Legendary Malaysian art house continues on

In 2012, Chong Keat Aun and "Yap Ah Loy" (Modern Kuala Lumpur's founding father, acted by a Malaysian artist) walked through Jalan Petaling and Jalan Sultan to raise people's awareness of preserving Kuala Lumpur's cultural heritage. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"Do you know that Malaysia's first hypnotherapy clinic was also in Petaling Street?" said Chong, pointing at a black and white photo featuring a group of people in their trance-like, hypnotic state. Dr. Too's father used to run that clinic.

To Chong, the spirit of the old neighborhood is embodied in the exhibits. Old photos, black vinyl records, wooden furniture, almanacs and even old items abandoned by local residents are all treasures that created an image of Jalan Petaling's rich history. "They deserve a permanent home," Chong said.

Chong Keat Aun, 36, is a DJ and producer at Ai FM, a Chinese-language radio station owned by Radio Television Malaysia. After seeing the destruction of Jalan Sultan and Jalan Petaling, Chong and other heritage preservers initiated a campaign called "Petaling Street Community Art Project" in 2011.

They organized guided tours, street performances and guerilla art activities in the old neighborhood to raise people's awareness of the significant historical and cultural value of Jalan Petaling and Jalan Sultan. The site of Chik Sin Tong was usually their gathering place, where thousands of local residents and artists uttered their voices and showed their full respect to the old neighborhood under an aged plaster wall on which it read, "Love Jalan Sultan." In July 2013, by chance Chong found out the front room on the first floor of an old house along Sultan Street was about to be turned into a dormitory for foreign workers while the back room would be used as a brothel.