Ipoh at a Glance

Government

Perak consist of ten districts includes Hulu Perak, Kerian, Larut, Matang & Selama, Kuala Kangsar, Kinta, Perak Tengah, Manjung, Kampar, Batang Padang and Hilir Perak. Ipoh is the capital city of Perak, situated in the district of Kinta. Head of the state is Sultan (King). Head of the administration is Chief Minister.

Area	:	643 sq Km
Elevation	:	21.95 m
Population	:	702,464 (2009) - The census shows 70% of Ipoh residents are mainly from Chinese ethnics such as Hakka, Teo Chew and others. Malays constitutes 17% of population followed by Indians 12.5% and others 0.5% (Sources: Wikipedia)
Standard of Living	:	Standard of living in Ipoh is moderate. The city is well developed with modern infrastructure and facilities.
Cost of Living	:	The cost of living in Ipoh is comparatively low. Most of goods and services are available at reasonably price and within reach.
Weather	:	Ipoh features tropical rainforest climates. The temperature ranges from 20”C to 30”C. It is summer all year round. Monsoon seasons starts from September to December and the precipitation ranges from 2,000mm to 2,500mm annually.
Time Zone	:	The standard time is eight hours ahead of GMT.
Language	:	Bahasa Melayu (Malays) is the official language while others are widely spoken include English, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foo Chow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Punjabi.
Religion	:	Islam is the official religion. However, other religions such as Buddhism, Taoist, Hinduism, Sikh and Christianity are freely practise.
Economic	:	Manufacturing constitutes the largest component of Ipoh’s economy. Tourism, Agriculture, Retail business and Cottage Industry are among the economy catalyst in the area.
Safety	:	Statistically the crime rate is relatively low.
Currency	:	The unit of currency is Ringgit Malaysia.
Accessibility	:	Ipoh is well connected by North-South Expressway / East-West Expressway / Roads / Railways / Electric Train Service to major cities and towns in the Peninsular of Malaysia.

WELCOME TO IPOH VALLEY OF PARADISE
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Ipoh – The Background

Ipoh is the capital city of Perak, situated 205 kilometres north of Kuala Lumpur and 170 kilometres south of George Town, Penang. Strategically located in the heart of Kinta valley, the city lies on the river banks of Kinta River surrounded by breathtaking limestone hills and lush greenery terrains. It covers 643 sq Kilometres with a total population of 702,464. Majority of the population are from Chinese descendants and other are Malays and Indians. Ipoh is slowly catching up with Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor Bharu in terms of development, and now Ipoh is the fourth largest city in Malaysia (Sources : Wikipidea). The city is one of the fascinating tourist destinations in the Peninsular of Malaysia, splendour with heritages, cultures and natures.

Heritage

Historically, the early settlement in Ipoh existed in early 1800s and the city has spread across the Kinta River throughout the years. The river divides Ipoh into two sections, the old and the new town. The old town (West) is synonymously known to a place of historical buildings from the British colonial eras which stand parallel to the Kinta River. Notable Ipoh’s historical landmarks such as Town Hall, The Court House, Ipoh Royal Club, Railway Station, Saint Michael Institution, Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank and F.M.S Bar are well preserved until today. On the other hands, the new town (East) predominantly occupied by commercial centres, hospitals, shopping centres, food outlets and hotels. Ipoh is constantly growing and the city expanding right to the edge with new development of townships, shopping complexes, hypermarkets, and theme parks. Above all, the legacy of Ipoh clustered in the quiet old town. There a lot of untold stories and it’s yours to discover.

Culture

Historically, Malays are known to be the early settler in the area and they live in a village of Kampung Ipoh and Kampung Paloh along the banks of Kinta River in early 1800s. Later the Malays settlements grew bigger and formed Kampung Kuala Pari and Kampung Jawa. After the arrival of British in the rich tin valley in 1878, the scenario changed and Malays no longer dominated the place. There were large number of Chinese immigrants migrated to Ipoh during the tin rush in the late 1890s. Ipoh became the centre for tin trade. Thus, the town expanded to accommodate the large influx of miners and it became the largest settlement area in the Kinta valley. The tin trade contributed to the wealth of the city and Ipoh prosperous into a cosmopolitan dominated by the Chinese community. Indians were brought to Malaya by the British during the booming rubber industry in 1900s. Most of them reside in the rubber plantation and estates in the outskirt of Ipoh. Today, seventy percent of Ipoh population are from Chinese descendant while Malays, Indians and other races are considered the minority group. Despite having such diverse races and cultures, Ipoh residents had lived in peace and harmony for more than hundred years. The existence of multi-races and cultural differences has become an asset to tourism industry in Ipoh.

Nature

Geographically located in the valley surrounded by Titiwangsa mountain range which runs to east of the city and Kledang Mountain range which stretches from the north to the west of Ipoh. The panoramic view of hills and mountains can be seen as far as the city centre and the valley rich with lush greenery terrain with several locations are upgraded and beautify as a recreational parks and gardens. Ipoh is surrounded by clusters of towering limestone surmounted with lush greenery and its features natural caves, picturesque lake, waterfalls and geothermal hot springs that await anyone who are planning to visit the city.

