• 1830-an: Pembukaan Kajang

Perlantikan “Che Man” sebagai Penghulu Kajang & Reko, oleh Residen Selangor, melalui cap kuasa Sultan Selangor. Beliau menggantikan Raja Kahar, putera Sultan Abdul Samad, yang dikatakan tidak mempunyai rumah di kawasan ini, dan tidak pernah membuat lawatan sejak setahun setengah yang lalu. Che Man disebut sebagai seorang “anak negeri” yang disukai “orang dagang” dan masyarakat umumnya. Beliau juga dikatakan rakan rapat Raja Kahar. Latar perlantikan:-

• 12/08/1886: Perlantikan beliau telah dicadangkan oleh J.A.G. Campbell (Majistret daerah Ulu Langat), atas dasar beliau sebagai anak negeri serta sahabat baik Raja Kahar: “I have the honour to request that a Penghulu be appointed for the Districts of Kajang & Reko. At present Raja Kahar is by name only Penghulu, & he has not visited this District now for over a year & a half. I would suggest that Inche Man, who is universally liked, by “Aurang Dagang” & everyone be appointed. He is an “Anak Negrie”, who? would make his appt all the more acceptable to the people of the country, & to the Sultan. As he is a relation of Rj. Kahars, & also a great friend of his, no opposition need be feared in that quarter. Raja Kahar has not even a house here; & any Rajas or Penghulus stopping in the village have to put up in the shops. - J.A.G. Campbell, Collector & Magistrate, Ulu Langat.” (PEJABAT SETIAUSAHA KERAJAAN NEGERI SELANGOR, 12/08/1886: |"ASKS THAT A PENGHULU BE APPOINTED FOR THE DISTRICT OF KAJANG & REKO").
  

• 27/11/1886: Cadangan perlantikan telah dipersetujui oleh ahli Council negeri Selangor: “Extract from minutes of Council dated November 27th 1886: 6. An application is considered for the appointment of a Penghulu for the District of Kajang & Reko, forwarded by the Collector of U. Langat, who recommends Inche Man for the appointment, after consultation with the people of the districts concerned. Raja Kahar says that he knows Inche Man intimately & believes that he would prove a very efficient Penghulu. Resolved that Inche Man be appointed Penghulu of Reko & Kajang from January 1st 1887, on a monthly salary of $15.00.” (PEJABAT SETIAUSAHA KERAJAAN NEGERI SELANGOR, 24/09/1890: |"ASKS FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF PENGHULU OF KAJANG VICE CHE MAN").

Che Man seterusnya menjadi penghulu Kajang & Rekoh selama sekurang-kurangnya 6 tahun, berdasarkan beberapa rekod urusan beliau sehingga tahun 1892:-

• “STATES THAT INCHE MAN PENGHULU OF KAJANG HAS APPLIED FOR A LOAN OF $200 FOR THE PURCHASE OF CARTS” (PEJABAT SETIAUSAHA KERAJAAN NEGERI SELANGOR, 26/02/1889: |"STATES THAT INCHE MAN PENGHULU OF KAJANG HAS APPLIED FOR A LOAN OF $200 FOR THE PURCHASE OF CARTS").
• “RECORD ON THE APPLICATION FROM PENGHULU CHE MAN FOR A LOAN OF $40 WHICH HE PROPOSED TO REPAY BY MONTHLY INSTALMENTS OF $10.” (PEJABAT SETIAUSAHA KERAJAAN NEGERI SELANGOR, 09/06/1892: |"PENGHULU CHE MAN - APPLIES FOR A LOAN OF $40.00/100").

LATAR PERISTIWA: Perihal J.A.G. Campbell.

“Survey Office, Kuala Lumpur. 12 March 1896.

Re Names of Streets & ? in towns of Cheras Kajang & Semenyih.

Sir, I have the honour to enclose tracings of the towns of Cheras, Kajang & Semenyih and request that names be given to all the Roads & Streets therein. This is required for the purpose of description writing. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your Obedient Servant, Geo. M. Stafford, Ag Chief Surveyor.” ….. “The names shewn in pencil on the tracing have been approved by the local Sanitary Board. 2. The unnamed streets & lanes have not yet been formed.” - D. O. Ulu Langat

(Sumber: Arkib Negara 1957/0062295W, 12/03/1896: |"NAMING OF STREETS ETC IN TOWNS OF CHERAS KAJANG AND SEMENYIH")

Kiri: Peta Bandar Kajang tahun 1896 (Arkib Negara 1957/0062295W, 12/03/1896: |"NAMING OF STREETS ETC IN TOWNS OF CHERAS KAJANG AND SEMENYIH"): “PLAN OF THE TOWN OF KAJANG, DISTRICT OF ULU LANGAT, SURVEY OFFICE SELANGOR, 10 MAR. 1896” (Abdur-Razzaq Lubis, 2021: "Tarikh Raja Asal: Derap Perantauan Kaum Mandailing dari Sumatra ke Tanah Semenanjung", m.s.226).

