased out in a few months time, all toilets must be converted to the flush system. Lastly, the whole shop must be repainted with white paint.
Dad simply cannot afford it anymore. Most of his savings were spent to treat his loved ones.
He went to see the shop owner, hoping to get some help. The shop owner stressed that he only let out an empty shop and will not bear any renovations done to it. It was clearly stated in the tenancy agreement and he was unmoved by Dad’s predicament. To add salt to injury, the rental was raise too. It has been a long time since the last raise, he pointed out.
As fate would have it, even the faithful stone grinder failed him too. After 25 years of heavy usage, the handle, made from hard wood, broke down. In fact, the whole thing, from wear and tear, is out of shape. It is time to order a new one from China. This will also cost a lot, especially the transportation’s fee.
Dad was at his wit’s end. No license. No tools. Rental has gone up.
Finally, he threw in the towel. The curtain came down on Nam Foong Coffee Shop in 1971, after 26 years of operation.
Our carefree childhood days abruptly came to an end when Dad lost his livelihood. What followed were the bleakest days of our lives. There were 8 hungry mouths to feed. We lived from hand to mouth for the next 2 or 3 years.
We did not celebrate Chinese New Year simply because we cannot afford to. It was just like any normal day for us.
No reunion dinner. No new clothes.
I still remembered how on the night of New Year’s Eve in 1971, Dad went out to buy 2 packets of fish ball noodles and asked Mom to divide it out among the children. Each of us would get a small portion it hardly filled up our hungry stomachs. That night, we all went to sleep early.
We could hear the fireworks outside welcoming the New Year and the children in the neighborhood running up and down merrily, playing firecrackers after their reunion dinner.
Her eyes red, Mom told us softly, “Go to sleep. Once you are asleep, you will forget you are hungry.”
I still remembered these words till this day.
Back in the 1970s, many people held their wedding banquets in Perak Ku Kong Chow Association at Jalan Yang Kalsom. Mom went there to work as a cleaner after the dinner has ended, to earn a few dollars. She would bring home some left- over food for us.
Succulent prawns, crispy fried chickens and tasty mushrooms which some people cannot take in anymore, we gulped these down hungrily. Sometimes, we could find some toothpicks and used tissue papers inside the gravy.
Despite the hardships, Dad held the family together and reminded us to study hard. He said, no matter what, we still have to go to school and learn. He believed, with a pair of strong hands, we will not be hungry again.
Note:
My late uncle was standing 3rd from left at the back row.
The couple in the middle, back row, were my parents while my grandpa was seated in the middle, front row.
The original photo has been framed up and hung on the wall.
The Ipoh Echo recently reported that Ipoh’s Little India is to be spruced up. The work is to be completed before Merdeka Day on August 31. The area being spruced up under a project financed by the Federal Government covers from the entrance of Jalan Leong Boon Swee into Jalan Lahat and carrying on into Jalan Sultan Yussuf (Belfield Street) up till the intersection with Jalan Sultan Iskandar Shah. The idea to give a facelift was mooted when the Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin visited the area last year and approved a RM1.5 million grant for the facelift. Plans for the facelift was drawn up by Ipoh City Council and presented to the residents in the area at a dialogue held last month to explain the changes about to be undertaken and to get their approval.
Among the changes to be made are replacing the interlocking bricks of the present pavements, laying interlocking pavers with motifs characteristic of Little India on the roads, installing decorative lamps and landscaping of the entire stretch. An arch will also be erected at the Dataran Little India (the small square in the centre of the area).
The existing memorial fountain (What memorial fountain?) will be demolished and in its place a stage will be constructed. A police pondok will also be located there to provide security.
Blocks of shop-houses within Little India will be painted with its original colours once all the rest of the sprucing up work has been completed.
Having read all of that I thought it would be usefdul to post the above picture of the square as it is today so that we may gain a comparison with the finished job.
And this is what the same place looked like in 1948.
Wouldn’t it be nice if all those terrible advertising signs be removed and the building allowed to show off their new paintwork as they originally did.
Back in the 1950s, cinemas were a popular (probably the only) source of entertainment – television sets were not common and not everyone had a radio either! Hence, the cinema-experience was a real treat – especially for the little ones!
We received an interesting e-mail from Ignatius Chiew, regarding the ‘soft’ opening of Ipoh’s Cathay Cinema.
From the picture, we see the Lucky Patron (patron No. 500 000) receiving her double pass (for 1 month) as she arrives at the booking office. According to Ignatius, Cathay opened its doors to the public on 30th January 1957 – the eve of Chinese New Year – which was considered an auspicious day for business. Incidentally, Ignatius’ father was then the (first) manager of Cathay cinema.
Does anyone know WHEN exactly the half million patron mark was reached? We would like to know the date, and probably any other extra bit that you may know…..maybe someone might even know WHO the pretty lady in the picture is!
Nephew of FMS fame was not only the well loved barman of the FMS, but he was friend and confidente of literally thousands of people from all over the globe who dropped in the FMS for a ‘quick one’ over his sixty years behind that famous old bar. Sadly he passed away this week and will never serve us a beer or one of his delightful meals again. An icon of Ipoh and part of the city’s history, he will be sorely missed when the FMS reopens its doors next year.
We pass ipohWorld’s condolences to his family.
“Oh No!” I can hear you say, “Not the clock tower AGAIN!”, but please be patient because this postcard sent to us as a scan was bought here in Ipoh in 1955 and there is something quite different about it.
“Different! What is different?”
Well, out of the many similar pictures we have seen from the inauguration in 1909 to today, we have never seen the wooden building at the bottom left of the picture. So please enlighten us by telling us what it was and when it was there.
We know that with so many readers with great memories of Ipoh, somebody will be able to tell us.
This is a front view of No.188, Hugh Low Street – which used to be Ipohgal’s home. The picture was taken by Aaron Ong, who was inspired by Ipohgal’s description of her colourful childhood. The design of this house deserves a special mention – particularly the 2 lions on the roof (see picture below)
Like Ipohgal has mentioned, there are 2 lions on either side of a globe (in the centre). Were the lions part of a certain trademark? Or perhaps a unique ‘signature’ of a famous person? I do wonder if there are anymore of such designs on other buildings around Ipoh – maybe it was part of a series of buildings built by a particular architect! (for instance, the shop houses that Yau Tet Shin built all have a similar design).
We thank Aaron for the pictures, and also Ipohgal for sharing her fond memories with us.
Designed by A B Hubback, who also designed the Ipoh Railway Station, this work-of-art was completed in 1916. The east end of the building was used as the Post and Telegraphs Office in 1928. This building is still used today – be it for concerts, wedding banquets, official functions, etc. It’s also had some restoration work done over the years. At present, its neighbour the (former) Post Office is going through a much needed ‘make-over’.
We do hope this splendid work-of-art lives on for many more years……
Bush Radio Marble Table Wooden Chairs
Besides being a home to my family, 188 Hugh Low Street was also once a coffee shop.
In 1945, an English man who was working and staying in Batu Gajah, retired and planned to return to England for good. He has a collection of marble tables and wooden chairs in his rented house. Unable to bring them along, he gave them away to the villagers nearby.
Dad got some tables and chairs and hired a small lorry to transport them to his newly rented shop in Ipoh. He bought a Bush Radio from a second hand dealer a few years later. Two hanging fans and fluorescent lamps were added to complete the ‘old world charm’ look. And voila, Nam Foong Coffee Shop “南风茶室” was born!
Nam Foong is famous for its tau foo far, served with essence of almond in a small porcelain bowl. They are served either warm or chilled. It was sold at 5 cents a bowl in the 40s and 30 cents during the 60s.
It was hard work to make tau foo far. First, soya beans were soaked before being placed in between 2 round stone slabs to grind them. It is then cooked in a big wok using slow fire. Once it is boiled, it is filtered and poured into wooden tubs. Roasted lime stone powder is added to give it the right texture. Finally, they were scooped into hundreds of porcelain bowls.
Dad could take the easy way out by cooking gula Melaka or rock sugar to go with tau foo far, like what you are getting nowadays. But he will have none of this. To him, tau foo far is best eaten with essence of almond and nothing can convince him to think otherwise!
To produce the aromatic and sweet essence of almond call for skill. They were steamed and pounded to extract the essence which if done incorrectly, will give a bitter taste instead.
In those days, everything was done by hands. No machine is use, unlike now. The work was done by my parents and paternal grandma from night till dawn when everyone was sound asleep.
And do you know that the outcome is not the same every day? Dad was very strict with the end result. He will not settle for anything less. If he was satisfied with the texture, he will sell them. Otherwise, he would just pour them away and for that day, he will sell the normal stuff like coffee or toasted bread only.
