Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Historic town of Taiping gets filmed for BBC’s Great Railway Journeys travelogue


Wednesday, 11 Sep 2019 04:39 PM MYT
BY SYLVIA LOOI



Great Railway Journeys’ host Micheal Portillo
shooting  a scene at Taiping Lake Gardens. —
Picture via Facebook/ Majlis Perbandaran Taiping























IPOH, Sept 11 — The peaceful town of Taiping is set to be included in an episode of BBC’s travelogue series, “Great Railway Journeys”.
The crew arrived in Taiping to shoot the scenes on September 7 where programme host Michael Portillo was taken to several popular locations such as the Raintree Walk, Taiping Lake Gardens, Taiping central market and Market Square.
In a posting on its official Facebook page, Taiping Municipal Council (MPT) said the programme would highlight Portillo’s journeys to several states and locations in Malaysia via train.

The heritage Taiping Central Market will be immortalised in the ‘Great Railway Journeys’ travelogue hosted by Micheal Portillo. — Picture via Facebook/ Majlis Perbandaran Taiping

“Portillo will delve into the area’s history and culture at every location he stops besides highlighting its arts, landscape, delicacies and tourists spots,” added the council.
Previously, the television series, which was first screened 10 years ago, had gone to India, United States, most of Europe and Russia.
The council noted that the series was based on a travel guide about the history of trains that was published in 1913.
“Travelling by train is fast becoming popular,” noted the council.
Following the post, many social media users urged the council to preserve Taiping’s old buildings.
Es Ng said heritage buildings should be preserved before they fell apart.
“Perhaps these kind of events can help speed up the process and get the state government to act fast,” he wrote.
Ong Lee said nature was at its best at the Taiping Lake Gardens and Bukit Larut (formerly known as Maxwell Hill).
“Would be excellent if MPT can please restore the facade of as many historical buildings as possible to maintain the status of Taiping Heritage Town,” she wrote.
Wan Mashitah also urged the council to preserve the old buildings in Taiping.
“If the buildings are not well maintained, we will lose these valuable assets that makes Taiping special,” she wrote.
MALAY MAIL

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Taiping chosen as only ‘age-friendly town’ in Southeast Asia


Bernama  September 3, 2019 11:41 PM


Taiping attracts a lot of pensioners due to the low cost of living, pleasant
weather and ample facilities, including the famous Lake Gardens. (Bernama pic)


















TAIPING: Taiping has been chosen as the only age-friendly town in Southeast Asia.
Taiping Municipal Council (MPT) president Borhan Abdul Halim said a celebration ceremony was scheduled to be held at the Taiping Perdana Hotel here on Sept 30.
He said the heritage town was chosen after MPT had met various criteria set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to achieve the status within five years.
Borhan said more than RM1 million had been spent by MPT in the research process carried out over the past two years through grants from the United Nations Development Programme.
“This will not only make Taiping well-known to the world but will also make it a pensioners’ town.
“It can attract pensioners to settle here and also invest here,” he told reporters after chairing the MPT monthly meeting at Wisma Perbandaran Taiping here today.
Meanwhile, he said a mural painting of aviation pioneer Amelia Mary Earhart, by artist Chen Teck Meng and Khok Chai Ong, had been completed on the wall of a two-storey shoplot on Jalan Abdul Jalil here.
BERNAMA

Thursday, June 20, 2019

Taiping Aerodrome to become a heritage site


June 19, 2019 @ 5:00pm

(File pix) The historic Taiping Aerodrome, where aviation legend
Amelia Mary Earhart had a refuelling stopover in 1937 during her journey to
circumnavigate the globe, is set to become the state’s heritage site.
Pix by NSTP/Muhaizan Yahya