Tengah: Peta Bandar Kajang, sebahagian daripada peta tahun 1945: “Scale: Scale 1:7 500 (E 101°47'/N 2°59'); Description: [London] : published by War Office, 1945; 1 map : col. ; 49 x 42 cm.; Notes: Town plan of Kajang showing transportation, water features, vegetation, cultivation, built-up areas and buildings. Relief shown of hachures. At top of map: Malaya. Prime meridian: Greenwich. “2,500/9/45 S.P.C.”.” (Great Britain. Royal Air Force. Central Interpretation Unit, 1945 @ National Library of Australia digitised item: |"Town plan of Kajang [cartographic material]/ compiled and drawn by A.C.I.U. and War Office").

Kanan: Peta Bandar Kajang, 2025 (Mapcarta, 2025).

Kiri: Peta pekan Kajang tahun 1896 (Arkib Negara 1957/0062295W, 12/03/1896: |"NAMING OF STREETS ETC IN TOWNS OF CHERAS KAJANG AND SEMENYIH"): “A closeup of 1896 map of Kajang Town. British Colonial Government then did some segmentation of the town from section 1- section 9. Early development concentrated in Section 1-4 along Jalan Mendeling, Jalan Tukang, and later extended to Jalan Besar(Main Street) and Jalan Tengah(Middle Street). The present Metro Plaza site was a tin mine by Towkay Chow Yoke who owned the row of shop houses along Main Street. If you notice a bridge over Langat River, it was not at present site. The wooden bridge link from Lorong Mendeling to the opposite bank at about 50m down the river from the present location. This is something interesting we found from National Archive. Credit to our research assistant Kah Hoe Lee who had been flipping through files and documents for months. 乌鲁冷岳社区文物馆增添了不少的新资料，都是我们的研究助理李家和全心投入，翻查国家档案馆资料，找出加影开埠历史记录。这1896年地图标出当年城市规划，最早的建筑集中在后街，杜更街;大街一排店屋，较后由赵煜(荣)兴建。地图上的矿湖，位于现今美景广场地段，属赵煜所有。至于横跨冷岳河的木桥，当时是建在后街巷口处，离目前的桥梁，大约50公尺。” (Kajang Heritage Centre, 16 November 2019: "A closeup of 1896 map of Kajang Town").

Tengah: Peta pekan Kajang, sebahagian daripada peta tahun 1945: “Scale: Scale 1:7 500 (E 101°47'/N 2°59'); Description: [London] : published by War Office, 1945; 1 map : col. ; 49 x 42 cm.; Notes: Town plan of Kajang showing transportation, water features, vegetation, cultivation, built-up areas and buildings. Relief shown of hachures. At top of map: Malaya. Prime meridian: Greenwich. “2,500/9/45 S.P.C.”.” (Great Britain. Royal Air Force. Central Interpretation Unit, 1945 @ National Library of Australia digitised item: |"Town plan of Kajang [cartographic material]/ compiled and drawn by A.C.I.U. and War Office").

Kanan: Peta pekan Kajang, 2025 (Google Maps, 2025).

Kedai terawal dibina pada tahun 1896: No.1 Jalan Besar: “In 1896, 40 shop houses were built in Section 1 which covered Main Street, Tukang Street, Jln. Tengah and Mendaling Street. This shop house which is no.1 at Main Street and the one beside could be of earliest batch or built within the decade. This corner lot was said to be acquired and demolished to give way for road broadening. Or, should it be conserved and restored and repurposed to mark the history of establishment of Kajang Town?”