The best soya beans came from Indonesia and Vietnam. Different batch of beans from the same source yield different results. The secret lay in choosing the right beans and using the right amount of each ingredient. It was a skill he learned from paternal grandpa who is very skillful in making soya bean products.
Soon words spread around about the smooth and aromatic tau foo far . Before long, it sold very well and on a good day, almost 200 bowls were sold. Patrons would park their cars near the shop to have a taste of this delicious dessert because back then, Dad would not allow take away in plastic bags. He insisted the tau foo far to be served in porcelain bowls to bring out the best in taste, aroma and texture.
A myriad of customers came in for this dessert. My elder brother’s headmaster, who is a Christian brother at Sam Tet School, occasionally cycled over for a few bowls in the hot afternoon. He came in his white robes and all!
Then there is the old blind masseur who roamed the town offering his service. When he called it a night, he would drop in for a bowl or two. Whenever I saw him coming, I would quickly ran and squatted under tables or hid behind doors because the sight of him wearing big dark glasses with bells in his hands simply petrified me. I was about 5 or 6 then.
The policemen from the police station opposite would come for the tau foo far too. Some of them would ask Dad, “Eh, towkay, apa benda ini hah…….sungguh sedap?”
Dad would reply, “ Ini tau foo far !”
“Apa….oh….tau foo farrrrrrrrr…..” and everyone would laugh.
Business was stable and the family could make a decent living.
However, some 25 years later, one day, Dad received a notice from the Ipoh municipality which changed our lives completely……
Note: The photos above showed a marble table, some wooden chairs and the old radio from Nam Foong Coffee Shop. Except for the radio which was broken down, the rest are still in use till today. During its prime, we can listen to stations all over the world, just imagine that!
I’m sure many of you out there recognize this place!
Today, it’s mainly a stop for the inter-city buses – since Medan Gopeng now handles the inter-state services. But the place is still BUSY!
Such buses (as in the picture) are still around today, along with the new air-conditioned buses too! The roundabout has had a make-over of sorts: with a peculiar arrangement of labu sayong and flowering plants. Those trees on the top left corner have made way for a petrol station.
Has anything else changed?
“To have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.”
After the Japanese left Malaya in 1945, Dad had wanted to resume with his apprenticeship at the village workshop in Batu Gajah but found it was burnt down. The owner and his entire family were killed by the Japanese soldiers.
He was already 25. So the next step would be to move to Ipoh to start a new life. With RM300 in his pocket, he rented a place and started a coffee shop with his mother and sisters. That was how Nam Foong Coffee Shop at 188 Hugh Low Street began.
As time went by, business began to pick up and he needed an extra pair of hands. It was also time he needed a companion too. So he was looking for two persons rolled in one.
At the same time, Mom was hoping to escape from childhood poverty and a nagging stepmother. She was a young girl of 15 staying in Kampung Kuchai.
Through a match maker, photos were exchanged and a meeting arranged for them. And it turned out to be love at first sight for them both. Months later, they were engaged.
During their courtship they like to stroll along Hugh Low Bridge, People’s Park and Birch Bridge in the evenings. Sometimes they would go to cinema halls to watch a movie or two and to Jubilee Park for amusement. They often took a ride around town in a rickshaw because Dad could not afford to buy a car.
Mom and Dad eventually got married on November 22 1950 immediately after she reached the age of 20. It was a modest wedding attended by family and friends from both sides. A wedding luncheon was held at the Nam Hoi Wui Khun (Nam Hoi Association) along Clare Street.
Like any couples, they had their fair share of quarrels and fights but nothing could rock their strong and solid union. Despite everything, they stayed glued together to weather out all the hardships and obstacles that came their way in raising a large family.
In April 2000, Mom was diagnosed with end stage kidney failure. Dad was very devastated. He just broke down and cried. It was almost like his whole world collapsed on him. Knowing her end was very near, he helped me to take loving and tender care of her although he was already 80 and frail.
Mom succumbed to a heart attack on 24 November 2000 at home with Dad and me by her side. It was only 2 days after their 50th golden wedding anniversary which they could not celebrate due to her illness. Dad was beyond consolation. He had lost a partner of 50 years and the greatest love of his life. A loss so profound he could not recover from, even after many years.
When he passed on later, after 7 lonely years, their ashes were finally placed side by side at the Paradise Memorial Park in Tanjung Rambutan.
* HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY 母亲节快乐 http://www.ipohworld.org/?p=1585
* At the doorstep of hell….well,almost. http://www.ipohworld.org/?p=1489
Hi,
The Ipohworld’s World blog is wonderful.
I tried to find in your posts information about one building which is located near the roundabout at Gopeng Road and Jalan Tambun, diagonally opposite Yuk Choy Primary School, but I haven’t been able to.
A large furniture shop is now built in front of it (Kota Furniture). I knew that formally the building that has a large compound belonged to Kok Kee Restaurant but who owned the original building? The original owner was probably a Cheong family, since there’s a gate with the inscriptions “C” and Cheong.
I have attached a few photographs taken last year at this place, but regrettably, I did not manage to get a picture of the front of the building because the furniture shop owner built extensions out from the front of the building, concealing the front porch of it.
I am hoping someone can provide the history and show photos of the original stone building.
Sincerely,
Choymun
A TRIBUTE TO MOM 献给天下间的母亲
Dearest Mom, how can I ever forget
the simple joy of nestling in your loving arms
and suckling contently at your milky breasts
that gave me the nourishments of life.
Dearest Mom, how can I ever describe
your kind smile that I saw through my tears
as I took a fall and you whispered to my ears
that it is sometimes alright to take a tumble in life.
Dearest Mom, how can I ever thank you enough
for the wisdom that you taught me as I grew up
and the love you gave me so unconditionally
which is the sweetest nectar I have tasted in life.
The lovely lady in this photo is my beloved late mom, Madam Chow Chiew Sai. This photo was taken in 1945 for match making purpose. It was taken at an unknown studio in Ipoh, most probably near Kg Kuchai where she stayed during her younger days. In those days, match making was the norm upon reaching marriageable age.
In this photo she sported the “abalone” hairstyle made famous by the popular mainland Chinese songstress, Zhou Xuen周璇. Mom was a big fan, always humming her songs as she goes about doing her chores. For this photo session, she also sewed herself a set of samfoo to complete the pretty look. Needless to say, she won my dad’s heart straight away!
From cradle to grave, Mom never had it easy. Her own mother died when she was only six and being the eldest child, she had to take care of her siblings and doing all the house work even though she is still a child herself. And in those days there were no electricity or tap water, much less gas stove! So she has to draw water from the well and chop fire woods as a child.
After marriage, she had to face abusive in- laws and in old age debilitating illness.But Mom is a very resilient and gentle person. She has never throw a tantrum nor even rise her voice. Despite the many hardships, she and Dad managed to give my siblings and me a decent childhood and for that we are forever indebted and grateful to them both.
This coming Sunday is Mother’s Day. Even though she is no longer with me but she is always in my heart and in my mind. And I like to take this opportunity to thank her and also to wish her a Happy Mother’s Day and may she rest in eternal peace.
Of course, I also like to wish all the wonderful moms in the world a HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY. Mothers are our guardian angels. As the Jewish proverb puts it aptly “God cannot be everywhere, therefore he created mothers.”
My name is Mohammed Salleh, age 39, married with three children. I am one of the many hawkers in town selling ‘chendol’ for the past 22 years. You can find me daily at the Magistrate Court compound in the morning; around Railway Station at one o’clock; and at Hale Street (opposite Town Padang) from 3 pm. I finish work at about 5pm.
He used to be one of the many hawkers who served locals (and probably foreigners too!) back in the 70s. Anyone tried his famous ‘chendol’?
Recognise this bar? Don’t know if it was as popular as the FMS; but it must have had many patrons – judging by their well-stocked bar (see picture below)
The bar was at Station Hotel. Wonder, did it have a catchy name? Some of you out there might know more………..
The former Out Patient department of the Ipoh General Hospital. We think this picture was probably taken in the late 80s (if we’re wrong, let us know!). At present, this building has been given a more modern ‘make-over’.
Also notice in the background – far right, the Municipal building (Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh).
No, we’re not talking about the Daniel Day-Lewis movie.
We think this ‘Red-Man’ was placed at the Ipoh Railway Station – and may possibly be the LAST of its kind!
Anyone ‘met’ the ‘Red-Man’ before?
This art-deco styled cinema was designed by B M Iversen and built in the late 1940s. It was said to be a popular Chinese movie cinema, which later went on to show English, Malay, Hindi and Tamil movies in the 80s. The theatre finally closed in 1998. The elegent building now stands alone at Chamberlain Road.
This picture, of one of Iversen’s beauties, was taken in the 1970s – when the theatre was still in use.
