YAP KWAN SENG (1846-19020) THE LAST CHINESE KAPITAN OF KUALA LUMPUR
Yap Kwan
Seng (Chinese: 叶观盛, 1846–1902) was the last Chinese kapitan of Kuala Lumpur from 1889 to 1902. Kapitans were
appointed chiefs or headmen of the various ethnic communities during the
British colonial rule in what is present-day Malaysia. Kapitans played an important role
in the history of the Chinese in Malaysia. They wielded considerable
influence, contributing to social, economic and political development in areas
under their jurisdiction.
Yap Kwan
Seng, of Hakka descent, was born in 1846 in the
Chak Kai district of China. He moved to Malaya at the age of 18 and worked as a tin
miner in Seremban.
TOWKAY Yap Kwan Seng, the Captain China of Selangor,
died at Kuala Lumpur on Friday, of consumption, at the age of fifty-five years,
of which he had spent forty in the Straits. He came from the Canton province
and had resided thirty-two years in Selangor. He had held the post of Captain
China there since 1889. The deceased was popular among all classes and was a
liberal giver to charities. He was a Trustee of the Victoria Institution to
whose funds he liberally subscribed. He gave $10,000 to the Transvaal War Fund
and also a handsome donation to St. Mary's Church building fund. He was always
a good friend to his poorer countrymen, for whom he established a practically
free dispensary. During the Pahang rebellion he rendered much assistance to the
Government and was thanked for his services. He leaves behind him five wives
here and three in China, also a large family consisting of fifteen sons and ten
daughters.
In 1870, Yap
packed his bags for Selangor where he began his hard work to help
pioneer the tin mining industry. He made his fortune in tin-mining. It is said
he had a workforce of 7,000 and soon owned more tin mines than any of his
contemporaries.
Yap was
elected the fifth Kapitan in 1890 and was also appointed a member of the State
Legislative Assembly of Selangor.
He ran his
own small police force that helped him manage his many business interests. Yap
was also the first Chinese to serve on the Kuala Lumpur Sanitary Board.
Yap also
helped introduced the Chinese system of mining in West Africa when he sent thirty of his miners to
assist the governor Sir William Maxwell in establishing the mining industry.
Kapitan Yap
was also a firm believer in education and co-founded one of the oldest schools
in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia – Victoria
Institution.
Kapitan Yap
Kwan Seng’s philanthropic deeds and his many contributions to the birth of Kuala Lumpur are the stuff of history. Among his
numerous achievements, perhaps one of the most significant is the founding of
Pooi Shin Thong providing free medical services to the poor. The center grew
and was later renamed Tung Shin Hospital, located along Jalan Pudu. The expenses were, of course,
underwritten by the Kapitan himself.
A
compassionate leader, he also co-founded the Tai Wah Ward of the Pauper’s
Hospital that became the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital as well as Chak Kai Koong Kon in Jalan Sultan.
His
philanthropic deeds extended beyond Malaya and it is said that a year before he
died in 1901, he donated the princely sum of ten thousand dollars towards
famine relief in India, a gesture which surely qualifies as
Malaysia’s first-ever effort at international humanitarian aid.
Yap Kwan
Seng owned houses in Kuala
Lumpur and Macau.
The
Kapitan’s residence in Kuala Lumpur was located on High Street in Kuala Lumpur’s
Chinatown, which is today known as Jalan Tun H.S. Lee.
It was
massive, occupying the greater part of the street, with many deep courtyards,
and a large garden in front for entertaining guests. Over 50 people, many of
whom were servants, lived in the house. The ancestral hall was particularly
impressive as it had a grand altar table upon which was placed chunks of
crystal, quartz, gold and other precious stones found in the Kapitan’s tin
mines.
The
kapitan's mansion in Macau was apparently even bigger than the Kuala Lumpur residence. It was long and deep,
with countless rooms, nooks and crannies, and so large that many sections were
perpetually dim as they had no access to natural light.
Yap died in
1902 and was remembered as a community leader who was greatly concerned with
the welfare of the people and his charity initiatives. After his death in 1902,
the position of kapitan was abolished.
A major road
in Kuala
Lumpur called Jalan Yap Kwan Seng near KLCC is named after him. Jalan Sin Chew
Kee, which is located off Jalan Pudu, was also named in his honour after
his tin mining business.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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