Ipoh
Encyclopedia
Ipoh is the capital city of Perak
Perak
Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...

 state, Malaysia. It is approximately 200 km (125 miles) north of Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...

 on the North-South Expressway.

Ipoh developed into one of Malaysia's main cities around the turn of the 19th century due to the booming tin mining industry. During the British colonial era, Ipoh was Malaysia's second city for administrative purposes. There are several notable buildings from the British Colonial era such as the railway station and the town hall. 70% of Ipoh's population is of Chinese origin.

Toponymy

The name Ipoh is derived from a local tree, Pohon Epu or now more commonly known as Pokok Ipoh
Upas tree
Antiaris toxicaria is native to Australia, Cameroon, China , Democratic Republic of Congo, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Thailand, Tonga, Uganda and Vietnam.The name antiaris is derived directly from the Javanese language name for it: ancar...

. The sap of this plant is poisonous and was used by Orang Asli
Orang Asli
Orang Asli , is a generic Malaysian term used for people indigenous to Peninsular Malaysia...

 (Indigenous Peoples
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....

 in Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...

) to coat the tips of the darts of their blowpipes for hunting purposes.

Nicknames for Ipoh

The Town Built on Tin and City of Millionaires referring to the vast fortunes made during the boom of the tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...

 mining industries.

"The Bougainvillea City" referring to Bougainvillea as the symbol flower of the city.

"The Hill City" referring to Ipoh being centre and surrounded by hills.

Early history

Ipoh city came into existence in the 1820s as a village on the banks of the Kinta River
Kinta River
Kinta River is a river in Perak, Malaysia. It gives its name to the Kinta Valley which surrounds Ipoh. There are many limestone hills in this area and there used to be many tin mines.-Major settlements:Major settlements along the river are:*Sungai Siput...

. It was less prominent at that time compared to the early mining town of Gopeng
Gopeng
Gopeng is a town located in Mukim Teja, District of Kampar, Perak, Malaysia. It is situated approximately 20 km south of Ipoh, the state capital. The town is located on the west side of the North-South Expressway stretch of Tapah-Simpang Pulai...

, 20 km south of Ipoh. In 1890, Frank Swettenham
Frank Swettenham
Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham GCMG CH was the first Resident General of the Federated Malay States which was formed by combining a number of sultanates. He served from 1 July 1896 to 1901. He was also an amateur photographer...

 founded the Ipoh Sanitary Board which led to the systematic planning of Ipoh.

From the turn of the early 20th century, when more British tin-mining companies were set up in the city, Ipoh gained greater prominence. Influential institutions such as The Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China Limited opened offices in Ipoh in 1902. It provided credit to the Straits Trading Company
Straits Trading Company
The Straits Trading Company Limited is a Singapore-based corporation with operations in Singapore and Malaysia, as well as various localities in Asia and Australia....

 and later the Eastern Smelting Company. More Colonial-era firms started to set up offices in the booming town such as the stockbroker Botly and Co., A.H Whittaker & Co., Chartered Accounts, Evatt & Co., and Estate Visiting Agents Milne & Stevens.

Its geographic location in the rich tin-bearing valley of the Kinta River
Kinta River
Kinta River is a river in Perak, Malaysia. It gives its name to the Kinta Valley which surrounds Ipoh. There are many limestone hills in this area and there used to be many tin mines.-Major settlements:Major settlements along the river are:*Sungai Siput...

 made it a natural centre of growth. It grew rapidly as a mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...

 town, especially in the 1920s and 1930s. A local Hakka
Hakka people
The Hakka , sometimes Hakka Han, are Han Chinese who speak the Hakka language and have links to the provincial areas of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan and Fujian in China....

 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 the Kinta River
Kinta River
Kinta River is a river in Perak, Malaysia. It gives its name to the Kinta Valley which surrounds Ipoh. There are many limestone hills in this area and there used to be many tin mines.-Major settlements:Major settlements along the river are:*Sungai Siput...

 to Greentown.

War and post-war periods

Ipoh was invaded by the Japanese on 15 December 1941. During the Japanese Occupation of Malaya
Japanese occupation of Malaya, North Borneo and Sarawak
Throughout much of World War II, British Malaya, North Borneo and Sarawak were under Japanese occupation.The Japanese Empire commenced the Pacific War with the invasion of Kota Bahru in Kelantan on 8 December 1941 at 00:25, about 90 minutes before the Attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii at 07:48 on 7...

