The Yuen family who owned the 8-acre land parcel along Circular Road in the 1930s refers to the descendants and estate of Yuen Ka-Chuk (also recorded in colonial land registries as Yuen Ka Chuck or Yuen Kar Choock). He was a prominent Cantonese mining merchant and property investor during British Malaya's rubber and tin boom.
The History of the 8-Acre Circular Road Estate
[ Town Boundary / Circular Road ] __________________ __________________ | | | | | 8-Acre Yuen Land | | Colonial Reserve | | (Fruit Orchards | | (Hospital / | | & Grand Villa) | | Government) | |__________________| |__________________| | | v v [ Residential ] [ Open Land ]
- The Property: The 8 acres owned by the family consisted of a grand private villa surrounded by lush, sprawling agricultural grounds. In the 1930s, the land was primarily used for fruit orchards and small-scale rubber planting, which served as a private country escape just outside the municipal boundary of Kuala Lumpur.
- The Location Context: Buying 8 acres directly on Circular Road in 1930 was an immense display of wealth. While the town center was heavily congested and segregated, wealthy Chinese tin and rubber tycoons (towkays) bought up multi-acre suburban plots along Circular Road and Ampang Road to construct massive European-style family mansions. [1]
Kuala Lumpur’s Wet Market.
Old name: Kuala Lumpur’s Wet Market.
Year Built: 1888
Architect: R.H. Steed
A direct translation from Cantonese would be ‘Five Lanterns Street’, meaning there were five oil street lights in a small square in the middle of the road during that era. One of the oldest open spaces in Chinatown to house colonial buildings in early 1900’s, it housed many gold and pawn shops to which a few are actually still in business up till today. You will notice that many old signages and pillars still have writings in Chinese, Malay, Indian and Jawi.
At the corner, MS Ally, existing more than 100 years, is the oldest and longest running pharmacy in Kuala Lumpur. The company is located in the building that was built by Yap Hon Chin in 1907. It features Dutch style gables with peacock feathers and curvey waves on the triangular pediments. The street name has been changed three times over the century, initially it was called as High Street, then Jalan Bandar, later renamed as Jalan Tun H.S. Lee.
Commercial Press at no.99 was founded by Yuen Ka Tseung built in 1914 with Neo-Classical and Renaissance Style, it was designed to accomodate the printing presses and photographic stores to provide natural lights for press setting and now occupied by Krishnan Curry House.
Note: Yap Ah Loy took a big part in founding the first Chinese school in High Street, Kuala Lumpur, which opened on Chinese New Year in 1884.
Dr. Yuen Hilda Mo-Yan
After graduated form HKU Medical School , Hilda Yuen lived at 32 Circular Road, Kuala Lumpur. She used this address for correspondence to apply for a job in Hong Kong public hospital.
Circular Road, Kuala Lumpur is nowadays Julan Tun Razak
GENEALOGY of Yuen
In 1895 he took leave to return to HONG KONG to get married. He
brought his bride back to KUALA LUMPUR. Their first born, a girl MO-TZE 阮慕嬨
arrived in 1897. Meanwhile his parents in HONG KONG were busy marrying off
their daughters, the second of whom took a vow of spinsterhood. They also
arranged marriage for their youngest son in 1897 before they came to KUALA
LUMPUR to join their eldest son and family in 1898.
KA TSEUNG continued to work in the Government for a few more years
until he was transferred to the Mine Department in BATU GAJAH, an important
tin mining centre in the State of Perak. There he was overcome with homesick-
ness, and he resorted to resign from the Government and returned to his family
ir. KUALA LUMPUR.