What You Don't Know About Market Square

Kuala Lumpur's Market Square includes Central Market, Jalan Hankasturi, OCBC Building, Market Square, Shenzhen Nam Restaurant, Old Jan Singh Building, Bankbumiputra Building, Lebuan Ampang, Jalan Tan HS Lee, MS Ally Building, Tseya Temple.

Central market
You may be invited to stand under a tree in this hot climate, but be careful. In addition to being a popular destination for tourists looking for souvenirs, the trees in front of the Central Market are also popular with crows and may leave a little souvenir in their heads.

This charming little Art Deco building is the most popular one-stop cultural center in Kuala Lumpur. In fact, if you don't have enough time, this place is enough for a cultural experience and introduces the best arts and crafts in the country.

Built in 1888, this building is just one of many Art Deco buildings in Kuala Lumpur. The facade is repetitive and is organized by unifying windows and doors.

A unique square entrance along the stairs and a horizontal repeating band that runs along the roof is a great way to taste the architecture. The huge glass windows throughout the central market transmit only 20% of the sun's heat, but transmit 60% of the light.

The Central Market was Kuala Lumpur's wet market. After reopening in 1986, the building is now a cultural center and a heritage. And it is very popular with tourists. There is an endless selection of Malaysian handicrafts such as the famous batik. Batik is a fabric that uses wax-resistant dyeing technology. And wow, a magnificent Malaysian kit. A notorious Malaysian inspired T-shirt.

The stalls will be placed in zones based on three major races in Malaysia. In Malay, Chinese, and Indian, visitors can learn more about the cultural differences in this country.

Tourists can also have lunch or dinner on the 2nd floor and enjoy a slightly more touristic Malaysian dish. And if they are lucky, they may catch a cultural show.

Jalan Han Kasturi

Han Kasturi was one of five famous warriors from the Sultan period and was rumored to be associated with one of Sultan's chambers. Sultan ordered another great warrior, Hang Tua, to kill his best friend Hang Casturi and proved his loyalty.

Along the Jalan Hang Kasturi or Hang Kasturi Road, tourists will see a great example of neoclassical buildings. At the time the central market was a wet market, Jalan Hankasturi complemented it with retailers selling dried fish and preserved vegetables. Some of these stores still remain, but many are restaurants. Look for shops numbered 32 through 52 built around 1909. Because it is painted in bright yellow and green, you can easily check. Symmetric shapes, high pillars, triangular pediments directly above, long vertical windows-these are the hallmarks of neoclassical buildings.

OCBC Building

OCBC, a sophisticated and delicate theatre, was built in 1938 by architect AO Coltman for Hua Chinese Bank. The design was innovative and had an underground storage for bicycles, so it was always parked unplanned on the paved road. This is a good example of a building with an Art Deco twist. The main corner of the building is not sharp and is not emphasized. Instead, it is slightly curved. Also notice the powerful repeating horizontal band running between the windows on both floors. Like many Art Deco buildings, OCBC buildings have a flat roof.

Shenzhen Nam Restaurant

Opposite the OCBC building is the eye-catching orange and white Shenzhen restaurant. Calling this building as a facility may be a little exaggerated, but the building occupied by the Sin Seng Nam restaurant is quite historic. Around 1906 it was built by a wealthy businessman called Loke Yew who has a street named after him, but was once called Red House because of the unique exposed red brick. Painted in orange and white. Look at the triangular Dutch gable at the top of the building and notice the unique entrance where the wooden bar acts as a security door and provides ventilation. The windows are narrow and long, and the top and bottom shapes are different. In the past, despite the infamous service, this restaurant was Hainan cuisine and popular with planters.

Market square

The tower forms the center of the market square. The tower was built in 1937 in honor of George VI of England. Of interest is the sunburst motif in the base. The clock tower is in the center of the square.

How was this square born? The city of Kuala Lumpur was founded by a Chinese miner. And among the early Chinese settlers, their biggest one was a man called Yap Ah Roy. The young man who left the Chinese village arrived here at the age of 17 and became the third Kapitansina in Kuala Lumpur. Capitan Sina is roughly translated as a Chinese captain, more specifically as a leader of the Chinese community. When Kuala Lumpur flourished, Yap Arroy drove opium and gambling burrows here at Market Square. Imagine hundreds of Chinese tin miners gather around this square and smoke in opium nests with a long pipe above the oil lamp. This place was noisy due to the chaotic noise of gamblers and the beckoning of prostitutes.

Yap Arroy built a large wooden house on this square. Perhaps that was his way of watching carefully the town he ruled. In 1882, citing health reasons and arguing that the place is a land, Franks Wettenham, a resident general, swooped in hopes of destroying the big market and gambling huts . As a compromise, Yap Ah Roy was allowed to remove the gambling hut and rebuild the market on the condition of using a brick pier and galvanized iron roof. However, despite the adjustment, he was only given the title of a lifetime land, and when he died in 1885, the government took over and relocated the market.

