Down the memory line in KL!
By Joyce Lew
With the current Movement Control Order (MCO) being set to Malaysians almost across the country, I am sure we all are missing those times when we can travel out to different places for a vacation or even a short trip.
Since we are not able to travel internationally, have you ever traveled to all places in Malaysia, specifically in Kuala Lumpur? If you have not, you should definitely head down to Kwai Chai Hong Alley, a historical landmark in Kuala Lumpur. It is located between Lorong Panggung and Jalan Petaling, which is a 5-minute walk from Pasar Seni LRT station.
You can actually take a stroll down the memory lane to bring back the glory days of KL Chinatown. The alley itself has its own history behind, where it used to be an area haunted by petty gamblers, drunkards, drug addicts, and even individuals who participated in vice activities.
As for the name Kwai Chai it was a name commonly used to address the members of a gangster group back in the days, who used to own the alley, hence naming the lane Kwai Chai Hong.
In the alley itself, there are many murals whereby visitors can snap a picture to be posted on their Insta or Face or, why not, even a TikTok video, such as the Red Bridge, also known as “Hong Qiao,” in Mandarin.
Each mural on the wall has its own story behind and these stories are quite meaningful as to why such painting were painted. Each story clip can be seen just by scanning the QR code next to the mural.
In Kwai Chai Hong, there are 7 different back entrances to different cafes, such as Bubble Bee Café, The Soybean Factory, Pandan Republic, Concubine KL, Bun Choon, Da bao, and Asia Street Food Club.
The normal operating hours of Kwai Chai Hong is from 9:00 am to 10:00 pm, from Monday to Sunday, but I do suggest going there during the daytime as pictures can be taken with natural sunlight.
Usually, special events or activities could be held here during certain festivals such as Chap Goh Mei or Chinese New Year.
So, what are you waiting for? Head down there as soon as we can start visiting this kind of places, to take some amazing pictures! (Directions)
You can also check out their website