• 1890-an: Pembangunan Awal Kajang

“The first Church of the Holy Family in Kajang was consecrated on February 24, 1901, by His Lordship Bishop Rene Fee. The ceremony was conducted in a joyous but solemn manner. The Bishop was greeted by parishioners dressed in their national costumes, and a Pontifical High Mass was celebrated by Bishop Rene Fee. Fr. Gazean MEP delivered the homily in Chinese. After the Mass, there was a firing of crackers, and photographs were taken with the Bishop in front of the newly built parochial house¹.

Although the first church no longer exists, the three stained glass windows, each depicting a member of the Holy Family, still survive and are present in the current church. The land upon which the first church was built was donated by Towkay Goh Ah Ngee, a charitable Catholic gentleman. His Lordship Bishop Rene Fee came to Kajang to lay the foundation stone for the church and dedicated it to the Holy Family. The church had a fine Gothic design with a high bell tower (the highest building in Kajang then) and was the first church in Kajang town in the district of Ulu Langat².

Source:
¹Malay Mail, 25 February, 1901
²Bishop Rene Fee, MEP Annual Report 1900. Singapore: MEP Archive, p. 181”

(Sumber: Facebook HOLY FAMILY KAJANG, 24 Februari 2024: "𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐊𝐚𝐣𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲: 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡").

Di dalam surat bertarikh 22 Jun 1904, Residen Selangor, Henry Conway Belfield telah mengarahkan seluruh pegawai-pegawai daerah di negeri itu menyediakan senarai semua lokasi-lokasi utama di dalam daerah mereka, serta jarak setiap lokasi tersebut dari stesen atau pelabuhan terdekat:-

“Kuala Lumpur, 22 June, 1904. Sir, I have the honour to request you to supply with as little delay as possible a list of the distances from each Railway Station or the nearest port to all places of interest to officials, planters, or miners in your district. … Sd HcB (Henry Conway Belfield): Acting Secretary to Resident, Selangor. To The Collector of Land Revenue, K. Lumpur, and All District Officers.”

Senarai lokasi bagi daerah Ulu Langat:-

(Sumber: Arkib Negara 1957/0116784W, 17/06/1904: |"LIST OF DISTANCES FROM EACH RAILWAY STATION OR THE NEAREST PORT TO ALL PLACES OF INTEREST TO OFFCIALS ETC").

Peta sekitar Kajang, 1904 (Edinburgh Geographical Institute, 1904 @ Yale University Library - Digital Collections: |"Selangor, Federated Malay States, 1904 / John Bartholomew & Co ; W.T. Wood, chief draftman").

Peta sekitar Kajang, kini (Mapcarta).

Antara ladang-ladang terawal di sekitar Kajang (1904), dan lokasinya kini:-

“Low Ti Kok was born in a village called Kuimei, Anxi District of Fujian Province, China. It was then under the government of Manchu Dynasty, i.e. Guangxu 3rd Year according to the Chinese calendar. He arrive in Klang at his youthful age of 20 and later moved inland to Serendah, Selangor where he helped his uncle in his business. Three years later he moved to Kuala Lumpur to seek better opportunities. He managed to make his living and with some savings, he went back to his homeland and married a village lady of surname Lee.

Low Ti Kok arrived in Kajang at the age of 28 and started his venture into alcohol and sundries business. Later, he found tin mining and rubber planting a good business which proof him successful and made him a rich man in town. Mr. Low was a philanthropist and had been very generous in contributing to Anti-Japanese invasion of China during the late 1930s. He was elected as Chairman of the Hulu Langat District Nanyang Homeland Aid Committee ( Nanyang Huaqiao Chouzhenhui). Besides his commitment in providing aid to war victims in his homeland, he was the main contributor to the reconstruction of Yu Hua School which was completed in 1918. Today, Yu Hua School Hall is named in his honor. He was also perceived as aides to the British colonialist government in settling dispute within local community and assisted the authority in local development. He was honored Justice of Peace by the Queen besides naming the road in front of Yu Hua School as Low Ti Kok Road or Jalan Low Ti Kok.

