Ipoh
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Template:Malaysian city|
Flower = Bougainvillea|
CityHallAddress= Bangunan Dewan Bandaraya Ipoh,
Jln Sultan Abdul Jalil,
30450 Greentown,
Ipoh|
CityHallPhone= 05-2413733|
CityHallLink = www.mbi.com.my |
CityMap = Ipoh_on_Malaysian_map.png |
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Ipoh (Chinese: 怡保) (latitude 4.60°N, longitude 101.07°E) is a city in Malaysia located to the north of Kuala Lumpur. It is the state capital of Perak. It is approximately 200 km (125 miles) from Kuala Lumpur via the North-South Highway.
Today, "Ipoh" usually refers to the territory under administration of Ipoh City Council or Dewan Bandaraya Ipoh, which absorbs the smaller towns adjacent to the city including Chemor, Jelapang, Falim, Menglembu and Tanjong Rambutan. Historically, "Ipoh" referred to the Old Town and New Town divided by the Kinta River at its heart, from which the city grew. The current Mayor of Ipoh is Hasan Nawawi Abdul Rahman. Image:Ipoh.JPG
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History and background
The name Ipoh originated from a local tree, pohon epu or now more commonly known as pokok ipoh. This particular plant is used for the extraction of poisonous tree sap. The extract is used by the Orang Asli in their blowdarts. Ipoh is also known as san seng (Chinese : 山城) which means "hill city" in the Cantonese dialect. Ipoh is also known among Chinese Malaysians as "Pa-loh" (Chinese : 壩羅). The old nickname for Ipoh is "City of Millionaires", referring to the vast fortunes made during the tin and rubber days.
Ipoh is located in the rich tin-bearing valley of the Kinta River. It grew rapidly as a mining town, especially in 1920s and 1930s. With the collapse of tin prices and the closure of the tin mines in the late 1950s, Ipoh's growth had stagnated and resulted in the migration of many young and bright talents to other parts of Malaysia, particularly Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Ipoh has since been known as a "dead" city and a good retirement location. Various efforts have been made to redevelop Ipoh into a modern town (see below).
Ipoh has one of the cleanest and clearest water supplies in Malaysia, as the source is from the waterfalls in nearby Tanjung Rambutan. The Hospital Bahagia, a well-known mental hospital in Malaysia, is located in Tanjung Rambutan.
Population
Ipoh still remains one of Malaysia's largest cities. Population statistics are as follows:
- Population = 637,200 (2004)
- Urban area population = 798,800 (2004)
- Ranking: second most populous urban centre in Malaysia.
People
The majority of the residents in Ipoh (approx. 69%) are of Chinese descent. Although Cantonese is widely spoken, the early settlers were mostly Hakka who came to mine the rich tin deposits. They worked mostly on "Palong" machines (Chinese for unrivalled dragon sprout) while the hardy Hakka women used the back-breaking "dulang" (panning) method for tin mining.
Prominent people from Ipoh
Ipoh has its share of prominent people who are known regionally or internationally, especially in business and entertainment:
- Dato' Michelle Yeoh, who acted in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies and more recently Memoirs of a Geisha. (She is an alumnus of Main Convent Ipoh, and was awarded the honorary title Dato' by the Sultan of Perak in recognition of her achievements.)
- Cartoonist Mohammad Nor Khalid, better known as Lat, had his primary education in Jalan Pasir Putih school and secondary education in Anderson School.
- Angie Cheung Wai Yee, a Hong Kong based-actress who was born in Ipoh.
- Michael Wong (Guang Liang), a Taiwan based-singer from the former Michael & Victor (Guang Liang Pin Guan) duet, was a student of Sam Tet school.
- Badminton players (representatives of Malaysia at international events) include Cheah Soon Kit (Atlanta Olympics Silver Medallist for men's doubles), and Koo Kien Kiet.
Cuisine
- Main article: Ipoh cuisine
Ipoh is famous for its cuisine. Natives claim that Ipoh's water, which is relatively hard (high alkali content) owing to Ipoh's location on top of a large karstic formation, makes the food especially tasty.
Ipoh is particularly famous for its "Sar Hor Fun", a flat white rice noodle. It is best taken in a soup with shredded chicken meat and prawns.
Another traditional favourite is dim sum, small Chinese delicacies served in steamed or fried versions, including fish, prawn and pork dumplings.
Places of interest
The Old Town and New Town of Ipoh are two different parts of Ipoh separated by the Kinta River. Most olden-day pre-World War II shophouses, heritage buildings, and some Government buildings are located in the Old Town while the New Town comprises newer buildings, shopping malls and housing estates.
