Founded in the mid-nineteenth
century,
KUALA LUMPUR , or KL
as it's popularly known, is the
youngest Southeast Asian capital and
the most economically successful
after Singapore - and it's still
growing: building sites abound and
the city is awash with stunning
examples of modern architecture, not
least the famous Petronas Towers and
the recently opened Museum of
Islamic Arts. It's not one of
Malaysia's most charming cities
perhaps: it doesn't have, for
example, the narrow alleys, bicycles
and mahjong games of Melaka or Kota
Bharu or the atmospheric waterfront
of Kuching. But it's safe and
sociable, and with a population of
nearly two million, it's usually
exciting in the day and always
buzzing with energy at night. From a
cultural standpoint, it certainly
has enough interesting monuments,
galleries, markets and museums to
keep visitors busy for at least a
week.
KL began life as a swampy staging
post for Chinese tin miners in 1857
- Kuala Lumpur means "muddy
estuary" in Malay - and
blossomed under the competitive rule
of pioneering merchants. But as
fights over tin concessions erupted
across the country, the British used
gunboat diplomacy to settle the
Selangor Civil War and the British
Resident, Frank Swettenham, took
command of KL, making it the capital
of the state and, in 1896, the
capital of the Federated Malay
States. Swettenham imported British
architects from India to design
suitably grand buildings, and
thousands of Tamil labourers poured
in to build them; development
continued steadily through the first
quarter of the twentieth century.
The Japanese invaded in December
1941, but although they bombed the
city, they missed their main
targets. Following the Japanese
surrender in September 1945, the
British were once more in charge in
the capital, but Nationalist demands
had replaced the Malays' former
acceptance of the colonizers, and
Malaysian independence - Merdeka -
finally came in 1957.
The City
Despite much modernization, much of
Kuala Lumpur's appeal - markets,
temples and historic mosques -
remains untouched. The city centre
is quite compact, with the Colonial
District centred on Merdeka Square;
close by, across the river and to...
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