Mr. Low passed away in 1942 at his house in Hong Bee Estate in Sungai Jelok. A Grand Funeral procession was carried out after the Japanese surrendered in 1945. His body was buried in the Hokkien Cemetery just behind Kajang High School. Today, the Hulu Langat Hokkien Association building standing along Jalan Timur was formerly the mansion of the late Low Ti Kok, JP.”

(Sumber: Lee Kim Sin, melalui Kc and Yk @ Kajang Town, Selangor, Malaysia, 27 Ogos 2007: |"Low Ti Kok").

“Step onto the bustling Jalan Tukang in Kajang, and you’ll discover Xin Kwong Sang Woh, an old-school biscuit shop that has been around since 1907. Serving four generations of snack lovers, this shop is basically an institution. It offers an array of snacks and biscuits, all stacked in glass jars and nostalgic tins, providing bites that’ll bring back the sweet simplicity of childhood, where every mouthful is nothing short of golden. Step into Xin Kwong Sang Woh, and the first thing that will catch your eye is the sea of timeworn tins stacked from floor to ceiling, each brimming with distinctive treats. With up to 3,000 varieties on display, the selection spans every flavour, texture, and colour you could possibly imagine. Run by the Kwong family across three generations, this biscuit shop is still staffed by familiar faces, including Siew Pak Chong, the second‑generation owner who is now in his late 80s. He is often found behind the counter, enjoying banter with regulars. His son, and third‑generation owners, Siew Chee Kien and Tan Bee Kien, took over in 2015, gently modernising the business while keeping its nostalgic charm intact. …..
….. Address: 32 Jalan Tukang, Bandar Kajang, 43000 Kajang, Selangor
Opening hours: 7am–7pm, Daily”

(Sumber: Yusintha @ TheSmartLocal, 30 Julai 2025: |"Xin Kwong Sang Woh: A Nostalgic Snack Shop With Childhood-Tinged Tins That’s Been Around Since 1907").

MAKLUMAT LANJUT: Kedai Biskut Xin Kwong Sang Woh (1907).

“District Office, Kajang, 16th February 1907.

Application from Towkay Loke Yew's attorney for division of Lot 4 Section 7 of Kajang town.

Sir, I have the honour to inform you that I have received an application from Mr.J.H.M.Robson, as attorney of Towkay Loke Yew, to have Lot 4 Section 7 of Kajang Town divided up into house lots as shown on the attached tracing.
2. I have roughly indicated on the tracing the position of the District Officer's quarters & those of the Assistant District Officer & it will be seen that if shop houses are erected on the proposed lots they will to some extent infringe on the privacy which those quarters have hitherto enjoyed.
3. The Acting Resident & Mr.Stonor, the holder of the substantive appointment of District Officer Ulu Langat, have visited the land since Mr. Robson's application was received & I think they both agree with that I have said in the preceding paragraph.
4. There is apparently nothing in the title under which the land is held empowering the Government to refuse to sanction the proposed division into building lots.
5. I would propose that the Government should resume a portion of the land amounting to eight lots on each side of the centre road, and if Towkay Loke Yew will surrender this land without compensation the Government might make and upkeep the centre road and the brick drains on either side.
6. The Resident may however wish to see the land before anything is decided. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your Obedient Servant, Sd: Cluad Severn, Ag: District Officer, Ulu Langat.”

Kiri: Peta Pekan Kajang, 1907. Lot 4 Seksyen 7, serta kuarters Pegawai Daerah dan penolongnya, ditandakan.
Kanan: Peta Pekan Kajang, 2026. Lot 4 Seksyen 7, serta kuarters Pegawai Daerah dan penolongnya, ditandakan (anggaran kasar) (Mapcarta, 2026).

