From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ipoh ايڤوه 怡保
Seal
Nickname: 'City of Millionaires' or 'Bougainvillea City'
Ipoh
Coordinates: 4°36′00″N 101°4′00″E / 4.6, 101.066667
Country	Malaysia
State	Perak
Establishment	Around 1880
Government
- Mayor	Mohamad Rafiai Moktar
Area
- Total	643 km² (248.268 sq mi)
Elevation	21.95 m (72 ft)
Population (2007)
- Total	710,798 (6th)
- Density	1,002.80/km² (2,597.20/sq mi)
Time zone	MST (UTC+8)
- Summer (DST)	Not observed (UTC)
Website: http://www.mbi.gov.my

Coordinates: 04°60′N, 101°07′E Ipoh (pronounced /ˈiːpoʊ/) (latitude 4.60°N, longitude 101.07°E) is a city in Malaysia and is the capital of the state of Perak. It is approximately 200 km (125 miles) north of 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 includes the smaller towns adjacent to the city such as Chemor, Jelapang, Falim, Menglembu and Tanjung Rambutan. Historically, "Ipoh" referred to the Old Town and New Town divided by the Kinta River at its heart, from which the city grew. From the late 1980's Greentown was transformed from old government quarters to an emerging and bustling administrative and commercial centre of Ipoh, often overshadowing both the Old Town and New Town.

Contents 1 History and background 1.1 Name 1.2 History 1.3 Additional notes 2 City layout 3 Population 3.1 Prominent people from Ipoh 4 Cuisine 5 Places of interest 5.1 Limestone caves 6 Infrastructure 6.1 Healthcare 6.1.1 Public 6.1.2 Private 6.2 Higher Education Institutions 6.3 Sports 6.4 Transportation 7 Ipoh's development 7.1 Modern entertainment and recreation 8 Arts, entertainment, and culture 9 Gallery 10 Sister cities 11 References 12 External links

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 (indigenous people) in their blowdarts.

Ipoh is also known as san seng which means "hill city" in the Cantonese dialect. Ipoh is also known among local Chinese as "Pa-loh" (from historic but now seldom used term 壩羅) -referring to the gigantic mining pump used for early tin ore extraction. Among old nicknames for Ipoh are "City of Millionaires" and "the Town that Tin built"; referring to the vast fortunes made during the boom of the tin mining and rubber industries.

Ipoh city came into existence in the 1890s as a village on the banks of the Kinta River. It was less prominent at that time as compared to the early mining town of Gopeng, 20 km south of Ipoh. In 1893 Sir Frank Swettenham put forth the founding of Ipoh Sanitary Board which led to systematic planning of Ipoh, which was still seen today.

However, from the turn of the 20th century when more British tin-mining companies were set up in the city, Ipoh gained prominence. Influential institutions such as The Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China Limited opened a significant office in Ipoh in 1902. It provided credit to the Straits Trading Company and later the Eastern Smelting Company. More colonial era firms such as Botly and Co., A.H Whittaker & Co., Chartered Accounts, Evatt & Co., and Estate Visiting Agents Milne & Stevens started to set up offices in the booming town.

Its geographic location in the rich tin-bearing valley of the Kinta River made it a natural centre of growth. It grew rapidly as a mining town, especially in the 1920s and 1930s. A local Hakka miner, millionaire Yau Tet-Shin started developing a large tract of the city in the early 1930s, today known as the New Town section of the city — the area which roughly delineated from the eastern bank of Kinta River to Greentown.

In the 1950s, Ipoh was characterised by the proliferation of large numbers of cinema halls, amusement parks, cabarets and night life which was unrivalled in peninsular^{[citation needed]}. Two of the largest entertainment groups then Cathay Organisation and Shaw Brothers Company had set up chains of cinemas. Ipoh was also one of the four original towns served by Malayan Airways - the other being Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

With the collapse of tin prices and the closure of the tin mines in the late 1970s, Ipoh's growth had stagnated and resulted in the migration of many young talents to other parts of Malaysia (particularly metropolitan areas such as Kuala Lumpur) and Singapore. Ipoh has since been known colloquially as a "dead" city and earned a reputation as a good location for retirement. Various efforts have been made to redevelop Ipoh into a modern town (see below). The city is expanding all the time as there are new developments in the suburbs.

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 health hospital in Malaysia, is located in Tanjung Rambutan.