The location was good; at the heart of town, with neighbouring banks, theatres, commercial buildings and within easy communication. Back in the 70s, the room rates were quite affordable – $55 for a Twin-sharing De Luxe room! The air-conditioned rooms even had TV sets installed!
Besides the luxuries it offered, there was also a restaurant and dining room which served both Chinese and European food. I remember it as ‘Rondezvous’ and it was on the ground floor of the hotel. Last I checked, the restaurant was gone – anyone know what it’s called now?
This cinema was built in the 1930s, adjacent to a Christian graveyard – rumour has it that if you took off your shoes inside, you might not find them again when the lights come on! The picture shown here was taken in 1971, after the cinema was renovated.
I’m sure most of you know this Brewster Road cinema! Wonder what’s become of it now? After the fire in 2007, it seems to have just ‘stood still’……..
Here’s a section of Ipoh Old Town, said to be taken from the top of the state mosque’s minaret. In the background (left) is the Ipoh Padang and a row of giant common ru. Further back, are the limestone hills – something Ipoh has always been noted for!
This was what the area used to look like, back in the early 1970s. Of course now, things have changed a bit – for better or worse, depends on personal opinion I suppose. But, from what we’ve discovered lately……the Birch Clock Tower has been painted pink!
Has anything else been ‘altered’ dramatically in this area?
This all-marble fountain was built in memory of E W Birch, Perak’s British Resident from 1905-1910. It was at the south end of Belfield street – sadly, now another fountain has replaced this beauty!
We were once told by a senior resident of Ipoh, that during the Japanese Occupation the four corners of the fountain were ‘decorated’ with severed heads!
Also, later in 1957, the Town Council had a sign put up at the base – to prevent people from drying their laundry/chillies/and other such food stuff by the fountain!
Anybody out there have ‘other’ such memories of this fountain? I also wonder what’s become of the original marble fountain…….
The Qing Ming Festival, the Clear Bright Festival, Ancestors Day or Tomb Sweeping Day is a traditional Chinese festival which falls on the first day of the fifth solar term. It denotes a time for people to go outside and enjoy the greenery of springtime and tend to the graves of departed ones. This year it falls on 5 April – tomorrow.
Consequently we thought we should feature Ipoh’s most unusual grave, tucked in between MGS and a used car saleroom in Jalan Chamberlain Hulu, right in the middle of the city. But don’t worry for this has no bodies buried there nor spirits to wander in the dead of night for this is the Guandong Grave as the inscripion shows.
It reads “Worshipping altar of the Guandong grave” and was placed there to allow all the Chinese immigrants in Ipoh to pray to their ancestors as they could not do so at the graves in their home villages. The second inscription below (gold on grey) gives the history as being built during the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1878 to 1908). Consequently, when this grave was built there was no Ipoh New Town and it would have been among the padi fields and pig farms. Unfortunately the actual date is in a classical Chinese form that we have not yet been able to translate. The inscription also records that the grave was restored by the Perak Guangdong Association on 18 August 2003.
This final picture shows the inscription on the small altar to the right (just visible on picture one). This is the symbolic grave of the God of the Earth for those who wish to pray to him. No doubt all the mining coolies needed his help!
This is a real piece of Ipoh’s heritage as it has probably been there since 1895 or before!
This famous Ipoh landmark opened in 1962. Designed by Booty Edwards & Partners, the place offered each trader equal space for his/her shoplot.
The Yau Tet Shin bazaar was known to the locals as Pasar Bulat (Round / Circular Market); it offered everything from suitcases and travelling bags, to Pomelo and Groundnut stalls, and it also had 3 Chinese Restaurants – one of which was featured in our previous blog post.
40 years later (in 2002) this landmark was ‘flattened’ and now turned into a car park. I remember 2 stalls there which I once visited – a Chinese tailor, and a bag stall where I bought my first school bag.
I’m sure some of you out there visited the bazaar, before it ‘vanished’……
This restaurant was said to be famous for Chinese Delicacies and Tanjong Tualang Fresh Water Prawns. Probably one the few air-conditioned restaurants at that time (1970s), it was located at the Yau Tet Shin Market & Shopping Centre; along Cowan Street in Ipoh.
Sadly, the Yau Tet Shin Market is not there anymore (now turned into a car park). Maybe someone out there has been to this restaurant?
It was a bright sunny morning when these men in white went round the town carrying this float. We were told it was in conjunction with the 9-God Festival. In the background is a famous Ipoh food-haunt – Wan Nan Hotel and Restaurant. The restaurant is still there – still crowded on weekends and public holidays (recently, I’ve somehow become a fan of their Dim Sum!).
This second picture was taken further down Cowan Street. It’s the Chingay parade, and we think both these pictures were taken around the year 1947 – we could be wrong, so YOU decide!
Do let us know if any of you out there have witnessed such festivals / parades…especially in Ipoh!
Here we have two gentlemen posing outside the Perak Chinese Rubber Association. We think the picture was probably taken after 1959, since that was the year the building was built.
Since we know nothing about the place, we’d like to ask any of you out there: Do you know where in Ipoh this building is? (or if it’s not in Ipoh, then which other town).
This little girl is standing by the famous Sultan Yussuf Fountain. This fountain is at a roundabout; which connects Brewster Road, Tambun Road, Gopeng Road and Hugh Low Street. The fountain was donated by the Turf Club, as part of their attempts to beautify Ipoh. The Turf Club also came up with the Japanese Garden – which is along Tambun Road.
The Ipoh Airport started out as a private airfield in the 1930s. It was only in 1947 that the first commercial flight was introduced. Later, in the 1980s, the airport runway was extended.
Here we have a photograph of a family at the Ipoh Airport, taken in 1978. In the background (top, left) is the airport’s control tower. Recently, there were plans to further extend the runway as well as other ideas for a make-over. Anyone out there know what’s the latest news on this?
Jubilee Park was once Ipoh’s foremost entertainment centre. Built by the Danish architect BM Iversen, some of the attractions within this 4-acre park were the Grand Theatre, the Chinese Concert Hall and the Jubilee Cabaret. Interestingly, it was originally called the ‘Ipoh Amusement Park’, but later the owners (the Shaw Brothers of course!) renamed it ‘Jubilee Park’ in 1935 – in honour of King George V’s Silver Jubilee.
Sadly, the Jubilee Park of today is but a shell of its former self. I do wonder what has become of it…
A wander around Kampung Kuchai in the heart of Ipoh certainly gives the photographer something to concentrate on. We have featured the area before with the old house, the Beetle and the MG Magnette, but nothing as artistic as this (literally) heap of junk.
Here we have a real piece of artistry! How the owner managed to get all of that stuff piled on the roof of the van to actually stay there, I just don’t know.
Obviously proud of his work the artist has left his name and telephone number and entitled the work “Ah Fatt’s Car”. Perhaps he is waiting for one of the London galleries to call him to an art exhibition. After all this is far more interesting and colourful than much of the so-called art they display.
….when ‘Alvarez Kelly’ was being shown in Ruby Theatre. (Yes, on the far right is the cinema hall which was part of the Lau Ek Ching building, along Anderson Road.)
William Holden played a ‘suave Mexican cattleman’ named Alvarez Kelly who unwillingly found himself caught in a Civil War. Well, to those of you who saw the movie – you know what happened next!
Facing the camera is the Federal Hotel and Restaurant. From what Google told us, the hotel is STILL there! Somewhere behind this hotel is another cinema – Cathay. Incidentally, Cathay was showing ‘One of Our Spies is Missing’ – a movie from the famed ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E’ series.
I wonder how many Solo and Kuryakin fans saw the movie!!
Over the past few days there have been several comments about our last post that featured the FMS Bar and so while in Old Town searching for the MG logo (previous post) I took the opportunity to take the above photo to demonstrate what is being done to the pillars. As you can see they are being put back to original.
Coincidentally there is an article in todays New Straits Times that seems to confirm the rumour that the building will be returned fully to its original status, i.e. a hotel as well as restaurant and bar. See http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/articles/22fma/Article/index_html
Our earlier post about the old MG in Kampung Kuchai (put up specially for antiquelad) led to Raz alerting us to this MG logo set in the 5 foot way in Old Town. Early this morning I set off to locate it and thanks to Daniel’s advice in an earlier comment I found it at No. 8 Hugh Low Street.
It is in front of this shop which we understand is a gunsmiths shop that 2 generations ago used to sell MG motor spares. Of course as it was before 8am on Saturday, I could not enquire further but will follow up on a working day.
But there is another interesting logo as shown above. There are two of these set into the supporting pillars each side of the shop and of course they stand for Guan Hoe. With the electric cable sheathing passing in front of them these logos are most probably original and installed when the shop was first built. Clearly I need to get back to find out more.