“SR. The Resident visited the spot on Thursday last & approved of the proposed subdivisions into building lots.
2. He considered that either one lot on each side next the Semenyih Road should be resumed as in the case of the other portions of the town fronting on the same road or that seven lots on each side of the centre road should be resumed to provide room in the future for lots facing the Semenyih road with a lane behind. I do not think it is necessary to have such long lots as < 20 feet & in that case six lots would be enough to resume on each side, making room for 100 ft.lots & a 20ft. lane.
3. The centre road would be produced as I have marked on the 1(?) chain tracing enclosed & with the vote for filling in land opposite market, Kajang, $1000 (Item 52 - p. 59 ? 1907) we would begin a one chain road formation where I have hatched in red to meet the centre road eventually - this formation would for the present form a stand for gharries and tin rikishas which is much needed.
4. I would therefore ask for sanction to inform Mr Robson that the proposal to subdivide is approved and to negotiate with him as regards the price to be paid for the lots resumed whether two - or twelve or fourteen or the Resident may decide. - ? , 6.3.07.” - District Officer.

“Para 4. appd.
2. I think, as further consideration, that his lots, one on each side of the road, will be sufficient. - HCB, 8.3.07.” - Henry Conway Belfield (HCB), Residen Selangor.

(Sumber: Arkib Negara 1957/0134511W, 16/02/1907: |"APPLICATION BY MR. J.H.M. ROBSON, ATTORNEY OF TOWKEY LOKE YEW TO HAVE LOT 4 SECTION 7 KAJANG TOWN DIVIDED UP INTO HOUSE LOTS").

“Mr. Claud Severn, acting private secretary to H.E. the Governor, was born in London in 1869, and at an early age went to Australia. He was educated at St. Peter's College, Adelaide, and at Selwyn College, Cambridge, where he graduated. During part of 1891 and 1892 he was employed in the Librarian's Department of the Foreign Office, and in 1894 was appointed private secretary to the then Governor of the Straits Settlements. In December of the following year he joined the Selangor Government service as junior officer, and in 1897 was promoted Assistant District Officer at Ulu Langat. After acting temporarily in a similar capacity at Klang and as Collector of Land Revenue, Kuala Lumpor, he became, in 1899, Assistant District Officer at Serendah. In August, 1903, he was given the position of Assistant Secretary to the Resident-General, but did not assume the duties until September, 1904, acting in the meantime as Magistrate and Registrar of Courts, Kuala Lumpor. During a portion of 1905 he acted as Federal Secretary, and he took Mr. Oliver Marks's place during the early part of 1906. Mr. Severn is a keen golf and tennis player and is a member of most local clubs. He did good service during 1903 as chairman of the committee which had charge of the arrangements for the Federal Conference held in that year.” (Arnold Wright, H.A. Cartwright (Ed.), 1908: "Twentieth century impressions of British Malaya: its history, people, commerce, industries, and resources", hlm.126).

“Salah satu koleksi foto poskad M.S.Nakajima Suasana di Pasar Melayu, Kajang,Selangor sekitar tahun 1910. M.S.Nakajima antara jurufoto Jepun yang awal bertapak di Kuala Lumpur yang merakam foto-foto sebagai poskad di Tanah Melayu dan Singapura. Poskad ini pernah di siarkan di E-bay dan sudah pun terjual. Rujukan : Worth point.” (M.S. Nakajima via Izmal Karim @ Facebook, 11 September 2018: "Poskad & Sejarah : Suasana di Pasar Melayu, Kajang – 1910s").

Cap pos pada poskad: 1911(?) (Sumber gambar: Lee Kim Sin @ Facebook, 16 November 2019: "District Office, KAJANG, Selangor").

(M. S. Nakajima, via postcardman @ Delcampe International: "Malaysia - KAJANG - The Kajang Club - Publ. M. S. Nakajima 72").

(Lim Yap collectables @ ebay: |"Kajang Railway Station Selangor Malaya Malaysia ca 1910").

“State Engineer's Office, Kuala Lumpur, 23rd June, 1910.

-Subject- Expenditure of the savings on Votes:-
(1) Back Lanes
(2) Extension of Brick Drains
(3) Reclaiming Swamp.

Sir, I have the honour to forward herewith, for consideration, a copy of once of the minutes of the meeting of the Ulu Langat Sanitary Board held on 16th June, 1910 -
(A) Refers to Item 25, Page 49, Annual Estimates 1910, Construction & Gravelling Back Lanes, Kajang - $2,000/-, on which the available balance in $500
(B) Refers to Item 26, Extension of Brick Drains Kajang - $1,500/-, on which the available balance is $515/-
(C) Refers to Item 27, Reclaiming Swamp, Kajang - $2,000/-, on which the available balance is $1,010(?).

