The man who rebuilt this city

FLOODS, fires and feuds.

At a time when Kuala Lumpur was just a small mining settlement, those were some of the challenges encountered by an enterprising Chinese leader called Yap Ah Loy. 

And indeed, he lived in unsettling times.

Not only was Kuala Lumpur plagued with fights among rival Chinese secret societies, it was also torn apart by the Selangor Civil War between Raja Mahadi and Tengku Kudin.

The civil war ended in 1873, with victory claimed by Tengku Kudin, who was supported by Yap Ah Loy, the third Kapitan Cina of Kuala Lumpur.

But the years of fighting had left the town battered and almost destroyed.

The town, which was largely built with attap roofs and wooden structures, was also regularly gutted by fires and ravaged by floods especially in the early 1880s.

Past: The Dataran Merdeka area in Kuala Lumpur in the 1880s.

It was Yap who took on the challenging task of rebuilding the town in the wake of the disasters, and also laid the foundation for the area to grow into a prosperous town.

This year marks the 180th birth anniversary of the Kapitan Cina, who was born on March 14, 1837 and almost 150 years since he was appointed the post in 1868.

And while historians today are debating as to who really was the founder of Kuala Lumpur, Yap has nevertheless been generally acknowledged as a prime mover in the growth and development of the town.

Yap, a Hakka from Huizhou, China, also set up a string of Kuala Lumpur’s institutions during his tenure as the Kapitan, says Dr Lee Kam Hing, a senior research fellow at Universiti Malaya’s (UM) Institute of China Studies.

He explains it was Yap who was responsible for building a network of roads, the Sin Sze Si Ya Temple near Central Market which served as a centre for early community religious activity, its first Chinese school, a medicine shop, charitable homes for sick and elderly, diversifying the town’s economic activities, among others.

“He was accepted early as a leader of the community through his use of social relations, political strategies and cultural imageries understood by the Chinese.

Present: A view of Kuala Lumpur with Dataran Merdeka from Menara DBKL.

“He demonstrated martial ability and displayed qualities valued by the Chinese, including support for the temple, acts of philanthropy and administering justice within the community.

“At the same time, Yap worked within the prevailing Malay political system in Selangor and showed an understanding of the power balance when allying himself with one faction in the civil war. He dealt confidently with British colonial officials at a time of advancing British influence in the state,” explains Dr Lee in an interview.

Such was Yap’s ability to deal with various people that he was admired by the Chinese community. He forged alliances across dialect lines and developed successful political and military strategies with Malay leaders.

“Early Chinese saw his martial role within the traditions of Chinese epics such as the Romance of the Three Kingdoms,” says Dr Lee, who is a former history professor.

On accusations that Yap was akin to a “gangster”, Dr Lee clarifies that Yap was a leader of a secret society.

“Secret societies during that period were formed to provide social support, protection, and law and order to a migrant community struggling in an environment that was new and alien.

“Battles were then fought by rival mining groups over mining land and secret societies provided fighting men in those conflicts. Early Chinese leaders in such settlements were those who had military abilities to defend settlements and communities,” he says.

And even though Yap had very little education, Dr Lee says he was skilled and comfortable in dealing with Malay rulers and colonial administrations.

On one occasion, he played host to Sir Frederick Weld, the Governor of the Straits Settlements, and put on a theatre show during the visit.

And while Kuala Lumpur has seen many milestones since those days, Dr Lee says Yap, who served as Kapitan Cina for 17 years until his death in 1885, is a fascinating subject for Malaysians to study especially in understanding early Sino-Malay relations, and evolving communities.

“Here was a man who saw opportunities in a land alien to him, fought battles where close friends were killed and he himself seriously wounded, welded a community together, related closely to Malay rulers and negotiated with British colonial administrators,” says Dr Lee.

On top of it all, Yap demonstrated a capacity for hard work.

“History represents the collective memory of a community and a nation. The story of Yap is a necessary historical source to understand how our multi-ethnic nation has evolved,” Dr Lee adds.

While there is debate over who founded Kuala Lumpur, UM history department senior lecturer Dr Ahmad Kamal Ariffin Mohd Rus points out that when it comes to Yap, the important thing to remember is that he was the one who reconstructed the town when it was destroyed.

“The facts are that Yap was the third Kapitan Cina of Kuala Lumpur and that the town was opened earlier. So we shouldn’t be arguing about this matter. But who built it back when it was devastated?

“It was him. He stayed there to rebuild the town. That was his biggest contribution and that is why he is significant, whether you like him or not, whether you are racist or not.

