The Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Hokkien Association building features a sweeping, traditional Chinese roofline that stands in stark contrast to the modern office towers surrounding it. Established in the eighteen eighties, this organization…
Chinatown Clan Houses
This walking tour explores the historic ancestral halls, trade guilds, and clan associations that served as mutual aid societies for Chinese immigrants in 19th-century Kuala Lumpur.
Listen to this tour in the Mira app →
1. Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Hokkien Association 雪隆福建会馆
2. Sin Sze Si Ya Temple
The Sin Sze Si Ya Temple holds a roofline of jagged, upturned eaves draped in intricate ceramic dragons. Built in eighteen sixty-four by Kapitan Yap Ah Loy, this is the oldest Taoist temple in Kuala Lumpur. Yap Ah Loy credited his victory…
3. Guan Di Temple Chinatown Tun H.S Lee
The Guan Di Temple on Jalan Tun H.S. Lee is recognizable by the pair of bronze spears and the famous guandao blade resting near the entrance. Built in eighteen eighty-eight, this temple serves the community of Chinese immigrants who…
4. Chak Kai Koong Kon (Persatuan) Kuala Lumpur
The Chak Kai Koong Kon building on Jalan Sultan is recognizable by its weathered, multi-story facade that blends traditional Chinese architectural elements with the standard shophouse structure of early Kuala Lumpur. It served as a clan…
5. Persatuan Ka Yin Wilayah Persekutuan
The Persatuan Ka Yin Wilayah Persekutuan building stands out with its intricate, traditional Chinese roof architecture, featuring sweeping eaves and vibrant, ornamental tile work that contrasts sharply with the surrounding modern concrete…
6. Yan Keng Benevolent Dramatic Association
A bright yellow facade with intricate green roof tiles marks the Yan Keng Benevolent Dramatic Association building on Jalan Sultan. Founded in nineteen twenty, the association started as a troupe performing Cantonese opera to raise funds…
7. Persatuan Wui Leng Selangor & Kuala Lumpur
The Persatuan Wui Leng Selangor and Kuala Lumpur sits behind a weathered, gated facade on Jalan Pudu. It serves as an ancestral hall for people sharing the Wui Leng surname, a group originating from a specific region in China. Inside,…
8. Chan She Shu Yuen Clan Ancestral Hall
The Chan She Shu Yuen Clan Ancestral Hall stands out with its intricate, multi-tiered roof ridges densely packed with colorful ceramic figurines of mythical creatures and historical figures. Built between eighteen ninety-six and nineteen…
9. Kuala Lumpur & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH)
The Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall features a striking white facade with a distinctively heavy, colonial-era neoclassical design. Completed in nineteen thirty-four, it served as a central hub for the local Chinese…