Chinatown, Merdeka Square & Bukit Nanas - Kuala Lumpur Melaka and Penang - page 171

Neighbourhood Walk
Chinatown Architecture
START MASJID JAMEK LRT STATION
END PETALING STREET MARKET
LENGTH 1.6KM; 1½ HOURS
From the station head south down Jln Benteng across which you'll get a great view of Masjid Jamek . At the
junction with Lr Ampang is Medan Pasar , site of KL's original market square.
Where Medan Pasar meets Lr Pasar Besar you'll see the OCBC Building MAP GOOGLE MAP , a graceful
art deco structure built in 1938 for the Overseas Chinese Banking Company. Around the corner with Jln Tun HS
Lee is MS Ally Company , a pharmacy in business since 1909.
Cross Lr Pudu, turn right and, after 25m, duck left into an alleyway leading to the atmospheric Sze Ya
Temple ( Click here ). Exit the way you came in, cross the street and walk through the alley opposite to hit
Central Market ( Click here ) .
Exit the market, turn left onto Jln Tun Tan Cheng Lock, then right onto Jln Tun HS Lee. The shophouses along
here are among Chinatown's oldest; note the unique feature of a five-foot way (pavement) lower than the road
level.
On the south corner is the pale-yellow-painted art deco Lee Rubber Building MAP GOOGLE MAP ; on
the 2nd floor is Peter Hoe Beyond where you can pause for refreshments.
Opposite, next to the bright-red, incense-wreathed Guandi Temple ( Click here ) is Jln Sang Guna, a
covered arcade housing Chinatown's atmospheric wet market ( Click here ). Back on Jln Tun HS Lee pause to
admire the Sri Mahamariamman Temple ( Click here ) and to breathe in the sweet jasmine of the flower
sellers outside.
At the junction with Jln Sultan turn left, then right onto Jln Petaling. Further south, around the busy traffic
roundabout of Bulatan Merdeka, you find the ornate ancestral Chan She Shu Yuen Temple ( Click here ) and,
across Jln Stadium, the Guan Yin Temple ( Click here ) , dedicated to the goddess of mercy.
Finish at Maharajalela MRT station or return to Jln Petaling to browse the Petaling Street Market
( Click here ) .