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Taiping - "City of everlasting peace"

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A Brief history

The name Taiping comes from the Chinese word Tai-Peng which means eternal peace. Taiping's history started more or less in the middle of the 19th century when the different warlords fought over the tin-fields in the Larut district of Perak. Chinese merchants had heavily invested in the tin mines and needed peace. So they pressured Raja Abdullah and several warlords to keep peace and accept the Pangkor Treaty 1874

With the newfound peace many miners and shopkeepers came to the new city and within a year the city counted over 5000 inhabitants. With the growing tin industry, a good infra-structure was important. One of the first roads the was build was the Taiping-Kamunting road.

With the assassination of the First Resident of Perak, J.W.W. Birch

In 1875, the British sent troops to punish the chiefs. Many were killed or imprisoned. Soon Perak's administration was moved from lower Perak to Kuala Kangsar, just 30 km away from Taiping. The result was that several institutions were established in Taiping, including a gaol, hospital, police force and survey office.

Taiping was mainly a Chinese town. But at one end of the town there were the British officers detached quarters, the military cantonment and the gaol. At the other end was the Indian settlement at Kota.

Taiping's streets were kept clean by the Taiping Sanitary Board. The reputation as a clean city as a cool town was enhanced by the cool weather and the water from the nearby highlands.

Taiping's location was strategic because the nearby hills: Gunung Jijau rise up to over 1500 meter and it's only 20 km from the coast.

Around 1885 the railway between the fast growing city and Port Weld was finished. It was the first railway in the Malaysian peninsula. However, by the end of the 19th century the administrative center of Perak slowly moved up to Ipoh. Taiping's importance was briefly resumed during the Japanese occupation. It became then the headquarter of the Japanese military administration of Malacca and Sumatra. During those day, many schools were turned into army bases.

Surkarno and Mohammad, the later president and vice-president of the Republic of Indonesia flew to Taping for discussions of independence in which Indonesia and Malaysia would fall under one flag. The plan never got shape and in 1945, Indonesia declared independence without Malaysia.

After the War, Ipoh replaced Taiping as the capital of Perak. The city remained the "City of Everlasting Peace" with it's exceptional climate and tranquil surroundings.

Stay in Taiping

Taiping is surprisingly cheap with a good range of hotels available. One of the better hotel in town is the Grand Paradise Highway Hotel which is not located near the highway but almost in town center. With a good service and an even better price (around RM 80-100 a night), you can not go wrong with the Grand Paradise Highway Hotel

A better and more upmarket place is the Taping Resort (also known as Taiping Golf And Country Club, located 10 minutes drive from the town center. Check it out.

Other hotels in town include my favorite: The Legend Inn, an amazingly well priced hotel for around RM 100 which I can recommend in every aspect. The Legend Inn has also a very good restaurant, wireless fast broadband connection in the rooms and widescreen TV with Astro. I think the Legend Inn is the best option in Taiping

Book NOW your room at the Legend Inn in Taiping

or Book the Panorama Hotelone of the cheapest in town!

Places to visit

The Taiping Zoo

The zoo is probably the most famous site to visit in town. The zoo is located close to the foot of Larut Hill (Bukit Larut). The reason why this zoo is such a success is that it is build in a complete natural setting. And for the visitors of Pulau Pangkor who love to spend a day in a zoo, this is your only choice in North Malaysia.

The Zoo is home to more then 180 species, 1300 individuals. These include: tigers, lions, elephants, hornbills and many more. There's also a breeding station which is successful. Even tigers were breeding. An interesting thing to do are the night-safaris.

The Zoo is daily open from 8.30 to 18.30 hr. Feeding time is usually between 10-12 am. The Night Safari is open from 20.00 to 23.00 hr on weekdays and until midnight on weekends and the eve of public holidays.

Taxis in town bring you to the entrance of the Zoo for about a few ringit. Alternatively, it's a 30 to 40 minutes walk through the awesome Lake Gardens. Recommended!

