TAIPING'S MANY FIRSTS

Taiping had the first of many things, like the 1st railway in the country, 1st hill resort, 1st telegraph office, 1st turf club, 1st golf course etc etc. Below is a complete list.

1 Open tin mining activity in the peninsula (1844).

2 Hill resort - Maxwell Hill (1844)

3 Swimming pool - Kolam Renang Kemahkotaan (1870).

4 Mosque - Masjid Tengku Menteri (1870).

5 Rest house (1870).

6 Artillery warehouse (1870).

7 Magistrate court (1874).

8 Balai penghulu (1875).

9 Resident's house (1877).

10 Port - Port Weld (1877).

11 English school - Central School Kamunting (1878).

12 Police force team (1879).

13 Government offices (1879).

14 Telegraph and post office (1880).

15 Lake gardens - Taman Tasik Taiping (1880).

16 Hospital, private and government (1880).

17 Club - New Club (1880).

18 Railway station and warehouse (1881).

19 Museum - Muzium Negeri Perak (1883).

20 Market building - Taiping Market Square (1884).

21 Prison - Penjara Taiping (1885).

22 Railway track - from Port Weld to Taiping (1885).

23 Turf club - Perak Turf Club (1886).

24 Anglican church - Old Saints Church (1886).

25 English girl's school - Treacher Girls' School (1889).

26 Clock tower - Menara Jam Besar (1890).

27 Esplanade - Padang Esplanade (1890).

28 Malay newspaper - Seri Perak (June 1893).

29 English newspaper - Perak Pioneer (July 4, 1894).

30 Tamil newspaper - Perak Verthamani (1894).

31 Armed Forces - Malay States Guides (1896).

32 Teaching college - Maktab Perguruan Melayu (1898-1900).

33 Ceylon association (1899).

34 Punjabi association - Khalsa Diwan Malaya Association (1903).

35 Indian association (1906).

36 Recreation park - Coronation Park (1920s).

37 Airfield - Padang Kapal Terbang Tekah (1930).

38 Golf course.

39 Library - Perpustakaan Merdeka.

40 Fire brigade.

Getting Into Taiping

By Road

Most people go to Taiping by road. Taiping is accessible from the North South Expressway. Coming from the north, you use Exit 148 to Kamunting, while coming from the south, you use Exit 146 at Changkat Jering. There are buses to Taiping from Penang (Sungai Nibong Express Bus Terminal) and Kuala Lumpur (Puduraya).

By Plane

There is no regular commercial airport in Taiping, so the closest are Penang International Airport and Ipoh Airport. Penang is 1½ hours away on the road, depending on traffic situation, while Ipoh is an hour away.

By Train

The Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM, official website) operates train services linking Taiping to Butterworth in the north, and Kuala Lumpur in the south. Check the KTM website for details.

Taiping Town Background

Taiping is the second biggest town in Perak after Ipoh Located to the north of the state, the name Taiping is made up of two Chinese characters 太 (tai - 'great') and 平 (ping - 'peace'). Taiping was established during the tin mining age. The discovery of tin deposits in the area in the 19th century attracted settlers from China, who were organised into two feuding groups around the Cantonese Ghee Hin(義興) society and the Hakka Hai San (海山) society. And saw much of the activities associated with that ore. When the seat of Perak's administration moved to Kuala Kangsar in Upper Perak in 1877, Taiping became the administrative capital of Perak. It was only after the Second World War had ended, in 1945, that the state administrative capital was moved to Ipoh.

Taiping is basically a two-street town. The two main roads in Taiping are Jalan Kota (Kota Road) and Jalan Taming Sari (Main Road). Cutting perpendicular to these two main roads are cross roads to form a grid. This town plan dates from 1880, when a massive fire destroyed much of the old town, giving the British authorities an opportunity to re-plan the town. The Larut Matang District office is located at the northern end of the town while the Indian Muslim Mosque at the southern end. Taiping can easily be explored on foot. To get to Taiping, it is advisable to drive.