Yap Ah Loy, 1837-1885

(This is a Chinese name; the family name is YAP)
Yap Ah Loy (Chinese: 葉亞來, Hakka: Ya̍p Â-Lòi, Pinyin: Yè Yălái), also known as Yap Tet Loy and Yap Mao Lan, started the development of Kuala Lumpur as a commercial and mining centre during the mid 1800s. Yap Ah Loy became a Kapitan Cina (Chinese Kapitan) and the headman of a settlement of Chinese inhabitants. After the independence of Federation of Malaya (Persekutuan Tanah Melayu) from the British Empire in August 31, 1957 (Malay Peninsula only) and later the Formation of Malaysia (that includes Sabah and Sarawak) in 1963, Kuala Lumpur became the capital of Malaysia. Today, there is a street named after him in the heart of Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur, known as 'Jalan Yap Ah Loy' (Yap Ah Loy Road).
Burial: Kuala Lumpur Chinese Cemetery
(Previously published as MBRAS Reprint No. 9 in 1983)