Front view Balai Datuk Maharajalela, 9km north of Taiping

For more information on the Taiping Zoo, click here

The Lake Gardens

The Lake Gardens dates back to 1880 and it's one of the oldest in its kind in Malaysia. You will find the Gardens in the vicinity of Maxwell Hill or as it is known in Malay, Bukit Larut.

The Zoo is their located too. It offers a beautiful panoramic landscape. If something in in the city explains why it is still called "The town of everlasting peace", the Lake Gardens fully explain.

Bukit Larut or Maxwell Hill

Bukit Larut is a hill resort, a place to escape the heat of the the lower areas. The former name was Maxwell Hill. It was a popular outing destination for groups, families or singles.

On top of there's a waterfall for some great cool fun. A beautiful and peaceful place.

The Perak Museum

The Perak Museum near the Lake Gardens dates back to 1883 but it wasn't finished until 1903. You will find 4 main halls: zoological, herbarium, parts of the pre-history and economy and ethnology artifacts. Only the herbarium section has changed. The rest is still intact and extended with more items over the years.

 The museum is daily open from 9.30-12.00 hr and from 14.30-17.00 hr except on Fridays when the museum in the afternoon opens at 14.45 until 17.00hr. There is no admission.

Historical buildings

The town center is quite small so you will be able to cover most of the interesting buildings on foot.

The General Hospital was founded in 1880 as Yeng Wah (Chinese Pauper). Of the original building there are still some left.

The Old Kota Mosque on Mosque Road build in 1897. It was originally a Hanafi Mosque used by the Indian Muslims in Kota. In the later years it was handed over to the Malay Muslim population.

The Taiping Government offices are located at Kota Road in a large Victorian style building. It was build by the end of the 19th Century.

The Peking hotel was build in 1929. It was formerly a rubbers dealing association. It's now restored in it's former glory.

Some of the buildings are now cultural heritage of Taping, like the Kedai kopi dan rumah tumpangan peace above.

The last to mention, since there's so many nice places, is the Taiping Market Square. The Old Market building also belongs to Taipings culutral heritage and was build in 1884 the New Market came a year later.

Lake Gardens, late 1950's courtesey Mr. Brian Paton

I read it is the best preserved example of a 19th Century Market building. If this is true, I can not say, I know it's still a nice place to explore the local market. And next to the market is a big food market. Here you can try all the delicatessens of the Malay, Chinese and Indian cuisine under one roof. At any time of the day there's food available and it's probably the most convenient place to eat (as it is also near the bus station).

Part of Taiping's cultural heritage. the old market hall

Taiping has a long Chinese history. Even the name refers to China (I have visited Taiping in China, about 100km south of Guilin in Guangxi province). Not surprisingly, the city has quite a few Chinese temples.

The photo above is a scale model of a ship to be found in a temple on the outskirts of Taiping town, hidden in an urban area. The ship has a specific function in Taoism.

Kuala Sepetang

Kuala Sepetang is located about 15 km from Taiping and is an excellent day out from the city. The old name for Kuala Sepetang is Port Weld and dates back to 1877. Kuala Sepetang is a little fishing village which is easily overlooked. But the village is worth a visit for a couple of good reasons. The people in the village have all something to do with the mangrove forest. This area contains one of the largest mangrove forests in Malaysia. It's also partly a nature reserve and for that reason alone worth a visit.

The entrance of the park can be found just before arriving in Kuala Sepetang town. Opposite of the entrance is the charcoal factory of Mr. Chuah, another excellent reason to visit Kuala Sepetang. Here's more about Mr. Chuah's factory.

And don't forget to have your lunch in Kuala Sepetang town. The restaurants in the main street all serve fish from their own fishing boats and it's hard to get fresher and better fish dishes anywhere.

Getting there

A day trip to the everlasting city from Pangkor Island is easy to organize. Check our transportation page when exactly buses leave. Alternatively you can take a taxi. The ride should take about an hour and a half and costs between RM 30-40.

Traveling by car is also easy. Take the road out of Lumut and follow the direction to Taiping. It's on the boards when you drive out of Lumut. Distance is 95 km.

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