Yes, just a few metres from the Beetle lies this grand old vehicle. If you don’t recognise it then have a look at this:
It is of course an MG and it is in that graveyard for old vehicles, right in the centre of Ipoh, called Kg Kuchai. This is is one of the last undeveloped areas of Ipoh and was featured in the City’s Structural Plan but was left alone during the one of the General Elections in the late 80’s or early 90’s. Politics presumably ruled as Kg Kuchai is home to many motor repair shops, coach builders, carpenters, welders and home to one of the City’s last remaining traditional Lorry Transport Companies.
Start at the house by the river (previous blog) and follow the path towards the town. You can’t miss finding this and lots of other interesting wrecks. However we have no idea of the owners of these things and can take no responsibility if your visit is wasted or has problems of any sort. Watch out for the many dogs!
Many people do not understand the difference between renovation and restoration, but in simple terms restoration means to return something to its original state (as near as possible) while renovation allows one to change, modernise, adds bits and pieces and generally end up looking nothing like the original. A good example would be Elizabeth Taylor versus Michael Jackson. She had her face restored many times we are told, to retain her youthful beauty, whereas Michael definitely renovated his – also several times!
But what has that got to do with the house above which sits close to the Kinta River bank. Well, looking at the new roof of modern tiles, this is certainly a renovation not restoration. We do not know anything much about this house, other than what the below notices show.
If I understand this correctly the renovation was approved in 1999. Now I remember with horror the renovation to my home in Ipoh where the planned 3 months took 1 year and 5 months with the cost more than doubling, but at least it didn’t take 11 years to get as far as completing the roof. But of course it is not anyone’s fault (it never is) but I wonder what the contractor thinks?
But the point of all this is that wouldn’t it have been nice to keep this house as an original model of its particulat style? Restore rather than renovate. After all this is in a very desirable location close to the river, but away from traffic and should fetch a tidy sum when sold on the open market. It would be even more attractive with the outside features retained but modernised inside to suit our high standard of living necessary these days.
To conclude, I say to those who have an old property in need of repair, consider carefully before you touch the building, restoration will be more expensive in the short term but the long term benefits will certainly be worthwhile. Once renovated it has gone for ever.
This photograph was taken by an Ipoh resident, Richard, Leong, in the early 1960’s not long after it had been erected by the Perak Turf Club as a gift to the town. At the key junction of Hugh Low Street, Gopeng Road, Tambun Road and Brewster Road it welcomed travellers to Ipoh from all directions.
I was looking at the fountain recently and I wonder why the water flow and spouts etc are so different from this picture. To me, although the structure is the same, the beauty of the water has completely disappeared when compared to the above. What could have happened? Are the pumps worn out or was there a deliberate change for one reason or another?
One more question comes from a small boy who, as they pass the fountain in their car, very often says “When will the Uncle switch on the water mummy?”. Now that is a good question as switching on and off seems quite a random affair. Does anyone know the answers to these?
Incidentally, the Turf Club also diverted some of its funds to help beautify the city by constructing the Japanese Garden with a solar-powered clock, along Tambun Road.
As you folks out there know by now, we like guessing-games. Here is a postcard from the 1980s, of a “busy street stall” in Ipoh, selling moon cakes, fruits, lanterns, etc. Now, all YOU have to do is tell us WHERE in Ipoh this street is (truth is: we aren’t sure ourselves!).
No prizes for guessing, just think of it as another way to get to know Ipoh better!
Local artist Khor Seow Hooi is presenting an exhibition of his paintings of Old Ipoh Town in the Syuen Hotel, first floor, from today 24 January 2010 until 31 january from 10am to 7.30pm daily, including Sunday. Above is one example of his detailed work in ink and watercolour on paper.
He has captured many of our heritage buildings with his brush and as the demolition of our heritage city continues unabated these pictures will become priceless mementoes of how we used to be.
Here is a second example of the treat that is in store for you when you make your way along to the Syuen. Don’t miss it!
In the entrance to the same building as the wash hand basin below hangs this electric light fitting. As electricity did not properly come to Ipoh until 1930, courtesy of the Perak River Hydro-Electric Power Company Ltd, it can only be around 75 years old – the art deco period – and that ties in very well with the style of the fitting. So we are in no doubt that the owners of this building were “early adopters” back in the 1930’s and quickly took advantage of the ability to provide proper lighting to illuminate their leisure.
Incidentally, the first electricity available in Ipoh was in 1923 by arrangement with the Pengkalan Tin Company, Batu Gajah.
For most items the definition of a true antique is more than 100 years old, although there are special arrangements made for items like paintings.
Here we have a real antique, found still fitted in a Chinese building in Ipoh after almost 117 years. Such items were quite rare in Perak in those days, apart from perhaps in the residences of the more senior colonial administrators for such things had to be imported at not inconsiderable expense. Therefore this was no cheap shophouse knocked up quickly, but a quality building with no expense spared for the building, its furniture and fittings.
As you can see from this second picture the basin was imported from Scotland from what is probably the most famous of all sanitary ware – Shanks of Barrhead established in 1850. There are actually two in the same room underlining the fact that no expense was spared. Can anyone guess which building these are in?
A word on dialects. Chinese are famous for their dialects, but Glasgow also has its own where Barrhead is pronounced “Boorheed” and Glasgow “Glessga”. I wonder is anyone out their knows how the Glaswegians pronounce “Milngavie”?
What a nice surprise I had yesterday when I dropped in to Panglima Lane to see the latest state of that fast disappearing site of Ipoh’s heritage. There was a wonderful sight, a Malay couple dressed in their stunning white silk wedding attire being photographed. The scene was without doubt worthy of the above secondary title “Beauty’Midst the Bricks”.
Now I did not ask them why they had chosen that particular spot, only if I could put this photo on my blog. But thinking back why shouldn’t they pick one of Ipoh’s most historic places to record their special day? But wouldn’t it be nice if the place had been kept up as a heritage site rather than a dilapidated shadow of its past glories. Sadly of course it is rare for anything in Ipoh ito be kept up despite heritage groups, activists and the government’s Heritage Act, for nobody seems to care about anything other than making a profit. What a sad place Ipoh will be if we continue this way.
It was time to have another look at the restoration/renovation of Lam Looking Bazaar, so I popped down there this afternoon. What a great transformation met my eyes for as the above picture shows, despite the diversion notices and vehicles, the exterior has taken on a great new look – almost back to brand new.
But of course there is still much to do, but there is definitely work in progress as you can see.
Going inside, which is not recommended on the grounds of safety, one finds style where there was only rubble not that long ago, and what is more it is the original Iverson art deco style, but with a spanking new roof of quality tiles. The building really is going to look as good as new.
But a lot more original Iversen has also been retained and although some of the glazing will inevitably be different the great variety of light giving designs, for example on the stairs, have been kept.
and in the front of the building (photo taken from inside ground floor).
Overall the building is well on the way to be Ipoh’s shining star of heritage in our crumbling city. Well done all concerned. We look forward to the completion and opening ceremony.
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!
Yes there really is another new heritage trail map for Ipoh, this one taking in both Old and New Town streets and 60 heritage buildings as well as giving a brief history of the city from 1873 to 1941. There is also a section on Ipoh’s famous foods, some notes on the Malay Enclave and “How to Script a Trip” a suggestion of how to enjoy two days in Ipoh. It is entitled “Ipoh: the sentimental side.”
You will recall that the last new map, featuring Old Town, which became available just a few weeks ago was sponsored by a local benefactor. This latest edition to the tourist’s armoury is produced under the umbrella of the Office of the Menteri Besar, Perak, via “The Soul of Ipoh Project” by the Perakean League and supported by The Lost World of Tambun, The Syuen Hotel, Ngan Yin (the Peanut People), Morubina (The Riverside Hotel and Project) and Foh San. Unlike the earlier version, this latest map costs RM5 and we bought it at the Canning Garden Newsagent cum bookshop. Well produced it is worth the money.
If I may I will finish with the quotation provided on the map,
“A large part of Ipoh’s story lies in its ancient buildings, walkways, alleys, road corners of the old town and new town of the city. By truly understanding the city’s heritage is one of the best ways for its survival of the most natural. May the soul of Ipoh continue to live for many generations to come.”
I just hope they mean it!
This lovely lass is said to be seated at the balcony of an old shop house in Ipoh. We’re not sure where about this place is, so some help would be nice. According to the kind soul who gave us the picture, one of the buildings in the background is the HSBC bank – which is along Belfield Street, in Old Town.
Anyone out there with more ideas / thoughts ?
This is the latest map/brochure published by Myheritage Technovation Sdn Bhd in collaboration with Perak Academy and Kinta Heritage Group. Inside is a basic map of Ipoh Old Town outlining a two-hour heritage trail as well as short write-ups about the 24 heritage buildings on the trail.