, Ipoh was made the capital of Perak, in place of Taiping
Taiping, Perak
Taiping is a town located in northern Perak, Malaysia. With a population of 191,104 , it is the second largest town in Perak after Ipoh, the state capital. Taiping took over Kuala Kangsar's role as the state capital from 1876 to 1937, but was then replaced by Ipoh...

. In March 1942, the Japanese Civil Administration or Perak Shu Seicho had been set up at the St. Michael's Institution
St. Michael's Institution
St. Michael's Institution is a school in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. It is situated on Jalan S.P. Seenivasagam, formerly Clayton Road. Within the same premises are two primary schools, St. Michael's I and II. The school has a long history full of events such as the annual drama play, which was first...

. After the liberation of Malaya by British forces, Ipoh remained the capital of Perak, till as at this day.

In the 1950s, Ipoh was characterised by the proliferation of large numbers of cinema
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....

 halls, amusement park
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...

s, cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...

s and night life . Two of the largest entertainment groups then, the Cathay Organisation
Cathay Organisation
Cathay Organisation Holdings Limited is one of Singapore's leading leisure and entertainment groups. It has the first THX cinema hall and digital cinema in Singapore. The group has operations in Singapore and Malaysia.-The early years:...

 and Shaw Brothers Company had set up cinema chains in Ipoh. Ipoh was also one of the four original towns served by Malayan Airways (now Malaysia Airlines
Malaysia Airlines
Malaysian Airline System Berhad , DBA Malaysia Airlines , is the government-owned flag carrier of Malaysia. Malaysia Airlines operates flights from its home base, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and its eastern hub in Kota Kinabalu. It has its headquarters on the grounds of Sultan Abdul Aziz...

), the other three being Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...

, Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...

 and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

.

Contemporary Ipoh

With the collapse of tin prices and the closure of the tin mines in the late 1970s, Ipoh's growth stagnated and resulted in migration to other parts of Malaysia (particularly metropolitan area
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...

s such as Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...

) and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

.

Ipoh has since been known colloquially as a "dead" city and earned a reputation as a good location for retirement
Retirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...

. Various efforts have been made to redevelop Ipoh into a modern town (refer below for more information).

Ipoh has one of the cleanest and clearest water supplies in Malaysia, as the source is from the waterfalls in nearby Tanjung Rambutan
Tanjung Rambutan
Tanjung Rambutan is a town in the Kinta district of Perak, Malaysia. It is on the Ipoh to Butterworth railway line, Tanjung Rambutan railway station....

.

On 27 May 1988, Ipoh was conferred city status by the Sultan of Perak, His Royal Highness Sultan Azlan Shah.

Topography

Ipoh is located within the state of Perak
Perak
Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...

, which is in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia , also known as West Malaysia , is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula. Its area is . It shares a land border with Thailand in the north. To the south is the island of Singapore. Across the Strait of Malacca to the west lies the island of Sumatra...

. The city is located in the middle of the Kinta Valley, on the bank of the Kinta River
Kinta River
Kinta River is a river in Perak, Malaysia. It gives its name to the Kinta Valley which surrounds Ipoh. There are many limestone hills in this area and there used to be many tin mines.-Major settlements:Major settlements along the river are:*Sungai Siput...

 and the confluence of smaller rivers, namely Sungai Pinji and Sungai Pari. The city is surrounded by limestone hills, which can be found around suburban areas to the northeast, east and southeast of the city.

The Kledang mountain range stretches from the north to the west of the city. This range runs parallel to the Bintang mountain range
Bintang Mountains
Bintang Mountains is a mountain range located within the state of Perak, Malaysia. It runs from southern Thailand in the north to the general south of Perak. Titiwangsa Mountains stands to the east of the range...

 with the Perak River
Perak River
Perak River is the second longest river in Peninsular Malaysia after Pahang River in Pahang, Malaysia. A number of towns are on the banks of the river including the royal town of Kuala Kangsar...

 flowing on its left bank and the Kinta River
Kinta River
Kinta River is a river in Perak, Malaysia. It gives its name to the Kinta Valley which surrounds Ipoh. There are many limestone hills in this area and there used to be many tin mines.-Major settlements:Major settlements along the river are:*Sungai Siput...

 to its right. This range is interrupted to the north of Ipoh by a tributary of the Perak River
Perak River
Perak River is the second longest river in Peninsular Malaysia after Pahang River in Pahang, Malaysia. A number of towns are on the banks of the river including the royal town of Kuala Kangsar...

 called the Pelus River, which is sourced from the Titiwangsa mountain range
Titiwangsa Mountains
The Titiwangsa Mountains are the main mountain range that forms the backbone of the Malay Peninsula.-Geology:...