2. If proposal (C) be not approved, the Executive Engineer suggests that the money be devoted to further work opposite the Kajang Market.

I attach a key plan with the position of the proposed improvements marked on it. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, ?, State Enginer, Selangor.”

Pelan Pekan Kajang 1910, ditandakan dengan cadangan-cadangan mesyuarat ini.

Kiri: Pelan Pekan Kajang 1910, ditandakan dengan cadangan-cadangan mesyuarat ini (jarak dekat): “A. Proposed Extension of Lane. B. Proposed Drain. C. Reclaiming Swamp.”
Kanan: Peta Pekan Kajang 2026, ditandakan dengan cadangan-cadangan mesyuarat ini (jarak dekat):-
Ungu (A): Proposed Extension of Lane + Lane Constructed = Lorong Mendaling kini.
Merah (B): Proposed Drain = Tebing timur Lorong Mendaling kini.
Merah Jambu (C): Reclaiming Swamp = Kawasan kuala tebing timur Sungai Merbau, meliputi Galeri Sate dan RTM Kajang kini (Anggaran kasar). (Mapcarta, 2026).

A dan B (Lorong Mendaling kini) telah diluluskan oleh Henry Belfield, Residen Selangor ketika itu. Namun C (Penambakan kawasan paya di sekitar kuala Sungai Merbau) tidak diluluskan: “I approve A & B, but not C. 2. Item 27 was voted for the land opposite the market, and the balance should be spent on this. - HCB 24.6.10.” - Henry Conway Belfield (HCB), Residen Selangor 1902-1911.

(Sumber: Arkib Negara 1957/0152341W, 23/06/1910: |"PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS, KAJANG TOWN. SANCTION TO EXPEND THE SURPLUS BALANCES ON THE VOTES, ' BACK LANES, BRICK DRAINS AND RECLAIMING SWAMP ', ULU LANGAT").

Ladang-ladang yang tersenarai di daerah Ulu Langat pada tahun 1912:-

(Hongkong Daily Press Office, 1912: "The Directory & Chronicle for China, Japan, Corea, Indo-China, Straits Settlements, Malay States, Siam, Netherlands India, Borneo, the Philippines, & c": “ESTATES IN SELANGOR”, m.s.1386-1387).

“Kajang resthouse, 1913. Photo by M S Nakajima.” (Facebook Sabri Zain's Malayan History Society, 4 April 2024: "Kajang resthouse, 1913").

“Dengan kesungguhan pihak bertanggungjawab serta berkat istiqamah Tuan Syeikh Muhammad Saleh, maka terdirilah sebuah Madrasah pada tahun 1913.” (Ashari bin Mohd Yakub, 10 Ogos 2024: |“PERKONGSIAN CERITA MADRASAH ATTAUFIQIAH”, hlm.6).

MAKLUMAT LANJUT: Madrasah Attaufiqiyah (1913).

Gambar 1985: “Masih wujud” - Hilmi Roslee (Facebook Bandar Kajang, 28 Oktober 2019: |"KAJANG": Pejabat Pos Kajang, 1985).

Kanan: “Paintings on urban or rural landscape may retain the original picture of buildings & structures. This watercolour picture of Kajang Post Office reveals its original facade which exhibits the blending beauty of local traditional architecture and a little from the West. Today, the ugly signboards, polycarbonate extentions…spoil the authenticity.” (Kajang Heritage Centre乌鲁冷岳社区文物馆, 3 Ogos 2015: "This watercolour picture of Kajang Post Office reveals its original facade").

Gambar kini (bahagian hadapan):-

Kiri: “Pejabat Pos lama bandar Kajang berusia 105 tahun (dibina pada 1914)” (Kurniawati Kamarudin @ Media Permata, 26 Disember 2019: |"Tarikan sejarah bandar Kajang").
Kanan: “Pejabat pos lama bandar Kajang yang masih digunakan hingga kini. - Foto Zulfadhli Zulkifli” (Rozdan Mazalan, September 29, 2019: |"Kajang kaya warisan sejarah").