Ipoh City Council

Ipoh is also known as the city that tin built and the city of millionaires due to its abundance of tin deposit in 1890’s. The name of Ipoh itself comes from the ‘ipoh’, ‘epu’ or ‘epus’ tree (Antiaris Toxicana) which once grew wildly here. Nowadays, the city is known as the city of Bougainvilleas named derived from the city’s abundance of the flora and it is much better capture the vibe of the place. Ipoh was officially proclaimed a city status on 27th May 1998 and inaugural ceremonies to commemorate the status was officiated by the ruler of Perak HRH Sultan Azlan Muhibuddin Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Yussuf Izzuddin Shah Ghafarullahu-Lah. Ipoh governed by City Council lead by a mayor or Datuk Bandar. The City Council’s tag line, “Clean, Green and Dynamics” was chosen to portray the practised of good governance, cleanliness, dynamic development and preservation of nature.

 Ipoh-Fukuoka, Japan Twin City

Fukuoka and Ipoh’s history of international exchange began in 1977 when Fukuoka first sent a Youth exchange Flight to Malaysia. The relationship between the two cities started to bloom and after several exchange activities, Ipoh extending an invitation to become a sister city to Fukuoka. The tie between the two cities was seal by both top local officials at Perak State Government Office in Ipoh on 21st Mac 1989. Since then, the cooperation between both cities was further enhanced through investment, trade, education, technology and cultural. Ipoh-Fukuoka Twin City celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2009. The delegation of Fukuoka officials lead by Fukuoka’s Mayor, Mr. Hiroshi Yoshida made an official visit to Ipoh to commemorate the anniversary. During the visit, members of the delegation were taken on a tour to the Japanese Garden at D.R Seenivasagam Park and both mayors release carp fries into the pond and planted bougainvillea sapling in the garden to mark the anniversary. Later, the delegation was taken to visit several tourism destinations in Ipoh as well as in Perak includes Bukit Merah Laketown Resort, Tempurong Cave, Gunung Lang and Lost World of Tambun. The warm reception made by the Ipoh city’s mayor, Y.Bhg Dato’ Roshidi Hashim fostering the bilateral ties between the two cities.

Japanese Garden

The Japanese Garden located within D.R. Seenivasagam Park at the heart of the city. It was built as a symbol of friendship between Ipoh and Fukuoka, Japan. The garden was opened officially to the public in 1995. The architectural landscape of the garden was built by the local in collaboration with the Japanese counterpart. The garden features a traditional style wooden bridge, a small Japanese house and a traditional Japanese Ornament. The landscape features variety species of tropical flowers, plants and trees including the quintessential Japanese bonsai plant and fish pond. The charming garden is among the most visited by the city dwellers and visitors. It is known as the little Japan by the local residents.

Japanese community

Estimated about 300 Japanese are stay in Ipoh. The community consist of expatriates, businessman and professionals, and majority of them reside in the gated property resort community north of the city centre. Some of them have been living in Ipoh for quite number of years and treated Ipoh as their second home. Japanese are considered minority group in Ipoh and yet they are welcomes as part of the multi-racial communities here. The welcoming atmosphere, peaceful and relax lifestyle, and friendly neighbours has made the Japanese community comfortably stay in the city.

Japanese Society & Club

The Perak Malaysian-Japanese Friendship Society was officially forms in 1998. As of now the society has approximately 600 members. The society is lead by its chairman Mr. Lam Kim Yeap. The aim is to promote mutual understanding and enhance relationships between Malaysians and Japanese in Perak through volunteer or social activities. The society offers Japanese language classes and cultural exchange demonstration of both Malaysian and Japanese. Several activities were held by the society to create awareness on Japanese cultures including Origami Workshop, Japanese Language Speech Contest and others. Japanese Club of Ipoh consists of approximately 300 members and the club is lead by its president Mr. Takashi Haga.

Bon Odori Festival

Bon Odori is celebrated occasionally by Japanese and local community in Ipoh. In 2010, Ipoh hosts the Bon Odori festival and it was held at Meru Valley Resort. The festival draw thousands of people and it give an opportunity for many to wear their traditional summer cloth “yukata”. During the festival, four Bon danced were performed to the tunes of Tanko Bushi, Pokemon Ondo, Hokkai Bon Uta, and Dragon Ondo. There also traditional Japanese games kingyo sukui (scooping gold fish) and yoyo tsuri (water ballon fishing) that attracted children and even adults to try their hand’s luck. The festival was organised by a joint effort from the Consulate-General of Japan in Penang, Japan Club of Ipoh, Perak Malaysian-Japanese Friendship Society, Tenby International School of Ipoh, Kinta Properties Sdn Bhd and Meru Valley Resort Bhd. For more information on their society and activities, please contact the PMJFS at +605 253 7530 or email at pkmjfs@yahoo.com. 

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