Politically, Ipoh has traditionally been a stronghold of the opposition party. From the early days when Ipoh was the bastion of PPP (an opposition party then), the predominantly Chinese voters voted for the famous D. R. Seenivasagam and S. P. Seenivasagam brothers. Today the city is the stronghold of DAP (Democratic Action Party, Malay: Parti Tindakan Demokratik). The parliamentary seat for Ipoh Timur is held by Opposition Leader, Lim Kit Siang while the seat for Ipoh Barat is held by fellow DAP leader, M. Kulasegaran.

The following towns, suburbs, and neighborhoods comprise the area formally (collectively) known as the Ipoh City. (Source: Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh [1])

• Ampang
• Bercham
• Buntong
• Chemor
• Cyber City
• Falim
• Gugusan Manjoi
• Gunung Rapat
• Ipoh Garden
• Jelapang
• Kelebang
• Lahat
• Meru
• Meru Raya
• Menglembu
• Pasir Puteh
• Pekan Baru
• Pekan Lama (Old Town)
• Pengkalan
• Silibin
• Simpang Pulai
• Station 18
• Sunway City
• Tambun
• Taman Cempaka
• Tanjung Rambutan
• Tasek

Ipoh still remains one of Malaysia's largest cities. Today, Ipoh is the third largest city in Malaysia.

• Population = 710,798 (2007)
• Urban area population = 1,022,240 (2007) [2]
• Ranking: Fifth most populous urban centre in Malaysia.

Ethnic groups in Ipoh, 2004 census [3] [4]
Ethnicity	Population	Percentage
Chinese	451,361	70.0%
Malay	109,616	17.0%
Indian	80,600	12.5%
Others	3225	0.5%

Ipoh has its share of prominent people who are known regionally or internationally, especially in business and entertainment:

• Dato' Michelle Yeoh a Hollywood and Hong Kong actress.
• Mohammad Nor Khalid a cartoonist also known as Lat.
• Mamat Khalid Malay movie director, producer and writer of local films such as Puteri Gunung Ledang, Man Laksa, Zombie Kampung Pisang, Lang Buana, Rock, Tipah Tertipu.
• Patrick Teoh Comedian
• Angie Cheung Hong Kong actress and former Miss Malaysia participant
• Amber Chia　International Model
• Michael Wong Guang Liang Chinese pop music singer
• Rain Lam International Dancer, Visionary and Poet
• Koo Kien Keat Badminton Player
• Choong Tan Fook Badminton Player
• Lee Wan Wah Badminton Player
• Cheah Soon Kit Former Badminton Player

Main article: Ipoh cuisine

Ipoh is famous for its food. 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 food items such as "Sar Hor Fun" (Chinese 沙河粉, a flat white rice noodle, best served in soup with shredded chicken meat and prawns), a variant popular to Ipoh is "Hor Hee", served with fish cakes; "Nga Choi Kai" (Chinese 芽菜鸡, chicken fillet and beansprouts, enjoyed by many visitors to Ipoh); "Hakka Mee" (Simplified Chinese 客家面) and "Heong Peng" (Simplified Chinese 香饼). Most Ipohgites will invite you to their favourite past time of "dim sum" (Simplified Chinese 点心) meaning small Chinese dumplings and delicacies; downed with generous servings of Chinese tea. Note that the food items are pronounced in Cantonese, the lingua franca of Chinese in Ipoh.

Ipoh is also famous for Malay cuisine, such as satay (meat on a skewer which resembles kebabs, served with peanut sauce), and also tempoyak (preserved durian extract commonly eaten with chillies).

Ipoh also serves Indian foods such as banana leaf rice, northern Indian food etc.

The town is also famous for "Ipoh white coffee" which is associated with the Old Town. It is a roast of coffee prepared using a unique method that combines elements of modern approaches with traditional Malaysian brewing practices. Ipoh Old Town's cuisine had today become a reference for the Malaysian fast food coffeshop chain "Old Town Kopitiam".

Refer Ipoh cuisine for more information on the various food and drink Ipoh is famous for.

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 the area originally developed by Yau Tet Shin, stretching all the way from Kinta River to Greentown. It has newer shops, buildings, shopping malls and housing estates.