, which runs to the east of Ipoh.

Climate

Ipoh features a tropical rainforest climate
Tropical rainforest climate
A tropical rainforest climate, also known as an equatorial climate, is a tropical climate usually found along the equator...

. Temperatures show little variation throughout the year. The city's average temperature is 27 degrees Celsius. Ipoh sees high precipitation throughout the year, averaging 2340 mm of rain per year. The wettest month is November where on average 320 mm of rain is seen. Ipoh's driest month is February which sees 70 mm of rain fall on average.

Governance

The Ipoh City Council governs the city of Ipoh. Roshidi Hashim, appointed in 2008, is the Mayor of Ipoh.

Ipoh is divided into two parliamentary constituencies, Ipoh Barat (Ipoh West) and Ipoh Timur (Ipoh East). The parliamentary seat for Ipoh Timur is held by DAP Representative, Lim Kit Siang while the seat for Ipoh Barat is held by fellow DAP leader, M. Kulasegaran.

Demographics

Ipoh still remains one of Malaysia's largest cities. Today, Ipoh is the fourth largest city in Malaysia. As of 2009, it has a population of 702,464, with a total urban area population of 1,143,778.It ranks as the sixth most populous urban centre in Malaysia. (2007)

Census statistics

The following is based on Ipoh City Hall statistics, 2004.
Ethnic groups in Ipoh, 2004 census
Ethnicity  Population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 
Percentage
Chinese  451,361 70.0%
Malay  109,616 17.0%
Indian
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...

 
80,600 12.5%
Others 3,225 0.5%

Cityscape

Today, "Ipoh" usually refers to the territory under administration of Ipoh City Council or Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh, which includes the smaller towns adjacent to the city such as Pengkalan, Silibin, Chemor
Chemor
Chemor is a main town in Kinta district Perak, Malaysia. Nearby towns include Sungai Siput, Salak and Kuala Kangsar. Lafarge Malayan Cement has a big limestone quarry near Chemor. Chemor is also means "Mud" in Indian Sanskrit Language, while in the Chinese phonetics it means "Jewel". About 12 km to...

, Jelapang
Jelapang, Perak
Jelapang is a town in Kinta district, Perak, Malaysia. It is a northern suburb of Ipoh, the state capital.It is also the site of the infamous Jelapang toll plaza of the North-South Expressway. The toll plaza is "infamous" due to its reputation as an accident-prone area...

, Menglembu
Menglembu
MenglembuMenglembuMenglembu(万里望) is a main town in Ipoh city area Perak, Malaysia. It is at the foot of the Kledang Hill and famed for "Menglembu Peanuts" a brand of peanuts that are processed and packed by a factory situated in the town. Historically, Menglembu and the surrounding areas of the...

 and Tanjung Rambutan
Tanjung Rambutan
Tanjung Rambutan is a town in the Kinta district of Perak, Malaysia. It is on the Ipoh to Butterworth railway line, Tanjung Rambutan railway station....

. Historically,Ipoh referred to the Old Town and New Town areas divided by the Kinta River
Kinta River
Kinta River is a river in Perak, Malaysia. It gives its name to the Kinta Valley which surrounds Ipoh. There are many limestone hills in this area and there used to be many tin mines.-Major settlements:Major settlements along the river are:*Sungai Siput...

 at its heart, from which the city grew. From the late 1980s Greentown, located beside the New Town, was transformed from old government quarters to an administrative and commercial centre of Ipoh, often overshadowing both the Old Town and New Town. Most olden-day pre-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 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 where had newer shops, buildings, shopping malls and housing estates.

