Kangsar, Taiping Perak, Malaysia 马来西亚江沙，太平 9/2020 (2)

12-13/9/2020. After two days in Ipoh, I drove on to Kuala Kangsar.

Kangsar is the royal town of Perak. The Sultan of Perak state lives here. There is, of course, a thick royal air in the town. The golden dome mosque, the majestic colonial-style buildings, the historical Malay architecture on display: The Malay rulership and influence are palpable.

The ubiquitous Chinese continue to ring the tills, minding their own business. The Kangsar River flows through the town, a river that runs with gusto, in great volume, but a whole body of muddy yellow water, as murky as the country’s current political situation.

12-13/9/2020 离开怡保继续北上，下一站到江沙。

这是个皇家城，霹雳州苏丹就这里住。的确有皇家气派，不缺皇家气势。金光闪闪的圆顶清真寺，全白雄伟的殖民建筑，马来独特风格的高脚楼房，凸显马来影响和统治地位。

繁忙街道免不了华人商铺，他们都安分守己埋头混饭吃。江沙河这里流过，这江水不像冰川懒洋洋流动，而是带着浑浊的黄河水前涌，体量大，劲十足。华人怎把这地名翻成江沙！翻成金沙多好，跟广东音也称，把黄变成金也是好兆头。

13/9/2020. Taiping is a Malaysian city with a long Chinese history. Many came from China and made their fortune from tin mining. When tin ran out, they did not run away. Taiping is best known for its lake, Lake Taiping. I drove around three times looking for it. How could I miss a lake, a landmark, right? In the end, I was told to walk through the grass to see it on foot. I eventually found it – a few man-made ponds dug out of former mining ground. These could have been left as enormous potholes we can not refill, and eyesores that we can not overlook. But they are so well curated into a lake garden, I wished they had dug a few more.

Migrant Chinese came in droves from different parts of China to seek fortune. They soon formed clan associations, social organizations and cultural centers, to foster kinship, based on where they came from, the dialects they speak, the sir names, or other common grounds. They are not clans up to no good, to promote supremacy or gangsterism. For example, the Hokkien Association will be for those speaking the Hokkien dialect, the Chen’s Association will be for those with Chen as their surname. Many of these clans were represented here during those good times, and are still standing prominently in those original humble shophouses on the busy streets. Chinese coffee shops and food stalls were common, and where you still see the Chinese at their liveliest. The English were here as masters as well, as seen in the few colonial-styled buildings left in town.

Taiping is not a large city like Kuala Lumpur. But history runs deep here. It tells the stories of the people who left home to a foreign land, carrying the hope of so many back home. Some made it, many did not. Some made it and quickly saw their dreams shattered when the tin price plummeted and bumper crops of rubber were replaced by other crops. The Chinese people in Taiping were particularly warm and friendly, very at peace with themselves. Taiping, in Chinese, means “peace.” I think they found it.

13/9/2020 江沙后我继续前进，四十公里到太平。听着名字就领会这地方跟华人有不少渊源。这里本来有锡，一传十十传百，张家李家和陈家，都到这里拼命的挖，这下好了，城市很快有锡变无锡。

太平主要景点是太平湖。我驾车转了三次怎么没找着。后来当地华人叫我停车后走过草地去看。原来这不是无边无际的天然湖，是采锡留下的几个大坑。其实还不错，早知可以这样打造，多挖几个也无所谓。

市内可见一些殖民时期建筑，英国人曾经是这里的老大。在这里街道上保留着许许多多华人会馆 – 广东会馆，福州会馆，茶阳会馆，岗州会馆，广西会馆, 可想当时背井离乡是多么无奈，在此聚集一堂又是什么气氛，不禁使人神伤。华人咖啡店，食摊，大排档比比皆是，周末早上更是门庭若市。本来家里有矿，现在没了，但大家还是安居乐业。

太平没吉隆玻的繁华，可是传述了华人背井离乡开始这里打拼，有些事有所成，大多一事无成，但都在这里扎根，安居乐业，享受太平。在这里我更能感受到他们的奋斗和心酸。