Taiping, Kuala Sepetang 太平，十八丁

Taiping&Kuala Sepetang 

The city with the most number one titles in Peninsular Malaysia. There are 33 official announcements. Isn't that enough for you to find out yourselves there?

Taiping has a longer history than Ipoh. Before tin mining in the Kinta Valley , it was the city with the most tin mines in the Malay Peninsula. (The first tin mining activity in the Malay Peninsula, 1844). The leftover tin  mine lake became the first  artificially planted recreational park (1880) is picturesque. In the city with the most rainfall (Taiping is known as the Rainy City), there are often misty and rainy scenes. When the weather is fine, the old trees by the lake with the extended branches to the lake are look so special , which is a unique spectacle.

The Taiping Mountains are beautiful, and next to Taiping Lake is the ''Bukit Larut'' Maxwell hills, (1844) the first summer resort for British officials in Malaya. It is hard to imagine that in this beautiful place, more than 150 years ago, it was a place where local Chinese gangs and Malay royal powers competed and fight for tin mining sites. The old name of this place is  (Kelian Pauh). The two chinese gang Haishan and Yixing disputes continued, until the British intervened, signed the ''PangkorTreaty'' (1874) and changed its name to ''Taiping'', and then it became peaceful, stable and prosperous. As a result, many firsts in the Malay Peninsula have been created, and many  stories have been left behind. 

A few examples of the peninsula's first title are as follows:

Government offices (1879), courts (1874), prisons (1885), telegraph post offices, clubs house (1880), railway stations (1881), museums (1883), big markets (1884), racecourses (1886), wooden sanctuaries Church (Old Saints church, 1886), Clock Tower (1890), Night Safari and more. It adds a lot of color and after-dinner topics to this old city. 

Among them, Taiping Lake, Zoo, Bukit Larut  , First Gallery Taiping (1891) and so on are famous at home and abroad. First Gallery used to be the office building of the British. After the Treaty of Pangkor, Taiping symbolized the beginning of British rule in the Malay Peninsula. In fact, the British used Taiping as the administrative center of Malaya from 1875 to 1895, and then transferred to Kuala Lumpur. This shows the historical status of Taiping at that time.

In addition, Anton Coffee factory and Sun Yat-sen Overseas Residence Memorial Hall Changchun Garden are also historical landmarks worth seeing.

The relatively new scenic spots include ''Zi Nong'' leisure farm, a duck farm, and Taiping Sprizer eco park, a mineral water production area.

Taiping cuisine has its own characteristics, such as the mighty and domineering drink ''Hor Ka Sai '' (the classic Taiping first), salty coffee, Cendol ice, soybean  and so on. There are also a variety of delicacies, such as Simpang Fried Kway Teow (Classic), Fried Fish Ball Kway Teow, Kway Teow Soup, Laksa, Char Siu, Roasted Pork, Satay, Nyonya Kuih, etc., all kinds. Chinese, Malay, Indian and British cuisines are all available.

Recently, the ''Kuala Sepetang '' mangroves have become more famous. Watching fireflies in the bushes at night, and the mangroves on the river bank are lined up, and groups of fireflies are constantly flashing at night. It is really a wonder.

Mangroves are also good materials for making hard charcoal. The quality of the charcoal is high. The Japanese concern to health  use charcoal to cook meals and purify water. They even set up a factory in Kuala Sepatang , and after production, they are shipped back to Japan and the world. Mangroves, charcoal kiln and charcoal making are special attractions that tourists must visit when they come to Kuala Sepetang . ''Black gold'' made of charcoal can also be bought home as decorations!

Come to Kuala Sepetang , watch the floating houses in the fishing port, take a boat out to sea to experience fishermen fishing, catching oysters, watching eagles hunting, and dolphins playing on the water are also authentic features.

When you come to Kuala Sepetang , when you check in and take pictures at the port Weld train station, of course you will not miss the seafood delicacies. The fish and shrimp are especially delicious. Before you leave, don’t forget to buy some dry shrimps as souvenirs. Curry noodles, prawn noodles, and seafood porridge are local delicious all must-eats.