Gambar kini (bahagian belakang):-

Kiri: “Located on Jalan Tengah, the building was built before WWII, and started operations in 1914. It was made with cengal and meranti wood, and has undergone renovation over the years. The design is a mix of traditional Malay classic and colonial European style. The building is a post office till today.” (Hanna Hussein @ New Straits Times, December 19, 2019: |"#JOM! GO: More than satay").
Kanan: “The rear of the post office in Kajang still keeps its old design.” (Yip Yoke Teng @ The Star, 28 Jan 2019: |"Modern look is a defaced facade").

“Kajang Post Office is the only building with adaptive Tudor domestic style in town. The upper floor is timber based Malay vernacular traditional design with wooden louvre & large windows. The two stairs at rear side add to its beauty. Lower floor has relatively large pillars and arched windows built with bricks. As told by the senior officer, it was built in c.1910s, the shaping years of Kajang township. This architectural jewel has now been included as one of the seven heritage sites in the Kajang Heritage Walk. An aerial photo of Kajang taken in 1968 shows the then District Office of the similar architectural style across the road.” (Kajang Heritage Centre乌鲁冷岳社区文物馆, 19 September 2019: "Kajang Post Office is the only building with adaptive Tudor domestic style in town").

“C.1956. The Kajang Government English School had the dubious distinction of being the first government English school in Selangor.(1) It became functional March 17 1919 and was officially opened on April 1 1919. A decade later it metamorphosed as the present-day Kajang High School (picture)another place.” (Hanafiah Lubis @ The Forgotten Past of KHS, 16 Januari 2010: |"CHAPTER 1: THE KAJANG GOVERNMENT ENGLISH SCHOOL (1919 – 1929)").

Maklumat lanjut: Kajang High School (KHS) (1919).

“Most of the buildings in “Kajang Old Town” were constructed around 1920s to 1930s. The architecture of these shop houses is a combination of traditional Chinese and European design. The ground floor was used for commercial activities and the upper floor as living space for the family. The older street of Jalan Tukang has more varied display of design as compared to others. Till today, the corner Lee Chang Long goldsmith shop stands as a Kajang landmark. Formerly named Hong Bee, i.e. Low Ti Kok’s shop had a panel of cast-iron floral motif (picture) which was torn down and replaced by flat wall some years ago.”

Kiri: Lee Chang Long @ Simpang Jalan Besar-Jalan Tukang
Tengah: Asalnya kedai Chop Hong Bee, milik Low Tik Kok.
Kanan: Rumah kedai Low Boon Liew: “Another big shop house at the end of the row along with Maybank has a third storey and a balcony overlooking Langat River. This building was owned by Towkay Low Boon Liew who was a rich man in Kajang and a philanthropist. He was a committee member of the then Kuomintang branch in Kajang. There is an emblem of the party engraved which is still noticeable even though part of it had broken off during a fire some years ago.”

(Sumber: Lee Kim Sin, melalui Kc and Yk @ Kajang Town, Selangor, Malaysia, 4 September 2007: |"Old Buildings, Architectures and Structures in and around Kajang Town").

“Located on the southern-most tip of Klang Valley, this Gurdwara turns 100 years old this year. Establish by two brothers settling over from India, Sardar Dhan Singh and Sardar Bhan Singh are noted to be the first Sikh settlers in the area. Sardar Bhan who was also the Justice of Peace of Selangor, along with his brother ran a bullock cart business, and soon established the Guru Nanak Rubber Estate. Built upon a swampy land, that was eventually filled up and at the end of 1922 stood a humble wooden structure. This building however was rebuilt in 1970 as it was in a state of disrepair. The current Darbar Sahib building was built at the cost of RM 45,000.00 in 1970. As recent as 2016, the Gurdwara had acquired an adjacent piece of land and built a 3 storey building that houses the PEC school, along with a library and the ground floor is used as the langgar hall. One of the Gurdwaras of stark contrasts, as it has been able to maintain the Darbar which is part of its history while still having modern amenities in the new building to serve the sanggat well.”

(Sumber: My Gurdwara @ Facebook, 6 September 2023: "Gurdwara Sahib Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia").

