Chinatown Kuala Lumpur Street Art
Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur (KL) has always been a vibrant and bustling part of the city. Locals and tourists throng to this area mainly for the markets, street food and old architecture.
I remembered coming to Chinatown regularly back in 2015 & 2016 when I was invited by Tourism Malaysia for media walks and tours. There were also a few occasions when I had explored the area on my own, discovering old and new sights. I took a lot of photos then and shared in my old travel blog.
But now when I look back at my photo archives, I realize I can’t use those photos again in this blog as things have changed so much in Chinatown. And I have a sneaky feeling that I might not be able to keep up with the changes, lol!
Although some parts of Chinatown remain grimy and seedy, the area has undergone restoration works over the past ten years or so. Many of the old pre-war buildings have been restored and converted into boutique hotels, trendy cafes and eateries whilst back alleys were cleaned up and painted with street art and murals.
When the global pandemic hit, many of these businesses unfortunately did not survive as they had relied heavily on tourism. Now things are back to normal, save a number of establishments with “To Let/For Sale” buntings hung from the closed shutters. But the ‘new normal’ is a rise in Instagrammable cafes, speakeasy bars, more street art and murals, and old buildings repurposed for art exhibitions and creative expressions.
Below are some photos of Chinatown that were taken on a KL Photo Walk in January 2022.
This back alley, Kwai Chai Hong (‘Little Demon’ lane) has been beautifully restored by local artists, featuring beautiful murals of life in Chinatown in the 1960s. This delightful laneway tucked between Jalan Petaling and Lorong Panggung is also the back entrance of cool restaurants and cafes – you can enter those eateries either from this lane or walk out to the main road for the front entrance.
Spearheaded by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur) as a pilot project, this back alley Lorong Petaling 2 depicts a mural of old market scenes in KL from the 1930s until the 1960s.
While exploring Chinatown on foot, you’ll come across other forms of art as well, like this one on a door.
And there’s always something reminding us to stay safe 😊
Related Post: Road Trip Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Terengganu
More info, photos and travel tips in and around Chinatown coming up in the near future, so stay tuned!
What are the recommended places to visit/explore in Chinatown? Do share in the comments below.