IPOH: The historic Taiping Aerodrome, where aviation legend Amelia Mary Earhart had a refuelling stopover in 1937 during her journey to circumnavigate the globe, is set to become the state’s heritage site.
Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu said the decision was made during the state exco meeting today, where the state government also urged the state Land and Mines Department to speed up the process.
Ahmad Faizal also dismissed claims that the Taiping Aerodrome had been sold to make way for housing development projects and reiterated that under the leadership of Pakatan Harapan, some parts of the land had been returned to the Menteri Besar Perak Incorporated (MB Inc).
“I would like to stress that Taiping Aerodrome has never been approved to be developed. In fact, under my leadership, I have returned some part of the land to the MB Inc,” he said at a press conference after handing over RM3 million financial assistance to 261 partially-aided government schools in Perak at Dewan Serbaguna in Bangunan Perak Darul Ridzuan here today.
It was earlier reported that Ahmad Faizal had cancelled an approval made by the previous state government administration on Jan 16 to hand over part of the Taiping Aerodrome to the private sector for development.
Commenting on the recent protest held by a group of people against the alleged development on Taiping Aerodrome, Ahmad Faizal advised heritage lovers to refer the relevant authorities before accusing the state government of selling the historical area.
“At the same time, I am happy to see the huge number of demonstrators because it shows that they care for our heritage. I echo their sentiments that the place needs to be preserved too, just how important our great-grandmother’s house is to our family.
“The place needs to be spruced up and the grass needs to be cut. The 200 protesters who came that day should have done their part in making the place nice again. I would be happy to join them if they had invited me,” he added.
On Friday, several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) staged a protest against the alleged development of the area, claiming that the land had been sold without considering the importance of its heritage and historical values.
The 16.1ha Taiping Aerodrome, built in Malaya by the British in early 1929, is reputedly the first airport in Southeast Asia.
The aerodrome gained worldwide recognition when the American pioneer aviator Earhart made a refuelling stop there on June 7, 1937 before continuing her journey to Singapore and New Guinea in her bid to fly around the world.
The then-Indonesian president Sukarno and his deputy, Mohammad Hatta had also landed at the Taiping Aerodrome on Aug 12, 1945 to discuss the future of Malaya and Indonesia before heading for Tokyo.
On a separate note, Ahmad Faizal said as part of the state’s commitment to protect its historical heritage, plans are afoot to upgrade Taiping Lake Garden and Bukit Larut or better known as Maxwell Hill, both to be recognised as Taman Tasik Diraja.
“The matter was also discussed during state exco meeting today. I have received a lot of suggestions from our young leaders, DAPSY, Armada, PKR, Amanah and Bersatu. They suggested that the two main attractions in Taiping to be known as Taman Tasik Diraja.
“This is very interesting. With this understanding, we don’t have to worry about plans for developments near this area. This is also in line with Taiping being recognised as one of the most sustainable cities in the world,” he said.
Ahmad Faizal said he would seek the consent from the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah before naming Taiping Lake Garden and Bukit Larut as Taman Tasik Diraja.
The Taiping Lake Gardens, established in 1880 during the British rule, is one of the oldest public gardens.

 NEW STRAITS TIMES

Monday, June 17, 2019

Historical aerodrome make Taiping what it is today, say experts, conservationists



