THE community in Pekan Ampang, Selangor, has started on a project to document the town’s history, preserve its century-old buildings as well as earmark sites to be turned into tourist spots.
Concerned that many of the town’s unique features are slowly disappearing, residents and stakeholders, with support from Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) are embarking on a preservation project to protect what remains.
Pekan Ampang, located just off Jalan Ampang and a stone’s throw from Kuala Lumpur city centre, is a quaint jumble of old and new structures.
There are no trendy cafes here. Instead, the town is a treasure trove of popular Chinese eateries, temples and bygone-era architecture, waiting to be discovered.
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Documenting history
Born and bred in Pekan Ampang, Lee Shok Jing, said there were not many surviving records left of the history of the area and its people.
The 54-year-old said that most of the written records and pictures were either lost or discarded by residents over the years.
Lee, along with other residents and stakeholders, have set up Persatuan Pencinta Pekan Ampang (PPPA) with the aim of preserving and developing the town’s historical and cultural elements.
Many shophouses in Pekan Ampang are over 100 years old, including this pink building that dates back to 1916. – Photos: AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star
“We want to try tracing the history of Pekan Ampang and preserving any remaining records.
“We have asked the old timers here to dig up any photos or mementos they have.
“Hopefully, we will then be able to borrow these records and set up an exhibition for the public,” said Lee, who is chairman of the newly registered PPPA.
“We need to take steps to preserve what is left or risk losing them in the name of progress.
“Residents, especially the younger generation, should know how Pekan Ampang came into being.”
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She said among the more distinctive features of Pekan Ampang still standing were the century-old shophouses with colonial architectural elements.
Famous landmark: The 160-year-old Kau Ong Yah Temple in Pekan Ampang is well known for its Nine Emperor Gods Festival celebration. – AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star
Many of these shophouses in Jalan Besar Ampang house mom-and-pop businesses that have spanned generations.
“The oldest buildings here were built in 1913 and 1916.
“It is rare to find such buildings anymore,” she said.
“Unfortunately, many other shophouses here have been rebuilt or renovated over the years.”
Development, too, has left its mark on the town as some 20 units were demolished to make way for a highway project several years ago.
Lee says Persatuan Pencinta Pekan Ampang aims to preserve the area’s culture and heritage.
Lee also fondly remembers the time when there was only one bus route in and out of the area.
“The Pekan Ampang community hall at the end of Jalan Besar Ampang, used to be the pick-up and drop-off point for bus passengers.
“The hall itself is special because the local community did their own fundraising to build it in 1954.”
It is understood that the hall will soon be repaired to fix the roof that collapsed some time ago.
Other notable features in the area include Ampang’s first fire station in Jalan Besar Ampang, which is still there, while the Ampang market in Jalan Pasar has grown tremendously, housing some 300 stalls now.
The old Ampang railway station has disappeared and in its place is the Ampang LRT station.
Roots in tin-mining
Many of the town’s places of worship have also stood the test of time.
The best examples are the 160-year-old Kau Ong Yah Temple, known for its Nine Emperor Gods Festival, as well as the more than century-old Ampang Tam Khoon Mew and Mee Thor Gan temples in Jalan Besar Ampang.
Lee said they planned to organise a walking tour with Tourism Selangor, giving historic information of the place and its people as Pekan Ampang is now a food haven.
“This will also include several prominent food outlets, such as the famous Ampang yong tau foo restaurants and Hainanese chicken rice.”
Pang says a blueprint drawn up for Pekan Ampang includes resolving flash flood woes in the area.
For Ee Wai Leong, whose family has stayed in Pekan Ampang for three generations, the townsfolk are still a close-knit community.
“This place used to be a tin-mining hub and was established as a settlement some 120 years ago.
“The availability of jobs in the area attracted more Chinese to settle here, predominantly from the Hakka, Hokkien and Cantonese communities.
“After the mines were closed in the 1970s, some of the residents became rubber tappers, like my father, or went elsewhere for work.
“But their families still live here and some opened businesses which served the needs of the people,” said the 57-year-old.
Ee, who is the third generation of his family in Pekan Ampang, is the former village head of Kampung Baru Ampang.
Ee was also the former Kampung Baru Ampang village head, which includes Pekan Ampang town.
A thriving industrial area is located behind the main street.
“Handmade and locally produced furniture factories and timber shops are some of the businesses here, especially after MPAJ rezoned it for industrial use some years ago,” he added,
Ee said that the Pekan Ampang wet market used to be a gathering place for residents, and is still operating today.
Heritage blueprint
MPAJ councillor Stella Pang Sock Fong said a blueprint had been drawn up for a more holistic and comprehensive plan to preserve Pekan Ampang.
She said this included infrastructure works such as repainting the old buildings, creating a museum and art gallery and resolving flash floods.
“We are pleased that MPAJ has also incorporated the preservation of the town into the Draft Local Plan 2035.
Mee Thor Gan temple is almost a hundred years old and located in Jalan Besar Ampang.
“It also details the need to maintain at least the facade of the old structures and develop tourism in the area.”
One of the key things they hope to accomplish is erecting two welcome arches to commemorate the town.
“We are in the midst of getting approvals and hope that it will be completed by the end of the year.
“We have also managed to carry out drainage upgrade costing RM500,000 to address flooding here,” said Pang.