The Old Town

St. Michael's Institution
St. Michael's Institution
St. Michael's Institution is a school in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. It is situated on Jalan S.P. Seenivasagam, formerly Clayton Road. Within the same premises are two primary schools, St. Michael's I and II. The school has a long history full of events such as the annual drama play, which was first...

 which is one of the most famous schools in Perak, is located along Clayton Road (now Jalan S.P. Seenivasagam) is a building of architectural merit, standing near the Ipoh City Field, Ipoh City Library and the Ipoh CIty Hall. The all boys school is one of the most prestigious English schools in Malaysia. A La Sallian school opened in 1912 by Father J.B. Coppin. During the Japanese occupation in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the school building had become the Japanese administration headquarters in Ipoh.
The Anglo-Chinese School, Ipoh
Anglo-Chinese School, Ipoh
The Anglo-Chinese School in Ipoh is the oldest and one of the most prestigious schools in the state of Perak, Malaysia.Commonly known among locals as ACS, the school caters to students from Form One to Form Six of the Malaysian education system . It is one of the few schools in Ipoh which provide...

, officially named SMK Methodist (ACS), located along Lahat Road is one of schools in the state of Perak, Malaysia.
Many 'shop-houses' along Leech Street in the Old Town still maintain their architectural
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

 significance, besides being a popular spot for food and drinks (refer Cuisine).

Architecture

Ipoh Old Town is characterised by its colonial architecture. Features of note include:
  • Padang Ipoh or Ipoh Field is located on Jalan S.P. Seenivasagam. The field is surrounded by historic buildings that feature classic colonial architecture, including the mock-Tudor style Ipoh Club, FMS Bar, HSBC Building and the magnificent St Michael's Institution secondary school.

  • The Ipoh Railway Station a neo-classical/Edwardian Baroque
    Edwardian Baroque architecture
    The term Edwardian Baroque refers to the Neo-Baroque architectural style of many public buildings built in the British Empire during the Edwardian era ....

     railway station nicknamed the "Taj Mahal of Ipoh"

  • Ipoh Town Hall, an Edwardian Baroque municipal building located across the road from the Railway Station.

  • Muzium Darul Ridzuan is a historical museum of Perak, located in a pretty former tin-mining tycoon's mansion on Jalan Kuala Kangsar

The New Town

D. R. Seenivasagam Park (Coronation Park), located in the heart of Ipoh (New Town), is known for its scenic beauty and recreational facilities. It comprises recreational fields, an artificial lake filled with fish, a nursery for potted plants and a children's traffic playground. The latest addition is the newly landscaped Japanese garden
Japanese garden
, that is, gardens in traditional Japanese style, can be found at private homes, in neighborhood or city parks, and at historical landmarks such as Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines and old castles....

 featuring a Japanese carp
Koi
or more specifically , are ornamental varieties of domesticated common carp that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens....

 pond.The New Town houses the Perak Medical University and Ipoh City Hall building, among others. There are shops, shopping malls, ands hotels.

Limestone caves, mountains and lakes.

Ipoh has limestone caves due to the surrounding karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...

 formations especially the Tempurung Cave which is the largest and deepest in Peninsula Malaysia. The Sam Po Tong (Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...

三宝洞; Cavern of Three Precious) temple, is a Chinese temple built within a limestone cave. Its sister temple, Perak Tong (Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...

霹雳洞; Perak Cave), has a steep staircase in the interior of the cave rising up to the top of its hill where there is a panoramic view of Ipoh and its surroundings. The statue of Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...

 in Perak Tong was the tallest and largest of its kind in Malaysia when first commissioned. Both these cavern temples have vegetarian food available.

The Kek Lok Tong (Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...

极乐洞; Cavern of Utmost Happiness) 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; cave temples are built in some of these caves. Gua Tempurung
Gua Tempurung
Gua Tempurung is a cave in Gopeng, Perak, Malaysia. It is popular among spelunkers, or caving enthusiasts. More than 3 km long, it is one of the longest caves in Peninsula Malaysia. Part of it has been developed as a show cave with electric lighting and walkways and there are a range of tours of...

, near Gopeng south of Ipoh, is a show cave open to the public.
Lakes in Ipoh include the Taiping Lake Gardens and the Lang Mountain Lakes.
Gua Tempurung is a cave in Gopeng, Perak, Malaysia. It is popular among spelunkers, or caving enthusiasts. More than 3 km long, it is one of the longest caves in Peninsula Malaysia. Part of it has been developed as a show cave with electric lighting and walkways and there are tours of different lengths and difficulty. A fine river cave, the river passage runs about 1.6 km through the hill. There are five very large chambers and some spectacular stalactites and stalagmites.

