Understand
The name Taiping is made up of two Chinese characters 太 tai - 'great' and å¹³ ping - 'peace'. The discovery of tin deposits in the area in the 19th century attracted settlers from China, who were organised into two feuding groups around the Cantonese Ghee Hin義è society and the Hakka Hai San æµ·å±± society. British intervention in the early 1870's put an end to the feuding and the town, which used to be known as Klian Pauh, acquired its present name. The British made Taiping the administrative centre for the state of Perak in 1875. The town served this function until 1937 when the state capital was moved to Ipoh.
The town sits on a coastal plain at the foothills of the Bintang Range. This topography is responsible for the copious rainfall for which the town is known. An umbrella is not needed though as most of the time; it is just a drizzle. Locals do not wonder whether it will rain on a particular day; they wonder what time it will rain.
