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Tin mining was a vibrant industry back in the old days and many towns were born and flourished out of it. However, the collapse of the sector in the 1980s caused many of these towns to remain stagnant and many of the locals were migrating to other places to find a better future. Gopeng is one such town.
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| Gopeng town |
During those times, Gopeng was a lively town, bustling with both locals and foreigners, all eager to get a piece of wealth from the mining business. Now, it is just another sleepy town, full of older generations, lacking in youngsters who seek exciting city lifestyles.
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| The most interesting piece of them all, in my opinion |
Walking along these heritage shophouses definitely brings up the feeling like you are in the UNESCO Heritage Site of Georgetown, Penang. However, instead of refined and restored buildings, these Chinese-influenced architecture houses are more rugged and less pristine. Some even in a dilapidated state. All these somehow make it more authentic.
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| Children in a kampung house |
Another similarity between these two places are the street arts. Gopeng has the local artists paint the town with images related to local lifestyles. While it has yet to receive the level of coverage as in Penang, these street arts deserve a mention or two for we need to support and encourage local artists.
An auntie who works in a makeshift stall selling noodles. A mak cik selling petai and durians in a wooden hut. Children shooting bottle caps on the floor. The art pieces in Gopeng are familiar to us all Malaysians and they often brought back memories of the old days.
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| Children shooting bottle caps |
Most of these paintings are located close to one another and they can all be found within 10 minutes.
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| Perfect for the Chinese New Year spirit |
Info Box
Street Arts in Gopeng,
Jalan Pasar, 31600 Gopeng, Perak.
lawa tempat ni.. must visit place.. street art!
ReplyDeletejemput singgah http://iluvtour.com
so many oledy? i went mid last year, ada 5 saja. pic 4-7 belum painted. ehhehhehe... there's a few more you've missed out :)
ReplyDeleteSharifah: Sememangnya lawa..these arts are painted by local artist, making them somehow more original and authentic..
ReplyDeleteLily: I didn't upload some of it like the tin mining women. Found the photos taken not so nice.
Wow bagusnya :D
ReplyDelete