HAVE you noticed that quite a number of streets in Kuala Lumpur are named after the Yaps?
The surname Yap, traditionally, is not very common among the Chinese compared to Chan/Tan, Lee, Chong, Wong and Ho, which are the most common surnames for the Cantonese.
But in Kuala Lumpur alone, there are five streets named after the Yaps — Jalan Yap Ah Loy, Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, Jalan Yap Ah Shak, Jalan Yap Tai Chi and the new Jalan Naomi Yap.
The first three were Chinese Kapitans of Kuala Lumpur. The British adopted the Kapitan system during its administration in Malaya and extended the role to someone who governed, made laws and collected taxes in the settlement.
The Kapitan was elected by the Chinese business community and appointed by the colonial ruler on behalf of the Malay Sultans and Rajahs.
Was there any connection among them? I made a call to the Yap's Clan Association of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor that was established in 1892, but the secretary said the committee had no clue.
Thankfully, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall chief executive officer Tang Ah Chai confirmed that it was sheer coincidence.
"The last three Kapitans of Kuala Lumpur, who were all Yaps, were not related in any way," he said, adding that Yap Tai Chi, however, was the son of Yap Kwan Seng.
Yap Ah Loy (1837- 1885) is regarded as the most famous Chinese leader in the development of Kuala Lumpur.
City builder
Yap Ah Loy (1837-1885) is regarded as the most famous Chinese leader in the development of Kuala Lumpur.
He was the third and longest-serving Chinese Kapitan, and one of the founding fathers of the capital built on the confluence of the Klang and Gombak rivers.
The post of Kapitan was originally created during the Portuguese and Dutch rule in Malacca to bridge the colonists and merchants from over the world. The Kapitan represented the merchants of a particular country and his role resembled that of today's ambassador.
Yap Ah Loy (also known as Yap Tet Loy and Yap Mao Lan), of the Hakka dialect group, hailed from Fui Chui Prefecture in the Guangdong province.
He left China for Malacca when he was only 17 and arrived in Kuala Lumpur when he was 25. He started off as a miner and petty trader and his fortunes improved when his friend Liu Ngim Kong became the Chinese kapitan.
Yap Ah Loy served as Liu's close aide and took over the post when the latter died in 1869. In short, Yap Ah Loy became the Chinese chief of Kuala Lumpur only seven years after stepping foot on its shores.
However, what was left to the headsman's hands was only a city being ravaged by civil war. The war
took 4,000 lives, and the hopes of those who survived.
Yap Ah Loy persuaded them to stay on to rebuild Kuala Lumpur, and he made it the fastest growing town in Malaya in the late 19th century.
A bronze statue of him has been erected in the Sin Sze Si Ya Temple, which he founded in 1864, in Leboh
Pudu.
The 'talent scout'
Yap Ah Shak, also known as Yap Chee Ying, (1832-1889) succeeded Yap Ah Loy as the next Kapitan of Kuala Lumpur, but he was actually the person who saw Yap Ah Loy's potential.
He picked the latter to monitor his gaming farms, and even handed him the post of Chinese Kapitan of Sungai Ujong (the former name of Seremban).
Like Yap Ah Loy, Yap Ah Shak was also a Hakka from Fui Chui Prefecture.
He built his businesses in Lukut, Malacca and Seremban, mainly in gambling, and he was already a successful person with growing influence before he was 30.
When the then Kapitan of Sungai Ujong Sheng Ming Li died in an uprising in 1860, Yap Ah Shak was elected to be leader but he passed the post to Yap Ah Loy so he could focus on his business.
In 1870, Yap Ah Shak came to Kuala Lumpur to assist Yap Ah Loy in the Selangor Civil War, both as strategist and financier and they finally won the war that lasted for eight years.
A painting of Jalan Yap Ah Loy back in the days.
After the war, he continued to serve as magistrate for the settlement of Chinese disputes and as High Court Assessor.