“History is history and if it is a fact, we must speak truthfully,” he says, adding that Yap’s role in rebuilding Kuala Lumpur should be given its place in history textbooks.

Dr Ahmad Kamal Ariffin says Yap’s name is synonymous with Kuala Lumpur because if not for his contributions, the city may not be the national capital today.

“Yap took three years to rebuild the town after the Selangor Civil War. And in those years, he managed to get the town back on its feet, even earning the praise of British Resident general Sir Frank Swettenham, who in his journal, described the town as more organised than Larut, a major mining town at that time,” he says.

The town was also said to be a bustling emporium for business, with a wide range of goods being traded and sold.

Kuala Lumpur was later chosen to be the capital of Selangor by the British in 1880.

Yap was also part of the state council meetings together with British officials. This was the highest governing body in the state at that time.

“There was one occasion where the British wanted to increase the taxes on rice but Yap opposed it. He said it was okay to increase opium tax but not the rice tax because it was the staple food of the people, and the British listened to him,” he says.

Dr Ahmad Kamal Ariffin recalls that Yap had also stayed in Kuala Lumpur in 1878 when tin prices took a dip and a cholera epidemic led some townsfolk to flee town.

“He remained behind and sought help from the British Resident to get loans. When the prices recovered and the epidemic was over, he invited the people back to Kuala Lumpur and managed to revive the mining business there,” he says.

Yap was important for the British too because they needed him to bridge gaps with the local Chinese community who mainly dominated the tin industry.

“With Yap, there was no resistance from the local Chinese and they were able to work together with the British,” he says.

As for relating to the Malay community, Dr Ahmad Kamal Ariffin says in those days, the various races mainly interacted at the market and that is why towns are normally built around such trading points.

“Community leaders at that time were on good terms including Yap, who was even awarded a title by the Malay elite. This indicated that he was recognised by them as well,” he says.

Fast forward to the present day. It is perhaps a pity that many Malaysians do not know the extent of Yap’s contributions.

Except for a road that was named after him near Petaling Street, not many know much about Yap.

Historian Tan Sri Dr Khoo Kay Kim laments that many young Malaysians are unfamiliar with the origins of Kuala Lumpur and the role that Yap had played in its development.

“In the beginning, Kuala Lumpur wasn’t as progressive as other mining towns like Ipoh or Taiping but it grew under Yap’s tenure as Kapitan Cina,” he says.

As an important figure in Kuala Lumpur’s history, Dr Khoo suggests that more could be done to promote Yap’s contributions such as by including his stories in tourism pamphlets on the city.

Nevertheless, Malaysian students do learn about Yap in the national syllabus in schools.

Deputy Education Minister Datuk Chong Sin Woon says certain leaders such as Yap have been mentioned briefly in the Year Five history syllabus and included in Form Two history textbooks under a chapter on the emergence and development of new towns.

“History textbooks are written based on the ministry’s curriculum and assessment standard document (DSKP). The DSKP for history is formulated based on chronological details of the involvement of the various races in the country’s development.

“The contributions of each race are included according to topics and events that have transpired along the nation’s historical timeline,” he explains.

Chong, who is MCA Youth chief, acknowledges that many have proposed that Yap be given more space in history textbooks.

“We will need to further discuss this suggestion,” he says, adding that it is imperative for young Malaysians to understand historical figures as some are key individuals who have shaped the nation.

There has also been suggestions from Yap’s descendants that the Kapitan Cina be further immortalised by naming a main artery road in Kuala Lumpur to honour him.

To this, Deputy Federal Territories Minister Datuk Loga Bala Mohan says the Government is one that welcomes suggestions from all parties and the ministry can consider such a proposal.

“We can look into such a suggestion. I urge those who have suggested this to write in to the ministry and we can see how things can be worked out.

“For all intent and purposes, we wouldn’t want important historical figures to be left out of history,” he says.

Loga Bala says he is aware that the current Jalan Yap Ah Loy, near Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur is a small road compared to other roads in the city today.

“But perhaps in those days, it was one of the main streets,” he points out.

When it comes to historical figures, Deputy Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin says all prominent individuals who have helped shaped the nation should be promoted and given due recognition, regardless of their race and religion.“We urge Malaysians to feel passionate to learn more about their country’s history and important individuals in the past as it is part of the country’s identity. Tak kenal maka tak cinta (you can’t love what you don’t know).

“The ministry is constantly striving to preserve historical facts so that they are not forgotten by generations of Malaysians to come. This is especially important and timely since the country’s 60th National Day is approaching,” she says.