Old structures at the Taiping Aerodrome





















By Nor Ain Mohamed Radhi - June 17, 2019 @ 8:12am
KUALA LUMPUR: CONSERVATIONISTS and heritage experts believe that the Taiping Aerodrome must be preserved to protect the town’s historical value.
They said in the long run, preserving historical sites would benefit the state as it helped to generate tourist revenue and enhance Perak’s reputation for safeguarding its historical wonders.
Taiping Heritage Society president Yeap Thean Eng said the town had lost many of its “firsts”, and as such, gazetting the aerodrome was the best move.
“We already lost our first railway between Taiping and Port Weld (built in 1885) and a golf course known as New Club (formerly Perak Club built in 1885).
“This is why the Taiping Aerodrome must be protected and restored at all costs for adaptive reuse with focus on heritage tourism.
“There were many ‘firsts’ in Taiping that had been ‘carelessly’ ignored by the authorities, who may not know their real value.
“Nothing can replace a ‘first’. The tallest building or longest bridge will quickly be overtaken by another, just like our (Petronas) Twin Towers, which within years were overtaken by another tallest building from another country.
“Once you have the oldest golf course or the first aerodrome, nothing can replace them; you will forever have the oldest.
“Therefore, every effort must be taken by the state government to protect this heritage site for the sake of our future generation.
“Let’s leave behind a legacy that will make our great grandchildren proud,” he told the New Straits Times.
Yeap said many historic monuments with lesser historical value had been restored in other countries, which in turn, had drawn millions of tourists and generated economic wealth for the local community.
“This is what must be done to the Taiping Aerodrome. The vast runway and field can be used for all kinds of activities like paragliding or flying ultra-light planes, recreational activities for residents like kite-flying, community games, jogging, aerobics, archery, just to name a few.
He said the space at the Taiping Aerodrome was big enough for large-scale events, either at state, national or international level.
“The main building can be converted into a museum or gallery on the country’s early days of aviation, coupled with souvenir shops.”
Yeap said Taiping had earned its third placing on the World’s Most Sustainable City list for a reason.
That was announced during the 2019 Sustainable Top 100 Destination Awards at the International Tourismus-Börse travel trade show in Berlin, Germany, recently.
“It is from the preservation of spaces and greens, as well as the Taiping Municipal Council working hard with the locals to create a well-balanced sustainable city, that attracted visitors.”
He said the people in Taiping and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were not against development, but the authorities must be careful when it comes to heritage sites.
“For housing and other property developments, there is plenty of land around Taiping, namely Kamunting Raya, which is just next to Taiping Aerodrome, or in Aulong, Simpang, Matang, Batu Kurau, Bukit Merah and Selama.”
The 16.1ha Taiping Aerodrome, reputed as the first airport in the Federated Malay States and Southeast Asia, was allegedly sold to a developer last month.
It is learnt that the developer planned to build a housing scheme on the site, despite it being earmarked for transport.
Several NGOs recently staged a protest against the move, saying the land was sold without considering the importance of its heritage and historical value.
The NGOs included Kelab Cintai Taiping, Taiping Heritage Society, Taiping Tourism Association, Taman Saujana Residents' Association, Warisan Anak-Anak Kampung Pinang and Protection of the Natural Heritage of Malaysia.
Perak Heritage Society president Law Siak Hong echoed Yeap’s sentiment, saying the Taiping Aerodrome must be preserved for the future generation.
“Other than its historical value, the Taiping Aerodrome is still used by the army and police for parachute training, as well as a recreational area.
“Taiping was declared a heritage town (in 1999), hence the title must be retained by all means. Taiping Aerodrome is one of the many things that should be preserved.
“Yes, you can build a new Taiping on the land, but at what expense? By destroying your reputation as a heritage town?” he said.
The Taiping Aerodrome became famous when aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart made a refuelling stop there on June 7, 1937, before continuing her journey to Singapore and New Guinea in her historic attempt to circumnavigate the globe.
The then Indonesian president Sukarno and his deputy, Mohammad Hatta, also landed at the Taiping Aerodrome on Aug 12, 1945, to discuss the future of Malaya and Indonesia before continuing their journey to Tokyo.

NST

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Taiping's everlasting heritage



The historic Taiping central market is due for a RM9 million facelift soon
By Alan Teh Leam Seng - April 28, 2019 @ 8:15am

TAIPING'S grand dame of buildings isn’t a stately hotel or an ornate government office frequented primarily by the rich and powerful. It’s actually a very public one that has been visited almost daily by every layer of society for more than a century.
A survivor of two great economic depressions and just as many world wars as well as countless local strife, the former Perak capital's central market is today the proud holder of two enviable records. The building, built sometime between 1884 and 1885, is Malaysia's oldest market as well as the largest free-standing non-religious wood-and-cast iron structure in the country.
Recent news of plans by the local authorities to restore and transform this historic structure into a food and souvenir market has been well received by all quarters. It’s about time that the pride of Taiping receives just rewards after serving the local residents loyally for some 135 years.
Curious to know more about what life was like in Taiping during those early days, I head for the nearest public library in town for an afternoon of research. Contrary to my expectations, there are not many references related to the early history of this town. Most literature uncovered is about the tin rich Kinta district which is located south of Taiping.
Nevertheless, nuggets of interesting information start to surface soon enough and, within the hour, I embark on a most exhilarating journey back in time, starting at a point about a decade before the very foundations to the famous market were erected.
BIRTH OF TAIPING



Sultan Abdullah and his followers signed the Pangkor Treaty in 1874.


Taiping's rise from obscurity began soon after the British gained a foothold in Perak on Jan 20, 1874. Soon after Raja Abdullah and several Malay chieftains signed the now famous Pangkor Treaty, James Wheeler Woodford Birch, Colonial Secretary of the Straits Settlements made Bandar Bahru in Lower Perak his administrative capital. At that time, Birch had just been appointed the first British Resident of Perak.
At the same time, Captain Speedy, who was the Assistant Resident, chose to station himself in Larut and began making plans for the establishment of two key towns. Speedy named the first, Taiping. He chose the name – Chinese for Everlasting Peace - as it conjured thoughts of a happy omen for the future. The second town set up was Klian Bahru which later reverted back to its original Malay name, Kamunting.

A Taiping street scene in the 1880s.