Also featured is a brief history of Ipoh Town, Panglima Lane (Concubine Lane) and a guide of Ipoh’s Living Heritage – our well-known cuisines – something food lovers will enjoy!
Privately sponsored by a public-minded citizen of Ipoh, copies of this brochure can be obtained free of charge at the Perak Academy office, the Railway Station, leading hotels, and Tourist Information Centers.
This is Ipoh’s Cathay Theatre which still stands to day, but no longer as a cinema having been overtaken by Metroplexes and the like. It was once a beautiful single-screen theatre, built in Cockman Street in late 1956 and opened on August 31, 1957 with the movie, ‘The King and I’, telling the fictitious romantic story of Anna Leonowens and the King of Siam. At that time the 3rd Class seats (front rows downstairs) cost 60cents per ticket, while 2nd Class further back cost around $1.20. 1st Class upstairs (mainly for Europeans or VIPs) cost $2.
However, this picture above is a little strange for there is still waste ground opposite the theatre, but the posters are all torn, yet it must still have been a working theatre as it is advertising Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in the Paramount Picture “Pardners” which dates it as not long after the opening in 1957/58. Does anyone have any ideas as to when the buildings opposite were built?
Well he would be in danger if he was to try and take the same photograph today as he was standing in the centre of the Birch Bridge in Brewster Road, but of course in 1952 life was different in Ipoh, Brewster Road took two-way traffic and as you can see the road is almost empty. Compare that to today if you will.
But as you can see, despite the fact that the photograph has suffered with age, there were so many trees, big trees not some miniatures, overtrimmed, dusty and dry that we are so used to today. Also, some of today’s buildings have not yet been built and the Odeon Theatre stands out in the distance.
Incidentally, the Odeon Theatre in Ipoh seated 850 on its main floor and in the balcony and was built in the 1930’s. Triangular in shape it is adjacent to St Michael’s Cemetery and like the Rex Theatre, Ipoh, rumours of ghostly happenings, spooks and terrifying visions abound. One popular rumour was that if you ever took off your shoes inside, you would never find them when the light came on – even if nobody had sat in front, behind or next to you.
The theatre closed in 1986 and several nightclubs have tried to make a success of it but either because of bad ‘feng shui’ or the ghosts, they have all failed. Today it stands as a marker of failure and ready for demolition unless some serious entrepreneur is prepared to try and change the building’s luck.
This photo shows a crocodile that was shot in the Kinta River which runs through Ipoh Town. The hunter was an European (referring to the hunter’s attire ) who helped the villagers to put an end to this crocodile’s menace. And the villagers were so excited to see the dead gigantic croc. We will be happy to hear from you, if you have information regarding this picture.
This picture shows one of the worst floods that ever happened in Ipoh. It was in 1926 and the picture was taken at the corner of Belfield Street and Station Road.
The precautions against such a disaster was taken earlier than this date. Around 1914-1921, the Ipoh Flood Mitigation Scheme had been carried out to protect the town from the then regular flooding. The aims of the scheme were to eliminate the sharp bends in the Kinta’s course through Ipoh Town; to divert waters of Sungei Choh into Sungei Pinji, instead of flowing directly into the Kinta above Ipoh. But the scheme wasn’t good enough to prevent the flood from continually trying to destroy Ipoh.
Thankfully further more effective measures were taken and we no longer suffer the curse of Ipoh Town.
This photo came to us via a soldier (who took it) and a policeman (who saved it), both of whom served here during the Malayan Emergency. The picture really needs no explanation, simply two popular modes of transport in the 1950’s. Does any one have any tales to tell us about their ride in either of these two styles of wheeled vehicle?
By the way would anyone like to tell us about this street. The buildings on the left and in the far distance provide the clues.
This house in Hume Street, New Town, Ipoh is often admired by visitors and locals alike. It has appeared several times on other blogs and it would be a serious omission if we did not include it on ipohWorld’s World as it is a great example of how nice Ipoh could look if other owners cared as much as this one. Just compare this to the shophouse in Market Street on this blog and you will see what I mean.
Hume Street is an interesting place with of course the grand old Panglima Mosque at the end of the street next to the Kinta River. But add to that the other buildings, most of which are in almost original condition, even if not beautifully painted, and you have an ideal street to turn into a small heritage enclave. Wouldn’t that be nice!
The street also contains several Chinese clubs/associations. Perhaps thay could donate some paint for their buildings as the next step to preserving this short street for following generations.
Finally may I offer my congratulations and thanks to the owner of the house pictured. You are an asset to Ipoh.
At one time Ipoh sported two Birch Memorials, the clock tower in memory of J W W Birch and this beautiful marble fountain in Belfield Street to honour his son E W Birch. These memorials always seem to cause confusion as today only the clock tower remains and more than one tourism site has misled its readers in the past by talking about the “Birch Fountain”, over a picture of the clock tower.
So this post is intended to set the matter straight. The clock tower was erected in 1909 in memory of J W W Birch, the first British Resident of Perak under the Pangkor Treaty of 1874. He was assassinated by the Malays in 1875 and the moving force for the erection of the towere was his son E W Birch who was the 8th British Resident from 1904 to 1910. It is still with us today although as an earlier post shows the area in which it stands is not always treated well.
The photograph above shows the Birch Fountain. This all-marble fountain at the southern end of Belfield Street, was erected by the Ipoh Chinese business community, in honour of E W Birch (later, Sir Ernest Woodford Birch KCMG CMG) who (unlike his father) was a popular administrator that worked closely with the local people, particularly Yau Tet Shin, the original developer of Ipoh New Town.
Sadly, in the name of development, it was demolished by the local council and was replaced by a new fountain of a much lesser qualty and style. That is Ipoh’s loss.
This Photograph of Station Road, Ipoh is a classic with so many rickshaws busy in the street. It is 1906 and this is the very centre of Perak’s commercial operations.
It was here that companies like Chung Thye Pin Built his status building which was first Dr Connolly’s Medical Hall, then Oldfield’s and subsequently Georgetown Dispensary,
The Straits Trading Company the very centre of the Tin trade were here as well, as were, The Chartered Bank (The Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China), The Mercantile Bank, Whiteaway and Laidlaw, the leading department store in Ipoh, Charles Grenier & Co Ltd, who originally imported British Made ‘Centaur’ pedal cycles. They also ran a small press as ‘Printers Stationers and Publishers’ with its head office here, with branches in Kuala Lumpur and Seremban, The Station Hotel, (as the railway station at that time was a single storey wood and atap building with no accommodation facilities.)
This indeed was THE place to have your head office.
What can be said about this picture other than how can an owner allow his property to deteriorate to such a level as seen here. In a world where it is said that investing in property is one of the safest things to do with your money, it would be normal to maintain that investment. However it appears that Ipoh, which has many buildings in this state, does not follow the normal pattern, preferring to spend nothing on the building in the hope that the land value will rise sufficiently to recoup those profits from investing in it.
Incidentally this picture was taken in Old Town. So much for maintaining our heritage.
The picture shows Ipoh New Town extending from the Kinta River in 1908. It was built on the padi fields of Datoh Panglima Kinta and as the new buildings were erected from the river towards Gopeng Road, block by block, replacing a number of extremely smelly pigsties.
The builder was Yau Tet Shin, miner, property owner and friend of E W Birch (The Resident of Perak). Wong Kap Soot, Yau Tet Shin’s long time business manager and member of the Ipoh Sanitary Board supported him in the endeavour.
The Ipoh New Town consisted of some 350 houses, with a new market, a mandarin school and theatre all included as anchor attractions. New Town mirrored the Old Town across the Kinta River, but on a well laid-out plan with fine, broad streets coupling with the main thoroughfares of Brewster Road and Hugh Low Street all the way to Gopeng Road and Tambun Road.
The picture shows the Panglima Street, Ipoh around 1904. It was named after Datoh Panglima Kinta who originally owned the land that Ipoh is built on. In Perak, the elephants could be seen on the streets as they were used as a main carrier for both people and goods, particularly in the tin mines. Perak was the main exporter of the elephants to other Malay states in Malaya then.
While many will argue that this is not heritage that depends a lot on one’s point of view. Here we have the logo brightening up a really dull steel shutter in a heritage building and demonstrating a family’s pride in what they do (books for education), their family name and the country to which they belong. Perhaps we could do with more of such pride in our community, but looking around at the city, pride in our home town and its surrounds is obviously in very short supply.
On the heritage front, this logo represents the family’s heritage – a business built up by hard work over the years, to make a future for themselves, their children and those who follow them. What will you leave behind for those that follow you? Will it be more than your forefathers left you or less?