D. R. Seenivasagam Park (Coronation 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.

Ulu Chepor is one of the intriguing recreational place for family and friends. It is among the finest place to relax and set back for anyone who enjoys picnicking and camping in the most remote yet nature-friendly place. Ulu Chepor is a waterfall camping area located 10 km from Ipoh city claimed to be among the best in Ipoh other than Lubuk Timah in Simpang Pulai, and one in FALIM.

Another attraction is the Gunung Lang Recreational Park which is 5 km from Ipoh city center. It has been operated by the MBI with collaboration of Ministry of Tourism Malaysia since 1999.This park is completed with 3 man-made lakes which was originally a tin mine and filled in with tropical fish. It is a RM8.4 million project.

St. Michael's Institution (SMI) along Clayton Road (now known as Jalan S.P. Seenivasagam) is a building of architectural merit. During the Japanese occupation in World War II, the school building had became the Japanese administration headquarters in Ipoh. St. Michael's Institution is a La Sallian school, opened in 1912 by Father J.B. Coppin. 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 (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 Cuisine).

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.

Ipoh has many limestone caves due to the karstic formation around it. The Sam Po Tong (Chinese 三宝洞; Cavern of Three Precious) temple, is a Chinese temple built within a limestone cave. A pond outside houses many tortoises. Its sister temple, Perak Tong (Chinese 霹雳洞; Perak Cave), 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 was the tallest and largest of its kind in Malaysia when it was first commissioned. Both these cavern temples have decent vegetarian food.

Another sight worth seeing is the Kek Lok Tong (Chinese 极乐洞; Cavern of Utmost Happiness), which is a cave temple that lies on the other side of the same range of limestone hills as Sam Poh Tong. It is 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 ^[5]. Gua Tempurung, near Gopeng south of Ipoh, is a show cave open to the public.

Unfortunately many of the limestone hills are being quarried in the ever increasing demand for crushed stone and cement. Some of the hills under threat contain endemic fauna and flora. One cave, Gua Puncak contains Peninsular Malaysia's second largest cave chamber and is in danger of being quarried. However, the Malaysian Karst Society has been set up in an attempt to save these hills.^[1]

The Ipoh Hospital (Hospital Besar Ipoh), which is one of 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.

Several of them are located in and around the Ipoh New Town:

• Ipoh Specialist Hospital (怡保专科医院)
  • formerly Ipoh Specialist Centre
• Kinta Medical Center (近打医药中心)
• Perak Community Specialist Hospital (霹雳华人接生医院)
  • formerly Perak Chinese Maternity Hospital, situated on Kampar Road

Another two are located near the suburb of Ipoh Garden (South):

• Hospital Fatimah
• Pantai Puteri Hospital (班台公主专科医院)

• Keris College Ipoh
• Institut Kompas Accountancy and Business College
• Kolej WIT
• Linton College
• Olympia College
• Polytechnic Ungku Omar
• Sunway College Ipoh
• Kolej Poly-Tech MARA
• Open University Malaysia

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. Ipoh also home for Perak FA .

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. This first Velodrome in the Country was built by the initiative of Dato' Darshan Singh Gill (now Tan Sri Dato' Seri) who led a public donation drive throughout the country and collected RM3.25 million. In addition, Ipoh also boasts as one of the first cities in the country that has an astroturf stadium for hockey, called Azlan Shah Stadium.

For golf, the available courses in Ipoh are the Royal Perak Golf Club off Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah (Tiger Lane), Meru Golf Club in Jelapang, and Clearwater Sanctuary Golf Club en route to Batu Gajah.

Other sports venues include the Kilat Club in Pasir Pinji, Ipoh Field (Padang Ipoh) in the Old Town, the Polo Grounds, and another polo field at Iskandar Polo Club, in Ampang Baru.

• Trunk roads: The old interstate Route 1 connects Ipoh with neighboring towns and other states (such as the town of Gopeng, and city of Kuala Lumpur down south).
• Highway: The new North-South Expressway 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 4 exits - Simpang Pulai, South Ipoh (Ipoh(S) ) or North Ipoh (Ipoh(U) ) & Jelapang.
• Railway: Ipoh's railway station is operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) 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 along Gopeng Road nearby Gunung Rapat, south of Ipoh (formerly situated in Medan Kidd, Old Town).
  • Note: 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.
  • As of May 2006 (for Malaysia Airlines) and September 2006 (for AirAsia), flights ceased landing in Ipoh. Reasons include being an unprofitable route and too short a runway (in AirAsia's case).
  • Other international flights are only available at Penang International Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (in the Klang Valley, approx. 200km south), which is accessible via the above mentioned land routes and express bus, which costs approximately RM50 per ticket.
  • There was a plan to turn the Sultan Azlan Shah airport to a northern low-cost carrier hub by the state government and AirAsia (a low-cost carrier) but with the cessation of AirAsia's flights recently, it remains to be seen whether the plan will be implemented. Currently, the Ipoh airport is used solely and exclusively by Indonesian airlines servicing the Medan-Ipoh route.

