Kwai Chai Hong (鬼仔巷) @ Chinatown (Kuala Lumpur) in Malaysia

I didn't do much sightseeing in Kuala Lumpur last month but a Malaysian friend suggested checking out a very unique place before dinner, and brought us to a lane in Chinatown that had red lanterns hanging across it!

Known as Kwai Chai Hong (鬼仔巷), it's actually an old, dilapidated alley that was refurbished. p.s. the first Chinese character stands for ghost although its reference in Cantonese could also mean for naughty kids, gang members etc.

Given its location within Chinatown, the objective was to give you some tastes of the Chinese enclave in the 1960s of KL. For example, a statue of a Chinese lady dressed in samfoo, which was the de facto attire then. 

Cross the red bridge and be brought back to the good, old days of my parents' youth! While Singapore is not Malaysia, I presume the scenarios would be quite similar.

The alley was compact and only about 30-40 meters long. Providing shade with a natural canopy, I was glad to visit in the early evening when it wasn't as freakish hot. 

Beautiful murals on the raw, dated walls. with props that made this place an instagrammable hotspot! Pity, Alex wasn't in the mood to be the model. Oh well, there were strangers who helped! 

There were some doors which are not props! The back alley actually connects to the shop of the shophouses and as you can see from the above photograph, lucky customers of those shops could sit there and enjoy the atmosphere, which was even better at night.

Staircase up to an upper level, where there was a huge mural! 

Loving inclusion of an image for the imposing landlady of the popular Hong Kong movie, Kung Fu Hustle; known for being a nasty bitch with a soft heart, she was eventually revealed to be a skilled fighter that had an iconic sonic scream! 

View of the ground floor from the upper floor.

This ancient looking lamp post was said to be one of the oldest in Kuala Lumpur! How old? More than a hundred years old since it was suspected to be installed in 1903. 

We returned after dinner to Kwai Chai Hong (鬼仔巷) and there was a different vibe that totally exemplified its retro beauty, especially with the help of the lighted lanterns! 

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Address

Lorong Panggung, City Centre, 50000 Kuala Lumpur, 

Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Map

As above. 

Operating Hours

9.00 am to 12.00 am

Website

https://www.kwaichaihong.com/