Well of course it may be more in terms of financial wealth, property ownership and other material things we all crave for, but what about that other heritage – clean rivers, thriving wildlife, untouched hills, pollution-free air to breathe and more? There is no doubt about the answer to that question is there?
But it is not too late because if each one of you got back that pride and did your bit for the community, much (but not all) could be salvaged for future generations. Soon it will be altogether too late!
Think about it!
This little group of buildings in Belfield Street, Old Town, Ipoh is very reminiscent of the days when budding entrepreneurs bought a single plot of land and had their own ideas created into a shop-house. Individuality was the hallmark in those days not like the vast housing developments today with their rows and rows of identical little boxes.
Pity about the nasty, white, square and tasteless building to the left.
Hugh Low Street taken from rise, near the Registar of Motor Vehicles office in 1887. The first bus service was started from this street and Laxamana Road to Gopeng in 1910. The pioneer was Yeop Abdul Rani Idris who used a single bus to run his business. However, in 1912, the business collapsed due to economic factors.
Most tourists that traverse Old Town make a point of photographing the Birch Memorial Clock Tower, just as this photographer has done in the past. But searching for a different view this time he came across this little side-lane and this is what he got to take home to remind him of Ipoh.
What a pity that Ipoh, once lauded as the cleanest town in Malaya, no longer seems to maintain the buildings, pavements and lanes.
Sunday is a good day to follow the published heritage walk around Old Town, Ipoh as there is not too much traffic and very few cars parked to obstruct the view of the heritage buildings. But a word of warning, do watch where you step because, as the photographs show, quite apart from having to walk in single file in some places (see “There it was GONE” below) the modern paved walkways have not survived as well as the old buildings around them .
So do be careful where you walk when you are admiring some exciting feature across the road or taking that dream photo that you will treasure for life. The alternative could be a thoroughly spoilt Sunday and the inconvenience that would cause.
If you walk past the front of Lam Looking building, nothing much seems to be happening, but pause a moment and you will hear the mighty hammering of hacking tools and when they take a break – voices. Could it be that something is cooking inside the building? Now before you move on, look up and right at the top. Something plain grey has been added. What could it be?
Well, a look at this second picture, taken inside the top floor, will tell you that they have rebuilt the top of the building with red brick – Yes, work has started and they are preserving the facia and internal walls.
And as the above pictures show, it has started with a vengeance, there is a mass of building materials on site, the floors have been stabilised with steel and wooden props and they are removing all the old rendering, but keeping the original brickwork.
But there is also a lot of new brickwork as well and much more to follow. but it looks as if Lam Looking will live to serve the people of Ipoh again in one way or another, just as its new owner said it would. That is great news.
However the job will take time and the workers say two years, it could well be more, but at least we know it will stand again a proud symbol of a grand old Chinaman, Towkay Lam Look Ing.
Ipoh has many of these shop-sign pillars lining the 5-foot way, more we believe than any of the other Malaysian cities, but it is very unusual to see them in any other langusge but Chinese. However this pair, relics of Ipoh’s Colonial past remain with us to remind us that at one time the two languages you were most likely to hear in the town were Chinese and English.
Does anyone know of another pair like this?
It is very sad to see that the recent renovation of this building has included enclosing the 5 foot walkway that was designed to provide shelter for passing pedestrians from the scorching sun and the pouring rain. Has the owner recently bought the pavement from the council or simply stolen it and if it is the latter what are our Law Enforcement Officers doing about it.
You may wonder why I am concerned, but the problem is that they have just not taken over the walkway, but more importantly forced people to walk on the narrow strip of pavement that remains, in single file, thereby putting young children at risk on this very busy road.
Would anyone like to explain to me how this can happen. Could it just be a matter of using one’s cents?
One of our supporters was having a walk around Old Town with his camera last Sunday. He stopped by the Birch Clock Tower to admire the beautiful paintwork on the OCBC building, rejoicing in the fact that this grand old building, built by the Straits Trading Company in 1906/1907 is still with us.
But then a sole pedestrian appeared and it is quite clear that he did not care too much for OCBC’s efforts in maintaining the building!
As discussions about the rights and wrongs of learning English rage unabated, perhaps it is time to learn a useful phrase “to mind your P’s and Q,s” which means to behave oneself in public. Maybe this man should learn to mind his P’s.
This postcard dates from around 1935 and shows the Hugh Low Bridge as most people still call it today. At one time when Hugh Low, as a British Colonial, was out of fashion it was known as the Kinta Bridge, but the name never really caught on. Anyway, those who cross the bridge regularly will know that the council have now erected a temporary Bailey Bridge alongside it in preparation to rebuild a “better looking” bridge at a cost of, we believe RM50 million of taxpayers money. I do hope that figure is wrong because as far as we know the existing bridge is still sound and has years of life left in it.
Historically, the Hugh Low Bridge was first completed as a wooden bridge in 1890 and opened for wheeled traffic to Gopeng. The wooden bridge was replaced with an iron bridge when Yau Tet Shin’s New Town was built in 1907. The iron bridge was then widened in 1930 to take the ever increasing traffic, mostly non motorised.
Now the heritage buff will mourn the loss of this historic bridge, but should we all not be mourning the decision to spend so much in these difficult times. Let us hope that the rumour is wrong and the new bridge will cost a fraction of the figure being bandied about.
But anyway, feast your eyes on this old picture which shows the Bridge and God of Prosperity Temple and the People’s Park as it used to be. Memories are made of this!
This photograph came with the caption “An important street in Ipoh in 1950”.
However we cannot name it nor decide why it is said to be important. Can you?
Don’t be shy just drop us a line by clicking om “Leave a comment” under these words. We guarantee not to use your email for any purpose. We simply ask for it to try and cut down on all the automatic spam we receive.
This divided back, unused, card from Airfoto is centred on the Perak State Mosque with the Railway Station clearly visible between it and the limestone hills which form the backdrop against a brilliant blue sky.
The amazing thing about this picture is just what a beautiful and green city Ipoh was in the 1960’s. In every direction from the mosque there can be seen grassy spaces and an abundance of trees. Take for example the Birch Memorial Clock tower just to the right of the mosque. It stands surrounded by nature’s greenery, open to view and a magnificent memorial to the first British Resident of Perak who was murdered by the Malays. Whatever your politics or your opinion of J W W Birch there is no doubt that this environment was far superior to today’s, hemmed in as the clock tower is by a scruffy food centre that replaced the trees (behind which the old Post Office nestled) and surrounded by hard landscaping and litter rather than well tended grass.
But not only the clock tower’s environment has worsened but a comparison against today’s Ipoh also demonstrates that there has been a general decline in the environment across the City. How on earth did we, the citizens of Ipoh allow this?
How Others See Us. Below is a true copy of Lonely Planet’s latest report on Ipoh.
Check it out if you don’t believe me. We simply added the red highlighting.
For the visitor, Ipoh is mainly a transit town, a place where you change buses if you’re heading for Pulau Pangkor or the Cameron Highlands. However, the grand colonial architecture of the ‘Old Town’ west of the Sungai Kinta (Kinta River) is well worth exploring and gives a good impression of just how wealthy and important this city once was.
At the end of the 19th century, the city expanded east over the river into the ‘New Town’, which, with its chaotic traffic and mix of crumbling Chinese shophouses and ugly modern blocks, holds less appeal. This is a generally dingy part of town, with a notorious prostitution problem and no real attractions. However, for those who do decide to stay longer, Ipoh makes the perfect base for discovering outlying sights such as the Buddhist cave temples, the royal town of Kuala Kangsar and Kellie’s Castle.
Last updated: 17-Feb-2009
Does that make you feel proud of your hometown?
Perhaps the Datuk Bandar would like to comment!
Although so far nobody has commented on our earlier blog about the disgraceful state of Panglima Lane today, I thought that you might like to see what it should look like.
This picture although of poor quality shows just how well looked after, clean and tidy the Lane used to be. Obviously the owners had pride in their possessions back then, which it seems they do not have now. Why is that?
Could it be that all they care about is increasing their bank balance at the expense of their environment? I do hope not for that to me sounds the death knell for us all if all we care about money. If not, then does anyone have another answer to why our city is continuing to deteriorate?
The local government system was introduced into Malaya before the end of the 19th century, after the system showed a tremendous development in United Kingdom. In United Kingdom, the Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601 become the initial step towards the local government establistment. This law required the local community to look into the problems of protection, health, drainage and other important issues that were needed to form a good township. And it was the first move by a central government to grant delegated authority to a local body.