Taiping is about 95 kilometers away from Ipoh, about an hour's drive away. Visit Ipoh, without going to Taiping is not complete journey to know about Malaya . You must go to look at Taiping Lake, the ancient capital of Malay-Asian British colonial period, Changchun Garden, Sun Yat-sen’s Former Residence Memorial Hall, listen to his romantic love story in Nanyang, go to taste Kway Teow and find out what is the difference between Taiping Kway Teow and Ipoh’s ''Sa Hor fen'' , how mighty it is after drinking the tiger bites the lion? Is the taste of Taiping Laksa similar to that of Penang ? Let me know your answer soon 

太平（Taiping),十八丁 (Kuala Sepetang)

有马来亚半岛第一头衔最多的城市。官方的宣就有33个。这还不让你来探个究竟吗？

太平历史比怡保更久远，近打流域锡矿开采前是马来半岛盛产锡矿最多的城市.(第一个马来半岛锡矿活动，1844），遗留下来的废矿湖成为第一个人工植栽湖滨公园 (1880)，风景如画。在最多雨量的城市（太平有雨城之称）常有烟雨蒙蒙的景色，天晴时，湖边老树翠臂擒波，又是绝无仅有的奇景。

太平山明水秀，太平湖旁就是''拉律山''Maxwell hills, (1844) 第一个当年英国官人在马来亚的避暑胜地。很难想象，在这风景怡人的地方，一百五十多年前却是当地华人帮派及马来王权争夺锡矿地盘打得天昏地暗的地方。此地旧名称 (Kelian Pauh)。海山，义兴两派纷争不断，直到英国人介入，签下 ''邦喀条约''(1874) ,  改名''太平''，才平定及安定繁荣的迅速发展起来。也因此创造了很多马来半岛第一，留下不少美谈和故事。半岛第一头衔例举几项如下：

政府办事处(1879),法庭(1874), 监狱(1885),电报政局，俱乐部(1880), 火车站(1881), 博物院(1883), 大巴刹(1884),跑马场(1886), 木教堂(Old Saints church,1886),钟楼(1890), 夜间动物园等等。为这座老城增添不少色彩和茶余饭后话题。其间闻名国内外的要数太平湖，动物园，拉律山，第一展览馆 (First Gallery Taiping,1891)等等。此馆曾经是英国人办公楼。邦咯条约后，太平象征着马来半岛英国统治的开始。其实 1875-1895英国是以太平为马来亚的行政中心，之后才转至吉隆坡。由此可见当时太平的历史地位。

另外较后期的还有安东咖啡，孙中山海外故居纪念馆长春圃也是值得一看的历史标！

近期比较新的景点有''自农'' 休闲农庄，养鸭场，矿泉水产地必生态公园 (Taiping Sprizer eco park) . 

太平美食有其特色，威武霸气饮料''虎呷狮'' ( 精典太平首创 )，咸咖啡，煎芯冰，豆水等等。美食也多多姿，Simpang  风轮火花炒条（精典），炒鱼丸条，条汤，叻沙，叉烧，烧肉，沙爹，娘惹糕等等，五花八门，。华、巫、印、英美食皆有。马来西亚人真的太幸福了。

近期''十八丁'' 红树林更声名远播，夜间树林观萤火虫，河岸红树林成排，夜里一群群萤火虫，闪炼不停，实为一大奇景。

就地取材，红树木也是做硬炭的好材料，品质高，日本人注重养生的以此木炭烧饭菜，净化食水，什至在十八丁设场，制作后运回日本及世界。红树林，炭窖及木炭制作更是客到十八丁的必去的特别景点。木炭制成的''黑金 '' 也可以买回家当装饰品呢！

来十八丁，观看渔港的海上浮屋，搭船出海体验渔夫打鱼，捕蚵，看老鹰食，海豚水上嬉戏，也是道地特色。

来到十八丁，在port Weld 火车站打卡拍照之余，当然不会错过海鲜美食，鱼，虾尤其鲜美，走别忘了买虾来带一些作伴手礼。咖喱面，虾面，十八丁海鲜粥都是老饕必吃。

太平离怡保大约95公里，车程大约一小时。怡保，不去太平，看看太平湖，马来亚英殖民时期古都，长春圃，孙中山故居纪念馆，听他在南洋的浪漫爱情故事，去吃一吃到底太平条和怡保的河粉又有什么不同，喝虎咬狮后又怎么威猛，太平 Laksa  口味是否和城相似？实为美中不足