Sports

There are a few sporting venues in Ipoh. A portion of land located in the Kampong Simee area has been selected by the City Council for the Sport Center. The main sports stadium for football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 and other track and field events is the Perak Stadium
Perak Stadium
Perak Stadium is a stadium located in Kampung Simee in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. It is part of a large complex called the DBI Sports Complex, which houses a majority of sporting facilities used by players representing the state of Perak such as the Velodrome Rakyat , Indera Mulia Stadium and the...

. There is an indoor sports stadium beside it, the Indera Mulia Stadium, playing host to events such as badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...

. Ipoh is also home for the Perak Football Association
Perak FA
The Football Association of Perak enters a team in Malaysian football competitions to represent the state of Perak. The team currently plays in the Malaysia Super League....

.

Ipoh has Malaysia's first velodrome
Velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights...

, Velodrom Rakyat
Velodrome Rakyat
Velodrome Rakyat is a velodrome in Ipoh, Malaysia, and was the first velodrome to be built in that country.Tan Sri Dato' Seri Darshan Singh Gill, President of the Perak Cycling Association, identified the need for a velodrome in the country. Previously, the National Cycling Federation used to send...

 (The People's Velodrome), costing RM
Malaysian ringgit
The Malaysian ringgit is the currency of Malaysia. It is divided into 100 sen...

 3.25 million; funds were raised in a country-wide donation drive (led by Tan Sri Darshan Singh Gill). In addition, Ipoh has an Astroturf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...

 stadium for hockey, the Azlan Shah Stadium.

For golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....

, the courses are the Royal Perak Golf Club off Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah (Tiger Lane), the Meru Golf Club in Jelapang
Jelapang, Perak
Jelapang is a town in Kinta district, Perak, Malaysia. It is a northern suburb of Ipoh, the state capital.It is also the site of the infamous Jelapang toll plaza of the North-South Expressway. The toll plaza is "infamous" due to its reputation as an accident-prone area...

, and Clearwater Sanctuary Golf Club en route to Batu Gajah
Batu Gajah
Batu Gajah is a town located in the state of Perak in Malaysia, about 24 km from Ipoh, the Perak state capital.-Origins and History:...

.

Other sports venues include the Kilat Club in Pasir Pinji, Ipoh Field (Padang Ipoh) in the Old Town, the Polo
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...

 Grounds, and the Iskandar Polo Club, in Ampang Baru.

Transportation

  • Trunk roads: The old interstate Route 1
    Malaysia Federal Route 1
    Federal Route 1 is the first federal road in Malaysia, and among the oldest federal roads in Malaysia, having been constructed by the British government during colonial times...

     connects Ipoh with neighboring towns and other states (such as the town of Gopeng
    Gopeng
    Gopeng is a town located in Mukim Teja, District of Kampar, Perak, Malaysia. It is situated approximately 20 km south of Ipoh, the state capital. The town is located on the west side of the North-South Expressway stretch of Tapah-Simpang Pulai...

    , and city of Kuala Lumpur
    Kuala Lumpur
    Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...

     down south).
  • Highway: The new North-South Expressway is a faster and more efficient alternative to Route 1. However, certain towns like Kampar
    Kampar, Perak
    Kampar Kampar Kampar (Chinese:金宝) is a town in the state of Perak, Malaysia. Founded in 1887, the town lies within the Kinta Valley and located in the newly-created Kampar District, an area rich with tin reserves. It was a tin mining town which boomed during the height of the tin mining industry....

     can only be accessible via Route 1. Drivers using the North-South highway can exit into Ipoh from any of these four exits – Simpang Pulai, South Ipoh (Ipoh(S)) or North Ipoh (Ipoh(U)) & Jelapang.
  • Train: Ipoh's railway station
    Ipoh railway station
    The Ipoh railway station is a Malaysian train station located at the south-western side of and named after the capital city of Ipoh, Perak. It serves as the main railway terminal for the state...

     is operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu
    Keretapi Tanah Melayu
    Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad or Malayan Railways Limited is the main rail operator in Peninsular Malaysia. The railway system dates back to the British colonial era, when it was first built to transport tin...

    (KTM) and is situated in the Old Town (however, it does not have intra-city travel like in Kuala Lumpur
    Kuala Lumpur
    Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...