The local government at Ipoh was established in March 1893, when the Ipoh Sanitary Board was formed. The Ipoh Sanitary Board was set up by Frank Swettenham, the British Resident during his visit to the district at the beginning of the year. At this time, the population in Ipoh reached up to 11,000 as reported by Leech, the District Magistrate. The Ipoh Sanitary Board, a council, comprising officials and unofficials, was responsible for cleanliness and hygiene of the town. It was the first of its kind in Kinta Valley, although there was a similar board in Taiping earlier. The success of the Ipoh Sanitary Board led to the formation of similar bodies in Gopeng and Batu Gajah in 1894. From 1893-1897, it covered a huge area of Lahat, Menglembu and Ipoh itself. In 1897, it was replaced by the Kinta Sanitary Board. The biggest achievement by the board, was the installation of a gigantic septic tank in 1905, which was the first of its kind in Malaya. Besides that, the board also succeeded in taking effective measures to secure proper ventilation of houses, adequate backlanes spaces between buildings, and the removal of unsafe and unhealthy dwellings throughout the Kinta District.
However, in 1905, the Board was split up into two; Kinta Sanitary Board North in Ipoh and Kinta Sanitary Board South in Batu Gajah. It happened when Kinta Sanitary Board which was responsible for all the townships in Kinta District didn’t show much of a statisfactory improvement after its formation. But after 10 years, the both bodies were joined back together, due to economic turmoil, and it lasted till 1941. On 1st January 1956, Ipoh became a financially autonomous local authority, which means that the local authority can no longer expect any financial assistance from the state government, with a few exception.
As Ipoh becoming a big town, the degree of elected representation increased. In 1961, there were 18 elected councillors, compared to only 11 representatives in 1894. From the day of formation till 1956, the chairman’s post was given only to British origin senior staff. But in 1957, for the first time ever in Ipoh local government history, a Malay man, Enche Abdullah B. Udi elected as the Chairman of Ipoh Town Council (as it was called then). On 31st May 1962, Ipoh became a municipality, a title and recognition given by His Highness, the Sultan of Perak. ‘Till now, the Municipality of Ipoh is still bringing in various developments to Ipoh, making her one of the well developed towns in the country.
In December last year there was a revelation by the Datuk Bandar, Ipoh, that the legendary tunnel under the Ipoh Town Hall, which is said to join the Railway Station to the High Court and the Police Station (the latter being most unlikely) was to be investigated. Indeed, not only investigated, but opened to the public as part of a historical trail that would take-in parts of Old Town as well, including Lorong Panglima (aka Second Concubine Lane). Not surprisingly nothing has been heard since, but maybe the new Firefly flight schedule from Singapore that starts on 12 July will bring in some tourists and spur the City and State Governments to actually follow this up and smarten up our city for it certainly needs some smartening up!
A case in point is the above photograph of Panglima Lane taken just one week ago. Surely we are not going to allow our tourists to see what states of delapidation our heritage sites have fallen into!
Or are we?
We are grateful to Ramesh who has lent us this photograph so that we may share it with you.
The photograph shows Chamberlain Road, Ipoh with Jalan Bendahara at the bottom left, joining Chamberlain at the roundabout. Apart from the Sri Maju Bus Company replacing the Palm Trees, bottom left, with their vehicles in 1978 not too much else has changed. The Majestic Cinema is hidden among the trees on the right.
On the reverse of the card is a message in traditional Chinese characters which reads:
“Ipoh Town. Given to my friend Siong Ling wishing her Happy Living from Pei Yuan.”
Chamberlain Road (As described by S Durai Raja Singam in 1939)
(From Junction of Jalan Masjid and Anderson Road to Chung Thye Pin Road).
This road made in 1907/08; is named after the late Right Hon Joseph Chamberlain M P, father of the present Prime Minister of England, Mr Neville Chamberlain. A Radical politician, Mayor of Birmingham (1873-1876) Secretary of State for Colonies in the Coalition Government. In 1906, he withdrew from public life on account of ill health. First Chancellor of Birmingham University. He died on July 2nd 1914.
Sir Frank Swettenham in his “British Malaya” says “I am responsible for the Malay States lines, with the exception of the eight miles branch in Larut, from Taiping to Port Weld, and the twenty-four miles branch in Sungei Ujong, from Seremban to Port Dickson (which was built by and belongs to a private Company) and I may recall the fact that when I first recommended the construction of the Province Wellesley line, it was disapproved. But when I again repeated all the arguments in favour of the work and pressed to be allowed to undertake it, Mr Chamberlain, then Secretary of State for Colonies, gave his sanction on the ground that, if the value of a great work could be satisfactorily demonstrated, the sooner it was taken in hand the better. Mr Chamberlain is one of the few public men who realize this principle.
Nothing is as common as to express great interest in a new proposal, great sympathy and even high approval: but when it involves the expenditure of money, the running of risk, the acceptance of responsibility, enthusiasm for the scheme is not only tempered, but often entirely counteracted, by the decision to put off its accomplishment to the Greek Kalends.” Before the departure of Sir Cecil C Smith, Sir Frank Sweetenham had drawn up a scheme for the Federation of the Malay States and submitted it to him. This proposal was forwarded to the Secretary of State and Sir Charles Mitchell recommended that is the Malay rulers favoured the proposal, the Federation should be adopted. Mr Chamberlain, the Secretary of State for the Colonies approved of this.
Sir Frank visited the several States explained the scheme very fully to the Malay Rulers and British Residents and secured the written consent of the Rulers. That the Institute for Medical Research owes its being to Mr Joseph Chamberlain, was stated by Dr A Neave Kingsbury, Director of the Institute, at the opening of the sixth international course in malariology.
Mr Chamberlain, as Secretary of State for the Colonies, was instrumental in sending to Kuala Lumpur a research worker to investigate the cause of beri-beri, which was then a most serious disease among the Chinese, said Dr Kingsbury. “Our foundation,” he continued, “antidates all other institutes in British Colonies and Protectorates. Today, the senior staff numbers no less than 16, and we like to think that we have not altogether lost our original start.”
The photographs, taken by a Japanese tourist, show Ipoh’s famous Beef Noodle Stall in operation in Theatre Street in 1968 where it served the people of Ipoh for more than 50 years, until they were forced by legislation to move to a central hawkers area, known locally as Rainbow City. They have been at this second site for more than 20 years. Consequently, the stall has been in operation by the same family in Ipoh for more than 70 years.
The business was founded by Lee Cheong who was born in Phunyu, Guandong in 1902 and first came to Malaya in 1916 to help his father, already in Malaya, to sell rice on their stall in Kuala Lumpur. After some time he returned to China, but times were very tough there and so in 1922 he returned to Malaya and found employment as a supervisor (kepala) in the tin mine of Cheong Yook Chong near Kuala Lumpur. However by the mid 1930s the world depression had taken its toll on tin mining and many unemployed coolies had to return to China to take up hawking or begging in order to survive.
Lee Cheong decided that a move to Ipoh and the new profession of a beef noodle hawker would be the best thing for him, which as it turned out was absolutely correct as he successfully created a long term family business and had eight children, all born in Ipoh.
The photograph on the left shows eldest daughter Yea Sin busily preparing the succulent beef that is the hallmark of their success, together with the home produced noodles and chili sauce made fresh daily. The second photograph shows father Lee Cheong, the founder, measuring out a good handful of noodles and in the background younger daughter, Li Lin, polishing a traditional Cockerel bowl (like those on the counter and still in use today) and the showcase full of freshly made noodles. Both daughters continue to work at their stall, now in 2009, on a regular basis.
There are more photographs and information about this family on our database archive.
As there are some additional, recent comments about this blog I decided to upload another photo.
On 14 June 2009 both the China Press and Oriental Daily kindly featured the launch of ipohWorld’s new database archive and blog. The photographs show guests viewing the photographic exhibition, “Snapshots of the Emergency” that accompanied the launch. Scans of the articles are shown above and for the convenience of the all, we enclose our Press Release below:
Ipohworld, an education-based organization now integrated into the facilities of Tenby Schools Ipoh, today launched an internet-based history archive in conjunction with this year’s Remembrance Day ceremony held to honour the thousands of servicemen and civilians killed during the Malaysian Emergency (1948-1960).
This occasion was chosen as several of the veterans from the days of the Emergency had donated photographs unavailable elsewhere, to the history archive.
To mark the occasion, Ipohworld also mounted a photographic exhibition at the Royal Ipoh Club, simply called “Snapshots of the Emergency” and featuring a number of original photographs donated by the veterans who regularly attend the annual ceremony.
Orang Kaya-Kaya Panglima Kinta Seri Amar di-Raja Dato’ Seri Dr Abdullah Fadzil Che Wan, who is also the Chairman of Ipohworld, was present to launch the exhibition.
Ipohworld was established in 2004 to promote awareness and appreciation of Perak, the Silver State of Malaysia and its unique, diverse and rich heritage, with particular focus on Ipoh and the Kinta Valley. In 2006 it ran the extraordinarily successful exhibition “The Story of Ipoh: From Feet to Flight”, in cooperation with Darul Ridzuan Museum. Since then, while trying to get both the Public and Private sectors to support Ipohworld’s objective to provide Ipoh with a permanent, lively and interesting heritage gallery, to enhance education and tourism, the organisation continues to work towards that target.
