Yap Ah Loy

Yap Ah Loy (born March 14, 1837, Kwangtung Province, China—died April 15, 1885, Kuala Lumpur, Malay Peninsula) was a leader of the Chinese community of Kuala Lumpur, who was largely responsible for the development of that city as a commercial and mining centre.

Yap Ah Loy arrived in the Malay state of Selangor in 1856 at the age of 19. He spent his first years in the peninsula as a miner and petty trader, but in 1862 his fortunes improved when his friend Liu Ngim Kong became Capitan China of Kuala Lumpur, a position not only of leadership within the Chinese community but also of liaison with the Malay political system and, after British intervention in 1874, with British officials as well. He served as Liu’s trusted lieutenant and became the new Capitan China after Liu’s death in 1869, upon which he began to put together a sound administration and a strong fighting force.

When civil war broke out in Selangor in 1870, Yap Ah Loy was faced with internecine fighting among dissident Chinese groups as well as attacks from Malay factions. His decisive victory at Kuala Lumpur in 1873 proved to be the turning point of the war and left him in a strong political position. Until 1879 he was almost supreme in the interior of the state. As the acknowledged leader of the Chinese community he had been given the powers of a Malay ruling chief by the British except for the right to tax, a restriction he easily evaded. He achieved a striking postwar recovery in the mining industry and established Kuala Lumpur as the economic centre of the peninsula. Through his control of the tin market, his ownership of local “farms” (monopolies on the sale of items such as opium and exclusive control of activities such as gambling), and his diverse business interests, he amassed a considerable personal fortune.

When in 1879 the first British resident (government adviser) was assigned to Kuala Lumpur, the power of the Capitan China began to be undermined. None of Yap Ah Loy’s successors approached his power and independence of action. The city that he had largely developed retained its preeminent position and became the capital of Malaysia.