This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on December 4, 2023 - December 10, 2023

WINNER | Kwai Chai Hong | Bai Chuan Management Sdn Bhd

For a period of time, Chinatown Kuala Lumpur was a vibrant, happening place, but over the years, its lustre faded. Now, its fortune has changed, thanks to a number of projects within and around the area.

One example is Kwai Chai Hong (or Little Demon Lane). Launched in April 2019, the quaint back alley is now popular among tourists and locals alike and is a must-visit KL destination. When City & Country visited the project, it was abuzz, with visitors frequenting the restaurants, admiring the murals and snapping photos for Instagram.

However, prior to the launch, the area was dark and uninviting, especially at night, with reports of vice-related activities. In October 2018, Bai Chuan Management Sdn Bhd acquired 10 pre-war shophouses — six fronting Jalan Petaling and four in Lorong Panggung — and the back alley tucked between them. Injecting RM1.59 million into the acquisition and the initial stage of the restoration project, the five-member founding team transformed the area in six months.

Today, Kwai Chai Hong is a brightly lit alley, decorated with elements such as lanterns, bamboo trees and murals depicting characters from old Chinatown KL.

The pre-war shophouses are fully occupied by eateries such as Dabao, Kapitan Haus, Wildflowers, Bunn Choon Restaurant, G-String, The Hungry Tapir, Gui Gui BBQ and Bubble Bee Café.

These eateries are mostly frequented by those visiting the lane, creating a symbiotic relationship that helps keep the entire project sustainable.

In recognition of their efforts, Bai Chuan Management received The Edge Malaysia Excellence in Place Regeneration Award, which recognises an outstanding catalytic development that has rejuvenated an area.

More than just a restoration project, Kwai Chai Hong is a reclamation of the Chinese culture and identity that had slowly diminished in Chinatown KL throughout the years.

“No one called this area Chinatown KL five years ago. It was better known as Petaling Street. The tourists and visitors who came to Petaling Street saw it as a place for foreign workers and counterfeit products. This was how Petaling Street was being recognised. There was hardly any Chinese culture. That’s a very bad representation of Chinatown KL,” says Bai Chuan Management co-founder and managing partner Zeen Chang.

She points out that Chinatown KL was dead at night time due to the nature of the businesses there. “The place was busy from 8am to 6pm. But after 6pm, the place became a dead town. That is why we wanted Kwai Chai Hong to [promote] KL Chinatown, to help boost the economy around here.”

She also notes that the area was not being utilised to its full potential and was a wasteland, a recurring issue in the area. “The alley was in a prime location, yet it was so dilapidated that nobody wanted to come here. It would be a waste if we didn’t find ways to uplift the image, security and ultimately, economy, of the space.”

Kwai Chai Hong is located in a primary heritage zone, which meant that restoration was not as straightforward as a regular building, with many rules in place. “When we started the project, [impact organisation] Think City approached us and told us that with Kwai Chai Hong being in a heritage location, there were rules that we needed to follow to do the renovation,” explains Chang.

The original elements had to be retained; there could be no alterations to the facades and there were certain requirements to follow for the materials used, she adds. “We are very grateful [to Think City] because we learnt what we could and could not do in a heritage space. They brought in experts to teach us the value of restoring heritage projects.”

“When we acquired the space, we knew from day one that we did not want to renovate it. We wanted to retain its oldness [charm], but it was later on that we learnt the techniques to do it right.”

Besides restoring the area to its original look, giving it life and character was also what Chang and her team wanted to do. “If I wanted to give the alley its identity back, I had to be faithful to its story as well. How we depict history should not be edited. It should be raw,” says Chang.

In fact, the name of the alley pays homage to its past. According to Chang, there are two theories. The first is from the mischievous children (named kwai chai or little devils by the elderly Chinese) who hung around the area. Another is that the area used to be a hangout for gangsters, which resulted in vice-related activities being conducted. It is said that the alley was a hideout for the Dragon Tiger Clan and its members were also called kwai chai.

Today, murals found in every corner of Kwai Chai Hong depict the everyday lives of residents of that bygone era.

Each mural has its own story. “The murals either depict residents who stayed in the area or those in occupations that you no longer see today.”

Chang cites the calligrapher’s mural. “Today, a calligrapher is called an artist. Back in the day, they were letter writers who helped Chinese migrants write letters to be sent to their families in China.”

Another popular mural is that of a landlady, which one can find at the top of a flight of stairs. While the landlady refers to the character from Hong Kong actor and director Stephen Chow’s movie Kung Fu Hustle, Chang says there was a prominent lady who used to go around the area collecting rent from her tenants.

Now that the main goal of bringing people back to Chinatown KL has been achieved, how will Chang and her team ensure that their legacy continues to be enjoyed by both locals and foreigners?

“When we took on this project, we wanted it to be sustainable. It definitely cannot be a charitable project because that is not sustainable. We cannot keep asking people to [donate] money all the time.” This is where the 10 shophouses come into play.  Chang says a portion of the rental from the shophouses is allocated to maintain the lane.

The tenants were carefully scrutinised based on the type of business, what they were selling and whether it complemented the theme of the place.

“Instead of renting the units at the highest rentals, we chose based on what the [prospective tenants] proposed to us. We wanted to make sure that there would be some Oriental elements.”

Art installations have been held in conjunction with the Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival. Chang says the company will set certain rules for brands that want to collaborate with them on installations. The brands will have to design their logos or brands according to the look and feel of Kwai Chai Hong, she says.

Kwai Chai Hong has played a big role in the development of Chinatown KL’s landscape by not only reclaiming its original identity but also bringing the locals into this old part of Kuala Lumpur, whether during the day or night.

“When we look at Chinatown KL, it does not only revolve around Lorong Panggung and Jalan Petaling. It also includes other lanes and alleys. When visitors say they have just come from Kwai Chai Hong, we have not just increased traffic to Kwai Chai Hong, we have helped to increase traffic to the surrounding areas of KL Chinatown as well.”

Chang adds that the murals and art installations at Kwai Chai Hong became an avenue for local artists to catapult their career. “I insisted on working with local artists because they are talented, but they [may not have] a proper way of marketing themselves.”

She shares that some of the artists have gone on to work with international projects. “Isn’t it wonderful? All we did was give them a chance. At the end of the day, this is [always] about giving back to the community.”

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