July 16, 2013

0744 MALAYSIA (Kuala Lumpur) - Petaling Street


Petaling Street (Jalan Petaling), the Chinatown of Kuala Lumpur, is the best place to shop for counterfeit branded products and for trying out a large selection of local Chinese cuisine. This doesn't mean that exclusively offer pirated products, the genuine goods being also available. As can be seen in the postcard, the street is always crowded not only with tourists, but also with locals.

After the Selangor Civil War, when the miners returned to tin mines located near Kuala Lumpur, the Malays in surrounding districts began to cultivate rice and other garden products, and Yap Ah Loy (regarded today as the founding father of modern Kuala Lumpur) opened a Tapioca Mill in Petaling Street, where the tubers were transformed into flour, mainly used to make noodles which took the shape of "pig's intestines". That why this street is still fondly called Chee Cheong Kai in Cantonese, which means "pig intestine" street.

In 2003, Petaling Street underwent a major face lift when two large Chinese arches to welcome visitors were placed at either end of the street. A green roof cover was constructed, covering the whole street, now dubbed he "Green Dragon". The street is now totally pedestrianised and transformed into a pedestrian shopping mall. The Street is regarded as a heritage site.

About the stamp, showing a flower, Bunga Tiga Bulan (Hydrangea macrophylla), I wrote here.

References
Petaling Street - Wikipedia


sender: K. Wilck (a friend of a friend)
sent from Johor Bahru (Johor / Malaysia), on 07.01.2013

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