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怡保
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Perak
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Kinta
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1375
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798,800
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2004
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Hasan Nawawi Abdul Rahman
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Ipoh_Symbolgif
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Bangunan Dewan Bandaraya Ipoh,<br/>Jln Sultan Abdul Jalil,<br/>30450 Greentown,<br/>Ipoh
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05-2413733
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wwwmbicommy
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( 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Passage s 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 Spring s.
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 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 .
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:
{Link without Title} ). Gua Tempurung, near Gopeng south of Ipoh, is a show cave open to the public.
The Ipoh Hospital, which is one the government-owned
Hospital s 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)
There are several schools with decades of established history in Ipoh.
These include:
- Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman Ipoh
- Sam Tet High School
- Sekolah Menengah Teknik Ipoh Persiaran Brash
- St Michael's Institution
- Main Convent
- Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Gunung Rapat
- Sekolah Izzudin Syah
- Sekolah Raja Perempuan Taayah
- Ave Maria Convent
- Anderson School Ipoh
- Anglo-Chinese School Ipoh
- Methodist Girls School Ipoh
- Raja Perempuan Ipoh
- Poi Lam (SUWA) Independent High School
- Ipoh International School
- Sekolah Menengah Sri Ampang
- Sekolah Menengah Pasir Puteh
- Yuk Choy (SUWA) Indipendent High School
- Sekolah Menengah Yuk Choy
- Sekolah Menengah Poi Nam
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.
- 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).
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 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.
Ipoh was regarded by some filmmakers as a good location for shooting due to its beautiful scenery. Movies filmed in Ipoh include:
- (starring Chow Yun-fat and Jodie Foster ). The "palace" scenes were filmed at an Ipoh golf course.
- directed by Yasmin Ahmad.
- Several Bollywood and Kollywood ( Indian Film industry) movies were also made in Ipoh.
- (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.
Ipoh has a
Sister City , which is:
