Yong Peng, Johor

Yong Peng (GPS: 2.01094, 103.06443) is a town in Johor. It is located within the Batu Pahat District. The name Yong Peng means Everlasting Peace in the Teochew dialect. It was founded by Boo Koh Lak Loo, a Chinese Teochew settler from Chaozhou in present-day Guangdong Province, China.

Present-day Yong Peng is located by the banks of Sungai Bedok, near its confluence with Sungai Sedi. The North-South Expressway is located to the south of town.

Places of Interest in Yong Peng

1. Tian Pao Kong Temple Temple with the second tallest Che Kung statue in the world, at a height of 20.72m, second only to the tallest, in Taiwan, at 23.16m. Che Kung was the legendary military commander during the Southern Song Dynasty.

Yong Peng is on the Map of Johor

Getting there

Exit the North-South Expressway at Exit 241, Yong Peng Interchange to reach the town.

History of Yong Peng

Yong Peng was established following the decision of the Sultan of Johor to modernise the state. This took place in the 1870's when neighbouring states were prospering from tin mining. Lacking in rich tin deposits, Johor turned to agriculture, focusing on the planting of pepper and gambier. As mentioned, the township was established by Boo Koh Lak Loo, who arrived there with a small group of Teochew settlers and proceeded to clear the forest for plantation crops. After that, Chinese labourers were brought in from Southern China. Many were indenture labourers who paid for their passage by offering labour services in return. For the majority, this form of contract bounded the labourers in perpectual poverty.

A system of administration called Kangchu, which means "river master", was employed to manage Yong Peng. The headman is the "lord of the river", as he is in charged of the traffic passing through the river around which the settlement developed. The headman holds the permit, called Surat Sungai, issued by the Malay official of Temenggong Abu Bakar, allowing him to develop the riverside settlement. This form of administration, most prevalent among the Teochew community, was first introduced to the peninsula in mainland Penang, and was later introduced to Johor as Teochew labourers settled there.

Yong Peng Cuisine

Yong Peng is renowned for its Hock Chew (or Fuzhou) cuisine. Among the dishes popular in Yong Peng are listed below:

Back to Johor mainpage; List of Towns in Johor and Towns in Malaysia

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

 Discover with Timothy YouTube Channel

 PG Food Channel

 Learn Penang Hokkien YouTube Channel

SojiMart Videos

Latest from Discover with Timothy: Gurney Bay - what to see and do there

About this website

Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

Robbie's Roadmap