About Taiping

About Taiping

The name Taiping is made up of two Chinese characters 太 (tai - 'great') and 平 (ping - 'peace'). The discovery of tin deposits in the area in the 19th century attracted settlers from China, who were organised into two feuding groups around the Cantonese Ghee Hin(義興) society and the Hakka Hai San (海山) society. British intervention in the early 1870's put an end to the feuding and the town, which used to be known as Klian Pauh, acquired its present name. The British made Taiping the administrative centre for the state of Perak in 1875. The town served this function until 1937 when the state capital was moved to Ipoh.

The town sits on a coastal plain at the foothills of the Bintang Range. This topography is responsible for the copious rainfall for which the town is known. An umbrella is not needed though as most of the time; it is just a drizzle. Locals do not wonder whether it will rain on a particular day; they wonder what time it will rain

MOST VIEWED THINGS TO DO IN TAIPING

• Maxwell Hill (Bukit Larut) - a quiet hill station with an altitude of 1036-1250 m. Access is along a narrow single-track paved road on a fleet of dilapidated four-wheel drives run by the municipality (RM 6 round trip) Accommodation is available in a couple of resthouses and a small number of bungalows(RM 50-RM 150).

• Taiping Lake Gardens - public gardens created out of abandoned surface tin mines. A series of interconnected ponds surrounded by flower beds, lawns, flowering shrubs and trees and playgrounds. Famous for a stretch of road lined by century-old rain trees (Samanea saman) whose branches arch down to the water's edge.

Taiping Lake Gardens

• Taiping War Cemetery

• Taiping Zoo and Night Safari Taiping zootaiping@zootaiping.gov.my [1] - the first zoo to be established in Malaysia. Packed at weekends with day-trippers from out of town.
  • Daytime zoo: adults RM12, child (3 to 12 years) RM8, discounts available for school groups, senior citizens (55+), tourist groups (20+ pax); open 08:30-18:00, feeding times 10am and noon.
  • Night safari: adults RM20, child (3 to 12 years) RM10, discounts available for senior citizens (60+) and tourist groups (20+ pax); open 20:00-23:00 on weekday including public holidays, 20:00-24:00 on Saturdays and eve of public holidays.

• Museum Perak - This museum is the oldest museum in Peninsular Malaysia. Entry RM5 for foreigners.

• First Galleria Taiping - is a private museum dedicated to showcase the many firsts throughout the history of Taiping. Housed in a restored former government office building from 1891, it is minutes away from several of the some 30 colonial public buildings in Taiping.It showcasing Taiping historical firsts in many areas of civic life, achieving a succession of "firsts" -- first police force, railway, turf club, Anglican Church -- in then Malaya. The number of firsts varies, but 33 seems to be widely accepted. Admission fee.

• Old House Museum

• Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve

• Charcoal Kilns at Kuala Sepatang

• Fireflies River at Kuala Sepatang

• Kuala Gula Bird Sanctuary

• Coronation Pools next to Maxwell Hill parking lot. Clean river water from water catchment is piped through this olympic sized pool. No chlorination. No salt. Admission 2R

• Kuala Sepatang 20 minute bus ride from Taiping. Eat lunch at one of the many seafood restaurants along the river. Opening time after 11 AM. Major cockle harvesting area. Walk through anyone of several buildings to the wooden riverfront. Watch the unloading and cleaning method.

Credit to: http://wikitravel.org/en/Taiping