“Street Scene in Kajang.” (The Straits Budget, 24 April 1925, Page 16: |"Street Scene in kajang").

“The electrical sub-station at Kajang which supplies the town of Kajang and the rubber factories on the west country estates with power. (Photo: O.Y. Kok.)” (The Straits Times, 5 April 1932, Page 3: |"Sukkur Barrage Successfully Completed").

“This is a somewhat unsatisfactory picture of the largest rubber factory in Malaya, the Kajang Central Rubber Factory. The premises and plant have been enlarged since this photograph was taken, but it does give some indication of the extensive area covered by the factory. It produces only crepe, and the members of the group of estates which owns the factory have decided that it will pay them to produce sheet rubber on their own estates. Consequently the factory will stop making crepe next month and will close down altogether in June.” (The Straits Budget, 24 March 1932, Page 15: |"A JOURNAL IN THE FEDERAL CAPITAL").

Kiri: “These are some of the thirty-sevea[n] creping machines with which the factory is equipped. The output during the hectic years of 1926 and 1927 was enormous.”
Kanan: “The power plant of the factory is a 150 h.p. Diesel engine. If there were more central factories in the rubber areas of Malaya the cost of preparing Malayan rubber for the manufacturer might be reduced.”

(Sumber: The Straits Times, 19 March 1932, Page 16: |"A JOURNAL IN THE FEDERAL CAPITAL").

“The largest rubber factory in Malaya will close down in June. This unparalleled slump, which has made so many changes in the agricultural and economic aspects of the rubber-growing industry in the last two years, is about to overcome the most ambitious enterprise in factory practice which this country has yet seen. At the height of the boom some years ago the Central Rubber Factory at Kajang, Selangor, was producing nearly half a million pounds of crepe a month, contributed by twelve estates representing fifteen thousand acres of planted rubber. The factory is equipped with thirty-seven heavy machines arranged in three batteries and driven by a 150 h.p. Diesel engine. When the drying sheds are full there is enough crepe hanging in them to stretch from Kajang to Singapore. Those are a few vivid facts which show the size of the factory, and anyone who knows the mechanical equipment of an average Malayan estate, consisting mainly of a few small mangles driven by a five h.p. engine, will not need to be told how far apart from ordinary practice the Central Rubber Factory stands. There are, of course, a few other large factories in Malaya. The F.M.S. Rubber Company, also in the Kajang district, as a well-known one serving their own estates, and the Dunlop Company is adopting the group principle, but the Central Rubber Factory is by far the largest in the country.

Considering how recently it is that planters have taken any great interest in the radical reorganisation of factories, it is surprising to find that the Central Rubber Factory was opened as far back as 1911, thanks in the main to the Kindersley brothers, pioneer planters in the Kajang district. It was enlarged from time to time and when it was running on full production several years ago it was owned by a group of six estates and received the output of another six. Two of the partners in the enterprise have closed down as a result of the slump and the other four have decided to make sheet instead of crepe rubber, and to make it on their own estates. Consequently there will soon be no work for the central factory to do. One does not want to enter into technicalities of the various processes by which the latex of the rubber tree is turned into a substance convenient for shipping and suited to the requirements of the manufacturer. Suffice it to say that Mr. John Hands, manager of the Central Rubber Factory, believes that, allowing for the premium on crepe rubber, its manufacture is still worth while, and that those estates which continue to make crepe will reap their reward later on, when the supply of crepe will have diminished and the market will be even more glutted with sheet-rubber than it is already. Naturally the companies which have built smoke-houses rather than continue to make crepe in the Central Factory hold the contrary opinion. But it is a matter for experts, and may be left to them.”

(Sumber: The Straits Budget, 24 March 1932, Page 15: |"A JOURNAL IN THE FEDERAL CAPITAL").

MAKLUMAT LANJUT: Perladangan Kindersley

“Every town and village in Malaya was decorated for the Coronation. Picture shows a shop in Kajang, near Kuala Lumpur.” (Malaya Tribune, 21 May 1937, Page 24: |"RUBBER RESEARCH BUILDINGS").

• 1940-an: Penaklukan Jepun dan Selepasnya