D. R. Seenivasagam Park, located in the heart of Ipoh (New Town), is known for its scenic beauty and recreational facilities. It boasts several recreational fields, an artificial lake filled with various types of fishes, a nursery for potted plants and a children's traffic playground. There are also beautiful arches, modular framework, shelters, pedestrian paths and the Ipoh tree which gave the city its name. The latest addition is the newly landscaped Japanese Garden featuring a typical Japanese Carp pond. The fresh atmosphere and variety of flora are also part of the main attractions of this park.
Famous attractions around Ipoh include Kellie's Castle (or Callie's Castle), which is the unfinished, abandoned mansion of an eccentric British planter, near Batu Gajah, half an hour's drive from Ipoh city centre. Its main appeal lies in the belief that it is haunted and that secret passages leading to hidden chambers exist.
A 15-minute drive from Ipoh towards Tanjung Rambutan brings you to the foot of a limestone hill where a rejuvenating experience awaits you - an invigorating hot bath from a natural spring, the Tambun hot springs.
The school building of St. Michael's Institution (SMI) along Clayton Road (now known as Jalan S.P. Seenivasagam) is an architectural masterpiece. Aside from this school, the Ipoh Train station which has elements of Moorish and Gothic architecture is another famous landmark of this former tin-mining city. SMI and the Railway Station are located in the Old Town of Ipoh. Many olden-day shophouses along Leech Street (in Chinese: 烈治街; now known as Jalan Bandar Timah) in the Old Town still maintain their architectural significance, besides being a popular tourist spot for food and drinks (refer the Food section below).
The New Town houses the Perak Medical University and Ipoh City Council building, among others.
For more information about the New Town and its places of interest refer below.
Limestone caves
Ipoh has many limestone caves due to the karstic formation around it. The Sam Po Tong (Cavern of Three Precious; Chinese : 三寶洞) temple, is a Chinese temple built within a gigantic limestone cave. It houses a few giant tortoises too. Its sister temple, Perak Tong (Perak Cave; Chinese : 霹靂洞), has a steep, tall staircase in the interior of the cave rising up to the top of its hill where one is greeted by a panoramic view of Ipoh and its surroundings. The statue of Buddha in Perak Tong is the tallest and largest of its kind in Malaysia. Both these cavern temples have decent vegetarian food.
Another sight worth seeing is the Kek Lok Tong (Cavern of Utmost Happiness; Chinese : 極樂洞), which is a cave temple that lies on the other side of the same range of limestone hills as Sam Po Tong. however, it is only accessible through the Gunung Rapat housing area. It has a cleaner, quieter and more cooling environment and has the best scenic cave view.
Limestone hills extend 20 km north of Ipoh and also 20 km to the south. There are many caves in these hills (referenced: [1]). Gua Tempurung, near Gopeng south of Ipoh, is a show cave open to the public.
Infrastructure
Healthcare
The Ipoh Hospital, which is one the government-owned hospitals in Perak, is located near the Fair Park and Greentown area. A short distance from there lies the new Ipoh health clinic (also government-owned).
Besides government hospitals, there are also private medical centers located around Ipoh, such as:
- Fatimah Hospital (Ipoh Garden)
- Pantai Puteri Hospital (Ipoh Garden)
- Ipoh Specialist Hospital (formerly Ipoh Specialist Centre, New Town)
- Kinta Medical Center (New Town)
- Perak Community Specialist Hospital (formerly Perak Chinese Maternity Hospital, near the New Town)
Schools (Primary and Secondary Education)
There are several schools with decades of established history in Ipoh. These include: (first four being former Catholic-run schools)
- Sam Tet High School
- St Michael's Institution
- Main Convent
- Ave Maria Convent
- Anderson School Ipoh
- Anglo-Chinese School Ipoh
- Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman Ipoh
- Methodist Girls School Ipoh
- Raja Perempuan Ipoh
- Poi Lam (SUWA) Independent High School
- Ipoh International School
- Sekolah Menengah Teknik Ipoh Persiaran Brash
- Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Gunung Rapat
- Sekolah Izzudin Syah
- Sekolah Raja Perempuan Taayah
Sports
There are a few sporting venues in Ipoh. A portion of land located in the area called Kampong Simee has been selected by the City Council for the Sport Center. The main sports stadium for football (soccer) and other track and field events is the Perak Stadium. There is an indoor sports stadium beside it, the Indera Mulia Stadium, playing host to events such as badminton.