    ). The railway only connects Ipoh with neighbouring towns and cities. The railway station is quite beautiful, and referred to by locals as the Taj Mahal of Ipoh. KTM Intercity began the Shuttle Train Service between Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh from December 1, 2008 while the modern Electric Train System (ETS) shuttle began from 12 August 2010 with average 145kmh speed, plying Ipoh-Seremban route, cut the travelling distance between Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur into 120 minutes. There are 10 dedicated shuttle train services between these two cities daily which begins at 5am from both the stations. Travel time between the cities expected to be reduced from three hours to two hours and fifteen minutes when the new set of EMU trains arrive in mid 2009.
  • 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) to Ipoh Terminal Bus Station.
  • Air: the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport
    Sultan Azlan Shah Airport
    Sultan Azlan Shah Airport is an airport that serves Ipoh, a city in the state of Perak in Malaysia.-Airlines and destinations:- Future :The government realized that the airport could no longer be extended due to its location near residential areas. The Government then planned a new airport in Seri...

     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.
  • Firefly provides daily flights out of Ipoh to Singapore Changi Airport while Silverfly provides flights to Medan, Indonesia.

Cuisine


Ipoh is noted for dishes such as "Sar Hor Fun" . It is a flat white rice noodle served in soup with shredded chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...

 and prawns.
Other dishes from Ipoh include "Hor Hee", flat white rice noodles served with fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...

 cakes and/or fish balls, "Nga Choi Kai" , a chicken fillet with soy sauce and beansprouts with pepper spread on top, "Hakka
Hakka people
The Hakka , sometimes Hakka Han, are Han Chinese who speak the Hakka language and have links to the provincial areas of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan and Fujian in China....

 Mee" , yellow rice noodles served with mince meat (pork) sauce and "Heong Peng
Heong Peng
Heong Peng means fragrant pastries in English. These pastries, which resemble slightly flattened balls, contain a sweet sticky filling made from malt and shallots, which is covered by a flaky baked crust and garnished with sesame seeds on the surface. They are available in many stores around Ipoh....

" , a type of biscuit. Ipoh is known in Malaysia for its "Ipoh white coffee
Ipoh white coffee
Ipoh "white" coffee is a popular coffee drink which originated in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. The coffee beans are roasted with palm-oil margarine, and the resulting coffee is served with condensed milk....

".

Notable people

  • Film and Television: Angie Cheung
    Angie Cheung
    Angie Cheong Wai-yee is a Malaysian Chinese actress. She won the Miss Chinese Malaysia in 1992 and went to Hong Kong to compete for the Miss Chinese International in 1993. After that, she signed a contract with Hong Kong television TVB and became a Hong Kong actress...

    , Iqram Dinzly
    Iqram Dinzly
    Iqram Dinzly or Muhammad Iqram Dinzly bin Muhammad Saipuddin is a Malaysian actor.-Career:He is noted for the television series Janji Diana and Dunia Baru during the program's second and third seasons.In addition to acting, he has been a dancer and model.-Advertising campaigns:*Petronas Hari...

    , Mamat Khalid
    Mamat Khalid
    Mamat Khalid is a Malaysian screenwriter and film director of Malay descent. He is the younger brother of cartoonist Datuk Mohammad Nor Khalid, better known as Lat. Before venturing into film-making, Mamat worked in a government office...

    , Peter Pek
    Peter Pek
    Peter Pek MCSD is a brand strategist, writer, columnist, editor, publisher, designer, creative director, public relations professional, public speaker, corporate celebrity, radio and television personality from Malaysia...

    , Afdlin Shauki
    Afdlin Shauki
    Afdlin Shauki, also known as Chief Kodok to his fans, is a Malaysian writer, director, stage and screen actor, comedian, singer, songwriter and presenter.-Music career:...

    , Patrick Teoh
    Patrick Teoh
    Patrick Teoh is a well-known actor and radio personality in Malaysia. A distinguished career in radio, TV, stage and movies spanning more than 3 decades has earned Patrick the nickname of "Voice Of Malaysia", bestowed by his fans and the Malaysian mass media.-Early life:Patrick Teoh was born in...

    , Dato' Michelle Yeoh
    Michelle Yeoh
    Michelle Yeoh Choo-Kheng is a Hong Kong-based Malaysian Chinese actress, well known for performing her own stunts in the action films that brought her to fame in the early 1990s....