Situated about four kilometres from Kota and near the old mining village of Klian Pauh, Taiping recorded a population size of 5000 by the end of 1874. A tenth of the residents were shopkeepers who dealt primarily in goods destined for the surrounding tin mines. Duty on tin became the primary



British forces ascending the Perak River soon after Birch's assassination.

source of revenue for Taiping at that time.
In order to encourage growth, agricultural land was given free of any charge or duty. The people only had to apply to the Sultan of Perak through the British Resident for land and, based on the portion cultivated after a three-year grace period, a grant in perpetuity was given at a nominal fee of $1 per acre. At that time, however, agriculture was largely confined to rice cultivation by the Malays.
ESTABLISHING CONNECTIVITY

Keen to establish a direct line with Penang, Speedy set about building new roads that joined both Taiping and Kamunting as well as with the road coming down from Province Wellesley. The corduroy type of roads built then was of inferior quality and required regular maintenance. They were simply constructed of tree trunks laid down side by side for foundation into swamp land through which they ran for the most part of the distance.
A six-inch layer of clay was then placed on top of the trunks before a final top up with coarse sand. Parts of the road regularly sank into the ground when the timber foundations gave way to decay due to the extremely damp conditions.

The establishment of government departments grew in tandem with the growth in Taiping. Key positions like Inspector of Mines, Harbour Master and Treasurer were held by Europeans while the Malays and Chinese held most junior posts. There was only one Indian in government employment in 1874. Identified with just a single name in the records, Muttusamy worked as an overseer in the Mining Department.


A Kuala Kangsar street scene in the 1870s.


The assassination of Birch on Nov 2, 1875 resulted in a major confrontation between the Malays and the British. Thanks to its location away from the incident, Taiping became one of the rare beneficiaries of the ensuing upheaval. By 1877, Taiping was made the new administrative capital of Perak while Kuala Kangsar became the royal town.
EARLY TAIPING


Bird travelled extensively throughout Malaya in the late 1870s.


Renowned British explorer, writer, photographer and naturalist, Isabella Lucy Bird visited Taiping in early 1879 during her travels through Malaya. Excerpts from her book, The Golden Chersonese and the Way Thither, published in 1883, painted Taiping as a fine town with a mile long street filled with bazaars and shops, gambling houses, workshops and meeting halls for the local population.
Bird also noted the presence of a large detached barracks for the Sikh police, hospital, powder magazine, parade ground, government storehouse, gaol as well as neat bungalows for English officials. She was most impressed with the grandest building in Taiping at that time - the British Residency which was perched on top of a steep, isolated terraced hill.


Bird was impressed with the British Residency which was the grandest building in Taiping at that time.


Taiping at that time had 6000 inhabitants who were primarily Chinese miners. According to Bird, the town was tolerably empty during the day but came to life at dusk when the miners returned. She also noted the reasonably good health of the people and attributed that to the existence of the Yong Wa Hospital for paupers which came under the watchful eye of Dr Wright. Well managed and staffed, the hospital could cater to the needs of 900 patients at any one time.
The new Governor of the Straits Settlements, Sir Frederick Weld visited Taiping in the middle of 1881. Impressed with what he saw, Weld suggested the construction of a rail and tramway from Taiping to the port (later named Port Weld in his honour and much later became known as Kuala Sepetang) among the next most necessary works to be undertaken.
MAJOR GAME CHANGER


An open-cast mine near Taiping in the early 1890s.


The construction of the Taiping-Port Weld railway marked the beginning of a major transformation that radically altered the landscape of the Malay Peninsula permanently. It also brought about the first major influx of Indians and Ceylonese into Perak.
Weld showed great interest in Taiping because of his ongoing pet project, visiting the town twice in April and November 1883 with the hopes of spurring progress as well as to inspect other new developments taking place in the town. The Governor was particularly impressed with Taiping's newly completed water works which supplied the purest water from a waterfall in the hills about four kilometres from town.
Despite his impatience, Weld found himself away on leave when the Taiping-Port Weld railway line, the first of its kind in this country, was completed. Acting Governor Sir Cecil Clementi Smith went on the trial run in his stead on Feb 12, 1885.
Taking a brief breather from reading and copious note-taking, it suddenly dawns upon me that the construction of the Taiping central market coincided exactly with the time of the Taiping-Port Weld railway project.

Kapitan China Chung Keng Kwee was the leading revenue farm owner in Taiping.