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.

The Greentown area near the 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 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 west 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.

Sadly, the vibrancy of the city center has gone with time. 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.

Ipoh was regarded by some filmmakers as a good location for shooting due to its beautiful scenery. Movies filmed in Ipoh include:

• 1999 - Anna and the King, starring Chow Yun-Fat and Jodie Foster, directed by Andy Tennant.
• 2002 - Embun, directed by Erma Fatima.
• 2003 - Paloh, directed by Adman Salleh.
• 2003 - Kadhal Kisu Kisu, directed by P. Vasu.
• 2004 - Tun Tan Cheng Lock.
• 2005 - Sepet, starring Sharifah Amani, directed by Yasmin Ahmad.
• 2005 - Gubra, starring Sharifah Amani, directed by Yasmin Ahmad.
• 2006 - After This Our Exile (Chinese 父子), starring Aaron Kwok and Charlie Young, directed by Patrick Tam.
• 2006 - Goodbye Boys, directed by Bernard Chauly.
• 2006 - Lust, Caution (Chinese 色，戒), starring Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Tang Wei, and Lee-Hom Wang, directed by Oscar-winning Taiwanese director Ang Lee.
• 2007, Mualaf, starring Sharifah Amani, directed by Yasmin Ahmad

Ipoh skyline from Casuarina Hotel	Hills around Ipoh	Jalan Sultan Iskandar Shah, stretches from the New Town into Old Town	The view of Ipoh skyline from Tun Abdul Razak Library
Greentown Walk	Towards Ipoh Parade & Greentown Business Centre	One of the busiest road in Ipoh	The view from Ipoh Parade shopping mall
Other view for Old Town Kopitiam, beside is marrybrown and Hillcity

Ipoh has a couple of sister cities, which are:

• Fukuoka (福岡), Japan^[2]
• Nanning (Chinese 南宁), China^[3]
• Guangzhou (Chinese 广州), China

• Ipoh travel guide from Wikitravel
• Ipoh's Primary Community Website

v • d • e Perak Darul Ridzuan
Districts	Kinta • Larut, Matang dan Selama • Hilir Perak • Manjung • Batang Padang • Kerian • Kuala Kangsar • Hulu Perak • Perak Tengah
Cities	Ipoh (capital)
Towns	Ayer Tawar • Bagan Datoh • Bagan Serai • Bagan Sungai Burong • Banir • Batak Rabit • Batu Gajah • Behrang • Bercham • Beruas • Bidor • Bikam • Bota • Bukit Gantang • Bukit Merah • Changkat Jering • Changkat Keruing • Chemor • Chikus • Damar Laut • Gerik • Gopeng • Gua Tempurung • Hutan Melintang • Jelapang • Jenderata • Jerlun • Kamunting • Kampar • Karak • Keroh • Kota Setia • Kuala Kangsar • Kuala Kurau • Kuala Sepetang • Langkap • Lekir • Lenggong • Lumut • Malim Nawar • Mambang Di Awan • Manong • Menglembu • Padang Rengas • Pantai Remis • Parit • Parit Buntar • Pasir Salak • Pekan Gurney • Pengkalan Hulu • Proton City • Sayong • Selama • Seri Iskandar • Seri Manjung • Simpang Tiga • Sitiawan • Slim • Slim River • Sungai Siput • Sungkai • Taiping • Tambun • Tanjung Malim • Tanjung Piandang • Tanjung Rambutan • Tanjung Tualang • Tapah • Tapah Road • Teluk Batik • Teluk Intan • Teluk Rubiah • Temoh • Temoh Road • Trolak • Terong • Teronoh • Tringkap
Islands	Pulau Pangkor

v • d • e Cities in Malaysia
Alor Star • George Town • Ipoh • Johor Bahru • Kota Kinabalu • Kuala Lumpur • Kuching • Malacca Town • Miri • Petaling Jaya • Shah Alam