Kwai Chai Hong 鬼仔巷 in Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur
Since its launch in April 2019, Kwai Chai Hong 鬼仔巷 has been on my list of destinations to visit in Kuala Lumpur. I finally managed to check it out recently and posed for some photos when I stayed two nights at citizenM Kuala Lumpur Bukit Bintang. I walked over from the hotel to Pudu (Chinatown) because it’s just 20 minutes away on foot.
If you are visiting from other parts of Kuala Lumpur, you’d be delighted to know that Chinatown is easily accessible via public transport as the Pasar Seni MRT and LRT stations as well as the Maharajalela monorail station are just a stone’s throw away.
“Kwai Chai Hong” in Cantonese means “Ghost Lane” or “Little Demon Alley”, with the ghost/demon referring to the naughty children who used to live there. However, from my own understanding, “Kwai Chai” more likely meant the informants who used to meet with the policemen at this location to pass sensitive information.
With such a catchy name, it certainly tempts people to find out what this attraction is all about. This isn’t merely an old alley with wall murals. Instead, the RM1.5 million Project Kwai Chai Hong 鬼仔巷 has a theme. It takes visitors back to the 1960s, and the six murals depicted the daily scenes of Chinese settlers during that era. The artists were Khek Shin Nam, Chan Kok Sing, Chok Fook Yong, Chew Weng Yeow and Wong Leck Min.
Kwai Chai Hong 鬼仔巷 encompasses ten restored shophouses, six of them fronting Jalan Petaling (Petaling Street), while the other four units are located along Lorong Panggung. The Instagram-worthy alley can be super crowded during the weekends, so to avoid your photos being bombed by strangers, it is best to visit during non-peak days.
Nonetheless, whenever you drop by, you will surely have a positive experience at Kwai Chai Hong 鬼仔巷 as it is a suitable tourist destination for all ages. Kwai Chai Hong 鬼仔巷 is open to visitors daily from 9am to 6pm. Entrance is free-of-charge.