Surely there must have been smaller markets in Taiping before then but the huge economic boost as well as the significant influx of migrant workers brought about by the railway project would surely have given rise to the need for a larger and better equipped place for people to obtain their daily sustenance.
The large market, measuring 220 feet long and 60 feet wide, had the capacity for traders to bring in fresh produce in large quantities from other parts of the country, including freshly caught seafood, via the new mode of transportation from Port Weld.
Much to everyone’s delight, the faster and more efficient railway together with economies of scale helped to bring down cost of foodstuff sold at the new market significantly. Fresh buffalo meat went for five or six cents a kati while fish and vegetables bearing the same weight merely commanded 10 cents and 2 cents respectively. The selling price of a bag of rice was $2.50.
The booming tin trade and growing income gave the people superior purchasing power. Taiping people were happy as they forked out less for the same amount of items bought before the arrival of the railway. The excess funds meant that both they and their families could enjoy a better standard of living.
The late 1880s saw Taiping maintaining its position as a busy mining centre that serviced bigger open-cast mines in Assam Kumbang, Kota, Kamunting and Tupai. These mines employed huge numbers of Chinese migrant workers. It wasn’t uncommon at that time to see individual mines having up to 4,000 workers each.

All the money earned at the mines eventually ended up in Taiping. The abundance of prosperity eventually gave rise to the establishment of revenue farms that operated pawnshops as well as gambling and opium dens. The leading revenue farmer at that time was the Kapitan China himself, Chung Keng Kwee.
END OF AN ERA
Like most things in life, however, the good times in Taiping didn’t last. By late 1894, there were signs that the town had seen better days. Production at the once-productive Assam Kumbang mines was on a steep decline. Things were so bad that the gambling house there had to be abandoned almost overnight.
The closure was soon followed by another which used to be the pride of Taiping as it had the rare honour of hosting a visit by King Chulalongkorn of Siam (now Thailand) back in 1889. The second mine closure put to rest all lingering doubts about the end of an era as far as tin trade was concerned.
Despite the bleak outlook, the town refused to fade into oblivion. Contrary to expectations, Taiping continued to develop thanks to rapid progress brought by the railway and the innovative nature of its residents.
The locals began to gradually shift their focus from tin to agriculture. They experimented with tapioca and sugarcane cultivation. Interest in the former was short-lived but the latter made rapid progress. By 1898, large swathes of padi land were converted into sugarcane plantations.
European participation saw a marked increase in total sugar exports from Perak, rising from 55,000 piculs in 1890 to 288,000 piculs at the turn of the 20th century. By 1905, however, the enterprise fizzled out when Taiping began embracing the rubber boom that was taking Malaya and the rest of the world by storm.
Within a decade, large rubber estates like Simpang Estate, Lauderdale Estate and Matang Jamboe Estate began to take shape and, like before, money once again began finding its way to Taiping.
CONTINUED DECLINE
 
The Perak Club in Taiping as featured in an vintage picture postcard.
For a while, at least, the decline of Taiping at the end of the 19th century can only be compared in relative sense. Tin mining around the area continued into the early 1930s but, as a mining centre, Taiping had been upstaged by its southern neighbour, the Kinta district. The transition was so acute that the prestigious state capital accolade passed from Taiping to Ipoh in 1937.
Taiping's dire situation was exacerbated by the Great Depression that hit Malaya hard in the middle of 1930s. Beginning in the United States, the scourge had devastating effects in countries both rich and poor. International trade plunged by more than half and unemployment rose rapidly. Demand for latex plummeted and many rubber estates around Taiping and all over Malaya suffered severe losses.
Coupled with the devastating effects of the Japanese Occupation that followed soon after and the ensuing Malayan Emergency, Taiping gradually lost its economic clout and was sidestepped by major developments as the years wore on.
Returning the reference material, I come across a recent article heralding heartening news about Taiping's recognition as the third most sustainable city in the world at the 2019 Sustainable Top 100 Destination Awards at the Internationale Tourismus-Borse Berlin (ITB) travel trade show in Berlin, Germany.
Together with the upcoming RM9 million market facelift, this prestigious international accolade recognised Taiping's leadership in urban sustainability and avoidance of disruptive over-tourism. By the looks of things, the best is yet to come for Taiping. Speedy was spot on when he chose to have the word “everlasting” in the name of this wonderful heritage town that will forever be the pride of both Perak as well as all of Malaysia.

NEWS STRAITS TIMES