Gambar di kaki lima kedai ini. Sedikit latar belakangnya: “This is a corner lot at a busy cross section into Kajang. It is in a vary bad condition. It is also the only traditional shophouse of the early merchants with a cantilivered gallery on its long side covered with wooden louvered windows. Surpporting this gallery are cast iron columns which have come from Europe at that time. It was the most impressive building you see as you enter this tin mining and rubber town. The front facade has three traditional full height windows with carved motives on top. The ground floor must have seen many tanents doing all sorts of local trades. If the local council has the foresight and the money it ought to safeguard this unique historical and cultural landscape of old Kajang. This main street ought to be pedestrainised like many old streets in out towns and city. Keep the traffic out. Give the place back to the residents…if there are any..” - Victor Chin.
“It was newspapers agency and barber shop before closing down few years ago. … Take a close look at old board overhanging entrance of a shophouse at Main Street, Kajang. The 3-digit phone number tells decades of stories.” - Lee Kim Sin.
“before the Newpaper agency used that shop, two tenants before that was a Sri Lankan tamil gentleman who ran a Sundry Shop or a General Trading shop. His wife was a teacher in SRJK (1) Jalan Semenyih where the headmistress was Mrs A.P. Richards.” - Robert R Samuel.
“I use to stay at 2 Main St. until Form 1 and yes 1 Main Street is run by Lai family Newagency and also barber shop En.Hamzah. Behind is a petition writer.” - MinHo Kong
“Opposite it was a bread factory. Used to buy hainam bread there every night, then heading to Jln Sg Chua, to buy fish ball noodle near Sungai Langat for supper.” - Johnny Ho.
“yes, Mr. Mak the Hainanese bread man.” - Lee Kim Sin.

(Sumber: Lee Kim Sin, 19 Oktober 2020: |"Which is the oldest building in Kajang?". Gambar tengah: Lee Kim Sin, 27 Februari 2015: "The 3-digit phone number tells decades of stories").

“While walking back to Kajang Heritage Centre from Kedai Buku MakAli, took a photo of the narrow five-foot way linking old shophouses along Jalan Tengah. The row of relatively smaller shops are supposed to be the earliest brick shophouses in Kajang Town. History record says that the first batch of brick shops were built in 1895. The road was named Jalan Raja Alang in honor of a Mandailing Chief. But, it was renamed Jalan Tengah or Middle Road.”
Gambar tengah: “At the end of the road linking to Jalan Tukang is a century old shop named Kah Chong. The exposed bricks on the weathered wall seems to exhibit the history of Kajang Town.”

(Sumber: Lee Kim Sin, 26 Februari 2017: |"narrow five-foot way linking old shophouses along Jalan Tengah").

LATAR PERISTIWA: Raja Alang bin Raja Berayun.

Kiri: “The front of the Shen Sze See Yar temple faces the riverbank.” (Lee Khang Yi @ Malay Mail, 24 Apr 2016: |"The muhibbah factor: Reunited for the love of cendol and rojak in Kajang").
Tengah: “Grand entrance of Shen Sze She Yar temple. Established in 1898, the Kajang Shen Sze She Yar Temple relocated from Rekoh in 1892. Incense was brought from Cheng Koon Temple in Rasa. The temple was renovated and extended over the years but the main structure was retained. Inside, you will find well-kept artifacts and records in the gallery set up by the Temple Management Committee in 2015. Exhibits include a 120-year-old gong made of cast iron and a more than 100-year-old wood bat door knob which symbolises luxury. According to Cikgu Lee, in 1860, war broke out in Sungai Ujong due to conflict over ownership of tin mines. Kapitan Seng Meng Lee, a respected community leader in Lukut, was beheaded when his men lost. Legend has it that the blood which gushed out was white so he was deified as an immortal and honoured by the followers as Lord She Sze She Yar at Cheng Koon Temple in Rasa in 1861.” (Hanna Hussein @ The New Straits Times, December 19, 2019: |"#JOM! GO: More than satay").
Kanan: “History buffs can trace the origins of this temple to Kapitan Yap Ah Loy and the popular Sin Sze Si Ya temple in KL.”

(Sumber video: TV2《前线视窗》 , 5 Mei 2016: "老加影之古庙与古教堂").

MAKLUMAT LANJUT: Tokong Shen Sze She Yar

“STRAITS TRADING COMPANY, LTD., KAJANG. The Straits Trading Company's branch at Kajang was opened in 1898, and it is now actively engaged in buying tin ore from producers in the surrounding district, including the mining towns of Seminyih, Sungei Lallang, Reko Broga, Cheras, and Ulu Langat. The agency despatches the tin ore to the smelting works of the company at Singapore, and thence it is sent to all parts of the world. The acting agent at Kajang is Mr. F. D. Rees. Before joining the Straits Trading Company in 1905 he was in the service of Messrs. Gilbert J. McCaul & Co., Australian merchants, London.” (Twentieth Century Impressions of British Malaya, hlm. 919).

• 1900-an: Petempatan Sekitar Kajang