  • Music: Michael Wong
    Guang Liang
    Michael Wong Kong Leong , born August 30, 1970, is a Malaysian Chinese singer and composer. Wong began his singing career in a duo with Victor Wong. The pair had attained notable success in Taiwan, but in a mutual agreement the two split in 2000. Wong has released five solo albums, the third being...

  • Sports: (Badminton
    Badminton
    Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...

    ): Koo Kien Keat
    Koo Kien Keat
    Koo Kien Keat is a professional badminton player from Malaysia. Besides being a men's doubles player, he also represents Malaysia in the mixed doubles event. He started his career at seventeen years of age and has won the Asian Junior title. He played in the Thomas Cup 2004 with Chan Chong Ming....

    , Choong Tan Fook
    Choong Tan Fook
    Choong Tan Fook is a male badminton player from Malaysia, who competed in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in men's doubles with partner Lee Wan Wah. They had a bye in the first round and defeated Pramote Teerawiwatana and Tesana Panvisvas of Thailand in the second...

    , Lee Wan Wah
    Lee Wan Wah
    Lee Wan Wah is a male badminton men doubles player from Malaysia. His regular doubles' partner is Choong Tan Fook.Lee competed in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in men's doubles with Choong Tan Fook. They had a bye in the first round and defeated Pramote Teerawiwatana and Tesana Panvisvas...

    , Cheah Soon Kit
    Cheah Soon Kit
    Cheah Soon Kit is a retired male badminton player from Malaysia, specialized in men's doubles.-Career:He has played for Malaysian team since 1986 especially in doubles. He always plays with different pairs such as Ong Beng Teong , Soo Beng Kiang and Choong Tan Fook during his carer in badminton...

    , Wong Pei Tty
    Wong Pei Tty
    Wong Pei Tty is a female badminton player from Malaysia.Wong competed in badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics in women's doubles with partner Chin Eei Hui...

    , Wong Mew Choo
  • Sports: (Football): Azizul Abu Hanifah, Chan Kok Heng, Muhamad Khalid Jamlus
    Muhamad Khalid Jamlus
    Muhamad Khalid Jamlus is a Malaysian footballer who is a striker for Kelantan FA. He is a former member of the Malaysian national team and also has played for the Pre-Olympic squad. In 2002, he went on trial with Eintracht Frankfurt....

  • Sports: (Others): Tony Underwood
    Tony Underwood
    Tony Underwood is a former English rugby union footballer who played as a wing three-quarter back. He is of Chinese-English parentage....

     (Rugby), Yap Suo Kuen (Netball), Leong Mee Wan (Table Tennis)
  • Business: Dr. Ho Kai Cheong (founder of Ho Yan Hor Herbal Tea
    Ho Yan Hor Herbal Tea
    Ho Yan Hor Herbal Tea founded by Dr. Ho Kai Cheong, the founder of Hovid Berhad, is a Chinese herbal tea recipe that contains of 24 herbs, 12 of them are known either to have antipyretic or have been used to treat fever...

    ), David Ho Sue San
    David Ho Sue San
    David Ho Sue San , is a Malaysia Chinese entrepreneur and businessman in pharmaceutical industry. He is from Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. The eldest son of the late Dr...

     of Hovid Berhad & Carotech Berhad, Lee Loy Seng
    Lee Loy Seng
    Tan Sri Dato' Seri Lee Loy Seng was a Malaysian businessman who grew up in a small town, Ipoh.-Biography:Tan Sri Dato' Seri Lee Loy Seng was born in Menglembu on 22 Aug 1921, and grew up in Ipoh, capital of Perak state....

     (founder of Kuala Lumpure Keping Berhad), Lee Oi Hian (current CEO of Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd, eldest son of Lee Loy Seng
    Lee Loy Seng
    Tan Sri Dato' Seri Lee Loy Seng was a Malaysian businessman who grew up in a small town, Ipoh.-Biography:Tan Sri Dato' Seri Lee Loy Seng was born in Menglembu on 22 Aug 1921, and grew up in Ipoh, capital of Perak state....

    ), Lim A. Heng of Yee Lee Edible Oil (Red Eagle Oil), Ngan Yin (Ngan Yin Hand Brand Groundnut)
  • Politics: Yeoh Ghim Seng
    Yeoh Ghim Seng
    Yeoh Ghim Seng was Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore from 1970 to 1989.He received his early education at St. Michael's Institution in his hometown of Ipoh and at Penang Free School...

