Yap Ah Loy

Sin Sze Si Ya Temple KL - founded by Yap Ah Loy 1864

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin_Sze_Si_Ya_Temple

Bust in temple of Kapitan Yap Ah Loy 1837-1885

Deities to whom temple is dedicated - Si Sze Ye (left) and Sin Sze Ye

Yap Ah Loy (1837-1885) was largely responsible for the development of Kuala Lumpur as a commercial and mining centre in the middle of the 1800's. There is little evidence of his historic importance in terms of books, statues, or street names (apart from above temple he founded in 1864). It seems like the city fathers (and central government) have done little to honour his memory - there is one side street in China Town named after him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yap_Ah_Loy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuala_Lumpur

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Kuala_Lumpur

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/stdn/std/Weekend/GF04Jp07.html

http://www.geographia.com/malaysia/klhistory.html

http://yapahloy.tripod.com/index1.htm

For more on the temple see:-

http://yapahloy.tripod.com/the_sin_sze_si_ya_temple.htm

For another important Chinese figure during that period see:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chung_Keng_Quee

For old photographs of Malaya see:-

http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Lights/7995/index.htm

http://www.sabrizain.demon.co.uk/malaya/postcard.htm