Consequently, undeterred by the lack of financial support for a gallery, the project has continued to gather a broad variety of local items and information from worldwide sources. As the collection grew, disciplined recording, preservation and control became essential. Thus, an information archive in the form of a unique digital image database, supported by original research, and available information from acknowledged and credible sources, was born.
To date Ipohworld has documented well over 3000 items in the archive covering a wide range of subjects across the broad spectrum of heritage and social history, based on photographs, documents, interviews, artifacts, books and videos. More items will be added regularly.
Through this database it is hoped to assist individuals and groups, particularly students, with their research, while at the same time promoting the Kinta Valley, once vaunted the richest tin mining area in the world.
In line with present communication trends, Ipohworld, under the guidance of its Project Manager, Commandor RN (RTD) Ian Anderson, has created a weblog to publish stories, personal experiences and to highlight heritage issues as they occur around our valley. Through the weblog, they hope to facilitate discussion between their readers and encourage those with an interest in Perak to share their stories and pictures with others. They also welcome visitors to post original contributions on any aspect of heritage or social history relevant to our area to enrich the content of the blog.
In 2006, the Ipohworld project was integrated into the facilities of Tenby Schools Ipoh, which aligned neatly with the schools’ ongoing commitment to encourage interest in heritage and social history among their students while maintaining the project‘s objective to promote Kinta Valley’s heritage. Since then, all the items displayed in its maiden exhibition “From Feet to Flight” as well as new additions, have have found their “home” at Tenby Schools Ipoh, whilst continuing to wait for a permanent home.
Madam Lee Yam Sei, COO of Tenby Schools Ipoh, explained that the students’ first involvement with Ipohworld’s objectives was when they took on a project to document their own families’ transport history in 2006, taking the lead from the first exhibition.
“Since then several of the schools’ students have collaborated with Ipohworld on oral history interviews of senior members of the community, assisted with hosting exhibitions and taken part in photographic, art and model building competitions with heritage as the theme.
“Besides projects of this nature, the schools also take pride in organising trips to heritage exhibitions and sites to further expose their students to the wealth of local history that is available”, she said.
“These include such diverse subjects as tin mining, a battle site, prehistoric rock paintings, a well-known local folly, mangrove swamps and charcoal burning.
“We are proud that our students have taken a keener interest in Perak’s history and developed an appreciation for its rich cultural heritage through these activities, as a result of the efforts of Ipohworld”, Madam Lee added.
Over the last 5 years Ipohworld has been well supported with donated material from home and overseas, but if they are to build a truly comprehensive archive they need more help. If anyone has any old photographs, documents, artifacts or stories from Ipoh or the Kinta Valley area they would be delighted to hear from them.
Contact may be made via info@ipohworld.org in the first instance so that appropriate arrangements may be made. Anything borrowed will be returned promptly as existing contributors will confirm.
Ipohworld’s impressive history archives, including the most recent collection of photo exhibition “Snapshots of the Emergency”, are available for public viewing via http://www.ipohworld.org
Upgrade and renovation of fine building need to be tastefully done (architecturally) example the Ipoh High Court, Extension to St Michael school.
Tent structure extension to the Ipoh railway station is foreign to the resident’s architecture is to be avoided.
Hawkers in Malaysia must stop discharging waste into public drains, rivers for it promotes disease and vermins. They need to stationed in premises that discharge waste into manholes and sewerage treatment.
A recycling organisation needs to be set up to reduce waste and allow for recycle.
Thank you
Lim Peng Keang
Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia
A friend visited the Birch Memorial Clock Tower and brought us back these pictures.
The top two are at the top of the steps as you approach the tower from the lower road. Rotting food and goodness knows what else to navigate past as you visit Ipoh’s heritage. Bottom left is the base of the tower, complete with broken bed and water bottle and the bottom right is just across the road from the mosque. What a dreadful sight for our Muslim friends as they leave their place of prayer.
Now you may not like the reason that the tower was put there in the first place – many don’t. But the fact is that the structure is 100 years old this year and represents a key bit of history for this country and its people. Nobody denies that Birch was not a good administrator, nor that he treated the Malays badly, but as they say, that is history and whatever else, it is history like this that brings in tourist dollars.
Surely the place deserves to be treated better than this!
Most people know about FMS, the oldest bar in Malaysia which is currently under renovation. Indeed many people fear that it will never open again. However it certainly looks hopeful.
Taking the photographs from the top it appears that nothing is happening, but go round the back and you will see an amazing transformation (centre pic). The upstairs building work is virtually complete. Then, take a look at the bottom pic – the inside of the downstairs bar. Completely gutted, the new concrete floor upstairs is finished and restoration of downstairs will start soon.
The owner says he plans to reopen early 2010 and that the bar will be in traditional style reflecting its history. And the really good news is that he does not plan to change the front of the building at all, just restore
We look forward to that!
Known by Perakians young and old as The Old Post Office, and despite being connected to the Town Hall the building has been empty since the early 1990s and been derelict for years. As can be seen from the top picture the Town Hall has been repainted and shows signs of being cared for but it has been a different story for the Post Office which has simply been an eyesore. However, judging by all the scaffolding the renovation by the Federal Government is underway. That is good news for Ipoh.
Once renovated it is being suggested that it will become an art gallery featuring Raja Muda’s collection of paintings. Whether this is true is not known, but with the amount of money the renovation will cost they must have some plans for it.
The Ipoh Town Hall building is a historic structure consisting of interesting Moorish Architecture and designs. It was completed in 1916 with the east end used as the Post and Telegraphs Office from 1928. This was the second building to be used for this role in Ipoh. Subsequently when new premises were built for the Post Office, the building was used by other government offices including the Tourism Department and as the Bumiputra Administrative Centre.
The lower picture shows a view from the opposite direction and includes the J W W Birch Memorial Clock Tower partly masked by the Medan Selera (Food Court). The latter is in some serious need of renovation or even a total rebuild as it will negate much of the beauty of the renovated Post office cum Art gallery. With the food court sorted out, the area tidied up and all the rubbish removed, with the advantage of the historic clock tower, this could become a real tourist area.
Unveiled in 1909, the Birch Memorial, can be described as a square decorated tower with a portrait bust and four panels illustrative of the growth of civilisation. The tower was erected on the table-land of Ipoh Old Town at the cost of about $25,000. A dedication to J W W Birch, the first British Resident of Perak, who was assassinated at Pasir Salak in 1875, could be found beneath the site of a bronze bust of Birch in the north-facing niche, but the bust has since disappeared.
Lam Looking building in Laxamana Road, Ipoh was destroyed by fire. Heritage buffs rejoiced when they heard that the bazaar had a new owner who was to restore it. Sure enough it was fenced and the rubbish cleared, but since then nothing has happened. Does anyone know when and what is happening next?
The Top pic is the side and front and the bottom the rear view including the spiral staircase.
For those who don’t know the history, It was built as ‘A stylish Art Deco building from 1931, with sweeping horizontal lines, featuring Early Modernist stair-wells.
The Celestial Cabaret and hotel upstairs was a favourite haunt of European expatriates. During the war, Japanese military officers patronised the cabaret which was also a Japanese casino (gambling farm) during the Occupation and a grenade target during the Emergency.
However, the cabaret eventually lost its clientele and was transformed into the Movieland Theatre. This was a cinema that specialised in Cantonese Opera movies that were very popular with the older members of Ipoh’s Chinese residents. But again, all good things come to an end and the theatre was replaced by the Perak Emporium.
As the Perak Emporium it was a major shopping centre from when it opened in the late 1960’s until it closed in the late 1980’s. It also had retail shops at street level, with smaller lots fronting an oval courtyard. Lot No. 8 was journalist Ahmad Noor Abdul Shukor’s “Blue Room”. Fook Seng, at Lot No. 6 retailed gramophones, keronchong songs and Arabic music.
However, the business went into decline around the time that the new store “Super Kinta” opened just along the road and that was the death knell of this grand old building which deteriorated thereafter.
Lam Look Ing, a Nam Wei Cantonese, was born in Penang in 1864. Trained as a naval officer in Foochou, he established himself as a tin-miner in Kampar and a large property owner in Ipoh.’
From time to time (but with monotonous regularity) Ipoh suffers a mysterious fire in one or other of the old buildings in Old or New Town. This one in Brewster Road happened on the eve of Chinese New Year 2009. The building had been out of use for years. How did the fire start we wonder?
Does anyone know who owns this building as there could be someone we know interested to buy and restore it?