    , Yeoh Kian Teik, Dr Yeoh Eng Kiong
    Yeoh Eng-kiong
    Yeoh Eng Kiong was Secretary for Health and Welfare of Hong Kong between 1999 and 2002, and Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food and member of the Executive Council between 2002 to 2004.-Career:...

    , S. J. V. Chelvanayakam
    S. J. V. Chelvanayakam
    Samuel James Veluppillai Chelvanayakam was a Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer, politician and Member of Parliament. He was the political leader and father figure of the Sri Lankan Tamil community for more than two decades...

    , Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah
    Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah
    Dato' Seri Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah is the current Second Minister of Finance of Malaysia. He was appointed on 10 April 2009 when Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak became Prime Minister. He is also the Member of Parliament for Tambun....

    , D. R. Seenivasagam
    D. R. Seenivasagam
    Darma Raja Seenivasagam was a prominent leader of the People's Progressive Party . He is of Ceylonese Tamil ancestry.He founded the PPP along with his brother, S.P. Seenivasagam. They were both prominent lawyers in Malaya prior to forming the party...

    , Lim Keng Yaik, Lee Lam Thye
  • Historical: Leong Sin Nam
    Leong Sin Nam
    Leong Sin Nam , alias Leong Sin, Leung Sin, Leong Sin Hee, was a Hakka Chinese from Kwangtung, China. He migrated and settled in British Malaya in 1898. From humble beginnings, he worked hard to become a wealthy tin mine owner in Perak. He was a businessman, an active community leader and a...

    , Dr Wu Lien Teh
  • Other Personalities: Chan Sek Keong
    Chan Sek Keong
    Chan Sek Keong is the current Chief Justice of Singapore, having taken over from the former Chief Justice Yong Pung How on 11 April 2006. Chan was formerly the Attorney-General of Singapore, before being succeeded by Chao Hick Tin on 11 April 2006....

     (Chief Justice of Singapore); Lat
    Mohammad Nor Khalid
    Datuk Mohammad Nor Khalid, more commonly known as Lat, is a Malaysian cartoonist. Winner of the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize in 2002, Lat has published more than 20 volumes of cartoons since he was 13 years old. His works mostly illustrate Malaysia's social and political scenes,...

     (Cartoonist)

Film and television

Movies filmed in Ipoh include:
  • 1992: Indochine
    Indochine (film)
    Indochine is a 1992 French film set in colonial French Indochina during the 1930s. It is the story of Éliane Devries, a French plantation owner, and of her adopted Vietnamese daughter, Camille, with the rising Vietnamese nationalist movement set as a backdrop...

  • 1999: Anna and the King
    Anna and the King
    Anna and the King is a 1999 biographical drama film loosely based on Anna and the King of Siam, the story of Anna Leonowens, who was an English schoolteacher in Siam, now Thailand, in the 19th century...

  • 2002: Embun
  • 2003: Paloh
  • 2003: Kadhal Kisu Kisu'
  • 2004: Tun Tan Cheng Lock
  • 2005: Sepet
    Sepet
    Sepet is a 2004 Malaysian romantic comedy drama film set in Ipoh, Malaysia. Directed by Yasmin Ahmad, it tells a tale of a love that blooms between a Chinese boy and a Malay girl. Sepet is a Malay word which, in this context, refers to the 'slit eyes' of the Chinese.-Plot:19-year old Ah Loong is...

  • 2005: Gubra
    Gubra
    Gubra is a 2006 Malaysian film directed by Yasmin Ahmad. It was shot in 14 days in Ipoh, Malaysia. It is the sequel to Sepet, and was followed by Mukhsin.-Name:...

  • 2006: After This Our Exile (Chinese
    Chinese language
    The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...

    父子)
  • 2006: Goodbye Boys
  • 2006: Lust, Caution (Chinese
    Chinese language
    The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...

    色,戒)
  • 2007: Mualaf
  • 2008: Talentime

Sister cities

Sister cities of Ipoh include: San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...

, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Dallas, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Fukuoka (福岡)
Fukuoka, Fukuoka
is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...

, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 Nanning
Nanning
Nanning is the capital of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China. It is known as the "Green City" because of its abundance of lush tropical foliage.-History:...

 (Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...

南宁), China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

 Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...

 (Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...

广州), China Yogyakarta, Indonesia Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...

, Indonesia
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