The two also fought with the British for Chinese tin miners' rights. By 1880, Yap Ah Shak owned 43 tin mines in Kuala Lumpur and became the second largest tin mine owner after Yap Ah Loy.
In 1885, the British chose Yap Ah Shak to succeed Yap Ah Loy after consulting the various Chinese dialect groups. He also took on the role of Selangor state councillor and a juror of Kuala Lumpur High Court.
He also turned the Fui Chui company into Fui Chui Association to continue helping the community; and the association still stands strong today.
Revered philanthropist
Yap Kwan Seng (1846-1902) was the last Chinese Kapitan of Kuala Lumpur, he was also in the State Legislative Assembly of Selangor as well as the first Chinese to serve on the Kuala Lumpur Sanitary Board.
Of Hakka descent as well, Yap Kwan Seng came from the Chak Kai district in the Guangdong province. He arrived in Malaya when he was 18, working as a tin miner in Seremban and later started a small business with his savings. His outstanding capabilities caught the attention of Yap Ah Shak, with whom he came to Kuala Lumpur in 1870 for more business ventures and assisted Yap Ah Loy in developing the area.
He became one of the biggest miners with a work force of 7,000. He also had businesses in gaming, pawn shops, cigarettes and liquor. When Kuala Lumpur moved towards brick housing, he helped establish a kiln in Brickfields, giving the area its name until today.
His businesses and properties also spread to Singapore and Macao.
Another street in Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Sin Chew Kee located near Pudu adopted the name of his tin mining business.
He was respected for his socia contributions, among which were the co-founding of Victoria Institution, Tai Wah Ward for the homeless and penniless at the Pauper Hospital which became the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital, Pooi Shin Thong dispensary that later became Tung Shin Hospital and Chak Kai Association for Chinese miners.
He also donated liberally to various causes including famine relief in India.
Social contributor
Yap Tai Chi (1883-1950) was the fourth son of Yap Kwan Seng. He was educated in China and also at Raffles Institution in Singapore.
Yap Tai Chi had significant social contributions by holding important offices at a number of associations including Selangor Hui Chiu Association, Selangor Anti-Opium Society, Yap's Clan Association, Chak Kai Association, Chinese Assembl Hall and Tsun Jin High School among others.
He was also a member of the Kuala Lumpur Sanitary Board, Chinese Advisory Board (1921), Chinese Relief Committee (1921) and Board of Visiting Justice.
Jalan Naomi Yap appeared in recent years as a slip road when MRT construction blocked off the access to Jalan Tun H.S.Lee from Jalan Sultan. The authorities have no idea who Naomi Yap is — both DBKL and MRT confirmed that they did not put up the sign.— Photos by LOW LAY PHON and BRIAN MOH
Unlike his father, he was in the timber business and founded the firm of Chi and Company in Kuala Lumpur.
So it was coincidence that a good number of Chinese leaders of olden day Kuala Lumpur were Yaps. They worked closely with each other, they were all of Hakka descent but born in different districts in the Guangdong province, and all had displayed exceptional leadership characterised by foresight, bravery and philanthropy.
The streets are located in Chinatown, Bukit Bintang and KLCC area, but can be easily missed as they are short and hidden from the arterial roads.
Jalan Yap Kwan Seng where Menara Public Bank stands is the biggest and longest street among all, connecting Jalan Ampang and Jalan Tun Razak.
And only in recent years when the construction of MRT cut off Jalan Tun H. S. Lee from Jalan Sultan in Chinatown, a slip road named Jalan Naomi Yap was tarred to create the access. So who was Naomi Yap?
A call to Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) yielded surprising results that no one knew who Naomi Yap was as the authorities did not put up the road sign! A DBKL spokesman said a team went to check on the ground and confirmed that it was not in DBKLs records. MRT also said they did not put it up.
DBKL will soon bring down the road sign to avoid confusion, and if you happen to know the story behind Jalan Naomi Yap, do write to us.
Source : http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Community/2014/11/07/The-Yaps-of-Kuala-Lumpur/