A nearby swimming pool complex, run by the city council, is also open to the public at relatively fair rates (RM1 on weekdays/RM2 on weekends and public holidays). The complex has an Olympic-size pool, a diving pool, a wave pool, a smaller pool and a children's wading pool.
Ipoh is also home to Malaysia's first velodrome, called Velodrom Rakyat or The People's Velodrome.
For golf, the available courses in Ipoh are the Royal Perak Golf Club (off Tiger Lane or Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah). Another course is en route to Batu Gajah, which is the Clearwater Sanctuary golf club.
Other sports venues include the Kilat Club in Pasir Pinji, Ipoh Field (Padang Ipoh) in the Old Town, and the Polo Grounds.
Transportation
- Trunk roads: The old interstate Route 1 connects Ipoh with neighbouring towns and other states (such as the town of Gopeng, and city of Kuala Lumpur down south).
- Highway: The new North-South Highway is a faster and more efficient alternative to Route 1. However, certain towns like Kampar can only be accessible via Route 1. Drivers using the North-South highway can exit into Ipoh from any of these 3 exits - Simpang Pulai, South Ipoh (Ipoh(S) ) or North Ipoh (Ipoh(U) ).
- Railway: Ipoh's Railway Station is operated by KTM (Keretapi Tanah Melayu) and is situated in the Old Town (however, it does not have intra-city travel like in Kuala Lumpur). The railway only connects Ipoh with neighbouring towns and cities.
- Bus: The inter-city bus terminal is located at Silveritage Galleria in Gunung Rapat, south of Ipoh (formerly situated in Medan Kidd, Old Town).
- Notes: The location of this bus terminal is controversial as many people claim it is not in a central location. Furthermore, operators of businesses previously located near the railway station refused to move here. Plans are afoot to move the bus station to Meru, located in the north of Ipoh but sadly, also not at a central location.
- Air: For air travel, the Sultan Azlan Shah airport is the only airport in Ipoh. It is situated near Gunung Rapat. However, only domestic flights (and limited international ones) are available at this airport. Other international flights are only available at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (approx. 200km south), which is accessible via express bus (cost averaging RM42 per way).
Ipoh's development
Various development activities has been mooted and revived in the city recently, including the revitalisation of projects halted during the Asian financial crisis in 1997.
Modern entertainment and recreation
The Greentown area near Ipoh City Council Building is fast becoming an entertainment hotspot. The coming online of Greentown Business Center is giving new life to the city centre. The general activities in the new development consists mostly of restaurants, food outlets, and cafés.
Medan Ipoh (formerly known as Metro Ipoh Baru) is a favourite for many younger people. The residents of the city have dubbed the area as Ipoh's very own 'Bangsar' (akin to the hip Bangsar area in Kuala Lumpur). It is located adjacent to Ipoh Garden East. The place is famous for its cluster of nightspots, cafés, coffee shops (serving local food), entertainment outlets, F&B (food and beverage) joints, and more recently cybercafés.
The UK giant retailer, Tesco, has recently opened a new outlet in this area. Kinta City Mall (a popular shopping place for locals, owned by the giant Jusco departmental store chain from Japan) is also located adjacent to Medan Ipoh and Tesco.
The recently opened "Lost World of Tambun" is expected to gain a certain following as Ipoh's own "Sunway City" (mirroring the actual "Sunway City" which is located about 15 km east of Kuala Lumpur). Within the "Lost World of Tambun" is the upgraded and revived natural hot spring, which was very popular in the 1960s and 1970s. It is also the location for Ipoh's another hypermarket, Giant Hypermarket.
Sadly, the vibrance of the city center has gone as the years goes by. An effort has been made by the city council to re-establish the night market centrally, at Dato' Tahwil Azar Road, known as "Night Lane". It is a typical Malaysian night market, albeit bigger and with longer operating hours.
Arts, entertainment, and culture
Ipoh was regarded by some filmmakers as a good location for shooting due to its beautiful scenery. Movies filmed in Ipoh include:
- Anna and the King (starring Chow Yun-fat and Jodie Foster). The "palace" scenes were filmed at an Ipoh golf course.
- Sepet directed by Yasmin Ahmad.
- Several Bollywood and Kollywood (Indian film industry) movies were also made in Ipoh.
- Father and Son (starring Aaron Kwok, still under production). The "house" scenery were filmed at an Ipoh residential area
Ipoh is also the home ground for several budding independent (indie) music groups.
Sister City
Ipoh has a sister city, which is: