The first market built in

Taiping __NOTOC__ Taiping, Tai-p’ing, or Tai Ping most often refers to: Chinese history * Princess Taiping (died 713), Tang dynasty princess * Taiping Rebellion (1850–1864), civil war in southern China ** Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (1851–1864), the re ...

was in 1884 and 1885. Due to the rapid growth of population in the town, there were more markets that mushroomed around the town to provide basic facilities to the folks. Below are the major markets that were constructed in 1884 until the late 1960s.

History

The Old Markets

Located at the commercial town center at the Market Square, there are two markets that built separately and separated by the Kota Road. The Old Market was built in 1884 and the New Market in 1885. Both buildings stood 220 feet in length and 60 feet in width. The buildings were built with timber pillars, concrete slab and iron roof. There was an iron fountain donated by Mr

Ng Boo Bee Ng, ng, or NG may refer to: * Ng (name) (黄伍吳), a surname of Chinese origin Arts and entertainment * N-Gage (disambiguation), a handheld gaming system * Naked Giants, Seattle rock band * '' Spirit Hunter: NG'', a video game Businesses a ...

that originally stood in front of the market, many years later it was removed and replaced with a simple concrete

clock tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another buildi ...

. These markets served two different functions, one as a dry market and the other as a wet market. During the heyday, these markets were stocked with fresh vegetables, fish and meats, almost everything was available from here. The price for all goods was controlled by the government according to a report made by Sir Frank Swettenham when he served as the Acting Resident of Perak in 1884 until 1886. Sir Frank Swettenham also acted as the man who responsible for the establishment of the markets, he suggested to the then

British Resident of Perak This is a list of the British Residents of Malay State of Perak, British Malaya.Malaysian States http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Malay_states.htm The position of Resident was an administrative post. By the terms of the Pangkor Treaty, the Resident w ...

, Sir

Hugh Low Sir Hugh Low, (10 May 182418 April 1905) was a British colonial administrator and naturalist. After a long residence in various colonial roles in Labuan, he was appointed as British administrator in the Malay Peninsula where he made the first ...

that a market was needed as the population growth of the town was drastic. Eventually the proposal was granted, in Sir Hugh Low’s journal was written that, ''"the town has a good model for others, with a well maintained market for the public use"''. In 2023 the Local Government Development Minister, Ngo Kor Ming, announced that funds would be allocated for the restoration of the market which had suffered 'severe damage to the wooden structure', and that it would be designated as Malaysia's first national heritage market.

Pokok Assam Market

The Pokok Assam Market is located at the New Village (Kampong Bahru) of Pokok Assam. This concrete structure market was built in 1956. This market was built to accommodate the non-Malay communities only.

Simpang Market

This concrete structure market was constructed in 1965.

Kota Market

Aulong Market

References

# Swettenham, Sir Frank, British Malaya: An Account of the Origin and Progress of British Influence in Malaya, London, (1955) # Eugene Khoo, 2007 A History of Taiping, Malaysia Buildings and structures in Perak Market houses Commercial buildings completed in 1885 Tourist attractions in Perak {{coord missing, Malaysia