The British government then provided guidelines for building a shop house. The result is a more elegant symmetry of the building. They are very close to where you are standing. The Neo Classic architecture is clearly separated from other new architectures, so you can't miss it, not to mention that it's painted in bright colors like yellow and pink. The decorative plaster wreath along the roof line is very interesting. Other features of these buildings are the triangular structure at the top, long and vertical windows, and a balustrade, which is a small small pillar on the balcony. Bright, geometric and dramatic, these old buildings witness the early rise of Kuala Lumpur.

Old Jansin Building

Opposite Lebuh Ampang is a magnificent white building called Old Gian Singh Building. Built in 1909, the building is famous for its complex plasterwork, a mixture of Dutch, English and Islamic influences.

The imposing and impressive building boasts a complex and sophisticated architecture. Different sections of the building were built by different owners. Therefore, as you move your eyes along the building, you can see how the architecture changes from left to right.
Oriental Building

This beautiful Art Deco building was designed by AO Coltman in the 1930s. As you can see from the first floor, the building is actually along the road curve. The front facade has two pylon-like towers on the side. The main panel has a white decorative plaster line following the frame. Plaster consists of interlocking disks. The high vertical strips alternate with the windows, and the bright horizontal strips run across, giving the whole building an impressive and imposing appearance. The Oriental Building had a Radio Malaya when it was first built. Some say that the building looks like a 30s radio when viewed from a distance.

Lebuan bread

The first thing that may attack you is the smell of jasmine flowers, followed very closely by the vivid sound of the latest Indian hits. This place is full of Indian restaurants, spices and sundries, fresh flower wreaths and money lending. The building here is an assortment of utilitarian, neoclassical and art deco.

The pink building, No. 24 and the following two, are built in a neo-classic style with plaster sculptures and roof railings [small columns on the roof]. Vertical columns separate windows and give a theatrical illusion. The bright yellow and green building was occupied by Chettiar, a South Indian money lender caste. The money lending business is very closely related to Chettiars, so in Malaysia, when you ask someone to borrow money, you might be called a Chettiar as a joke. Today, with the establishment of banks and financial institutions, Chettiar lenders are rare.

The numbers 32 and 34, painted in light yellow and pink, respectively, are two examples of utilitarian architecture. Roof and window butterfly grills help keep the building cool. Its beauty is not as important as functionality.

The house number 85 is on the right side of the road. This is a good example of the Chettiar family. If you take a peek, you will see a glass ceramic tile with peacock design. Peacock is an important Hindu animal. It is a carriage of Murga Lord, the guardian god of Shetia. There are also some low benches, chests and old safes.

Jalan Tun HS Lee

Tun HS Lee was one of the politicians who helped Malaysia's independence, and this street was named after him.

If you walk on the right side of the road, look to the left and look at the house, you will notice that the shop suddenly shortens. The walkway is about 2 feet below the road surface. This is because short shop houses are some of the oldest buildings in Kuala Lumpur, and new buildings are higher than these. Today, these old stores are restored and look newer than their surroundings. The original roof was renovated with a corrugated iron or tile roof.

A long time ago, feng shui and Chinese geology were very influential in this street. Many stores have feng shui mirrors to prevent evil spirits and bad luck. When the demons looked in the mirror, they were believed to run away in fear of their image.

MS Ally

Built in 1910, it was occupied by the Federated Engineering Company and Sime Darby. Today it is used by MS Ally, a pharmaceutical bidding agency. The curious orange line running along the Dutch gable is a sight.

Sayre Temple

The famous Sinseiya temple, or the shorter name Seya temple, is located at an angle to Jalantun HS Lee and Lebupudu and is built on Feng Shui principles. So it is a little hidden and not easy to find.

It was built in 1864 as a tribute to the gods Synzeya and Shizeya by Kapitan Sinajap Arroy, the same person who built the Market Square. Saaya Temple, the oldest Taoist temple in Kuala Lumpur, is a good example of Chinese architecture using the Feng Shui principle.

In 1859, a war broke out between Malaysia and China. In this conflict, Capitan Sin Kap, the head of Sungei Woo-jung, south of Kuala Lumpur, was captured by the Malays and beheaded. According to local legends, his death became sensational when the capitansin cap's head was cut off. Malaysians believe that spilling white blood indicates that the person is a saint. They beg forgiveness and allowed the Chinese to regain his body for burial. As a result of this miracle, the Chinese began to worship him. Malayan Chinese miner god and Kapitan Yap Ah Roy built this temple for his honor. On the main altar on the left is a statue of a Capitansin cup named Si Tze Ya. The other figure is Yap are Roy's Chief General.

Along with the other early Chinese founders of Kuala Lumpur is the Yap Arroy altar on the left. There are other gods in the temple, such as the goddess of mercy Kuan Yin, this year's guardian Tai Sue, the god of wealth Choi Sen.