New Tourist Attraction in Kuala Lumpur – Kwai Chai Hong

New Tourist Attraction in Kuala Lumpur

Kwai Chai Hong is also known as Prankster Lane, which is at Petaling Street in KL

The history of this lane dates back over 50 years, but some claim it stretches even further back. Anyway, Prankster Lane in Kuala Lumpur got its nickname from the locals who lived there back in the day.

The entire project is called Kwai Chai Hong, which comprises 10 units of Category 3 heritage buildings parallel to Jalan Petaling, also known as Petaling Street. The heritage units are located facing Jalan Petaling, and some of them overlook the inner road called Lorong Panggung, which serves as the main entrance to this heritage lane in Kuala Lumpur.

The main attraction here is the actual Kwai Chai Hong, where a traditional Chinese arch welcomes visitors through a wooden Chinese bridge and into a back alley.

Once you enter the main archway into the lane, you will come to a junction that splits left and right, and both branches are dead ends. On the longer stretch where the murals are located, you can exit through Bubble Bee Cafe, which has a special back entrance to Kwai Chai Hong.

Zeen Chang, in white and grey, gives a detailed tour of the arch entrance of Kwai Chai Hong.

What Is Kwai Chai Hong? 

In the Cantonese dialect, Kwai Chai means Little Ghost, and Hong means Lane. However, using that as the main name in English wouldn’t work too well. Hence, they gave it a more suitable name of Prankster Lane.

So what is Kwai Chai? A direct meaning would be a little demon, or as the Malays call them, ‘Toyol‘. These are the mischievous little ghosts, which are similar to the famous cartoon ghost named Casper. There are two theories on how this place was called, but again, there is no written proof to support either; hence, both are valid speculations from the past.

First Theory – Back in the day, Theatre Lane was notorious for being a place where all sorts of vices took place. We are talking about drinking, gambling, prostitution, opium dens and gang-related activities that took place here.

Due to the vice that took place here, a local gang called the Dragon Tiger Gang used Theatre Lane as their hideout. The gang leader was said to call his members ‘Little Ghost’ or Kwai Chai.

Second Theory – After the gang scene, the place was cleaned up a little, and local kids who lived there would run around in mischief, playing games and often pulling pranks on the people there.

Because of these mischievous kids, many locals who lived there called them ‘Kwai Chai’, due to their naughty and erratic behaviour. This is how the interesting place got its name, Kwai Chai Hong, in Cantonese, and it has been a very niche historical aspect of Kuala Lumpur that not many people know about.

There are beautiful street art murals.

Street Art at Petaling Street – Kwai Chai Hong

They are spaced apart, and each one has an interactive QR code that, when scanned, tells you a story about the mural. However, it is written in Chinese, so you may want to have it translated for you.During my visit on 13th April 2019, I attended a media preview where the owners explained the entire restoration and refurbishment project. They also invited a few of the artists who contributed to the street art murals located there. I must say that the finished art pieces were truly impressive.

If you are lucky, one of the staff members may offer a free guided tour, but this is only available on weekends. Best to check with the cafe first about the free guided tours.

Kwai Chai Hong Murals

Below are photos of the various murals found at the location. Again, they are free to visit, so if you are in Kuala Lumpur, head here to see some of KL’s nostalgic Chinese heritage showcased through this project.

Couple on Bridge – One of the first murals you will see when walking in through the arch.

The artist who drew Er Hu Uncle

Artist who drew ‘Kids Playing Marbles’

A controversial mural called ‘The Prostitute’. However, I can easily call this a Cabaret Dancer or Singer.

Zeen Chang, one of the project’s owners, explains the multiple murals on the upper level.

Who Owns and Manages Kwai Chai Hong? 

Bai Chuan Management Sdn manages this passion project. Bhd., a local Malaysian company with five partners, and was officially launched on the 11th of April 2019.

The main objective of this project is to evoke memories of the good old days and, hopefully, attract the younger generation, or in other words, the millennials, by introducing arts, culture, and heritage in one place.

Another wish is that Kwai Chai Hong will hopefully be the next best Instagram place in Kuala Lumpur. The entire project took around eight months to complete and cost around RM1.5 million. The beautiful murals you see there also cost around RM120,000.

Inside the Bubble Bee Cafe, with the back entrance to Prankster Lane

Bubble Bee Cafe at Petaling Street

Bubble Bee Cafe is also a new concept in local fusion and lifestyle cafes, serving coffee, snacks, and food. They offer both light and heavy meals, and personally, I tried their signature grilled chicken panini sandwich, which was quite impressive.

This cafe is located towards the south end of the main Petaling Street market, where you walk down the road, and you can spot Bubble Bee Cafe. It is an intermediate unit, with a huge mural of a little girl peeking from the top floor of the building. If you look up at the roof while walking, you will easily spot this.

Location of Kwai Chai Hong

How to go to Kwai Chai Hong?

Essentially, the Kwai Chai Hong Project is situated at the southern end of Jalan Petaling, also known as Petaling Street. There are two ends of the walking market, and from the south end, you continue to walk another 100 meters.

Once you see Bubble Bee Cafe, you can enter through there, or walk to the end of the row and make two right turns into the back lane. This back lane is known as Lorong Panggung.

Anyone who is visiting KL Chinatown can easily walk here, as it takes two to three minutes to walk from the south entrance of Petaling Street. If you are driving or taking a ride-hailing service, use Bubble Bee Cafe as your final destination. From there, walk through or around the row of shops.

The area where Kwai Chai Hong is located, according to Google Maps.

Kwai Chai Hong Petaling Street
Lorong Panggung,
Off Jalan Petaling, Kuala Lumpur
Hours: 9.00 AM till 6.00 PM daily

You can also access Kwai Chai Hong through Bubble Bee Cafe, which has a back exit to the lane. Just pop in, have some coffee or snacks, then head out the back entrance into the lane.

Artists were seen doing sketches of the lane

Photography at Kwai Chai Hong

For this review and article, I used a Samsung Galaxy S10+ smartphone for all my photos here, and with very few edits. Overall, I must say that smartphone camera technology has improved so rapidly that I challenged myself to use a smartphone instead of a DSLR camera.

While the photos here are resized for web use, I must conclude that the actual high-resolution images are very real and natural. One of the great features of the Samsung Galaxy S10+ is its multi-zoom function, which makes taking photos incredibly easy. My favourite is still the wide-angle zoom, which offers a 123-degree view, capturing a super-wide angle.

View of Kwai Chai Hong from the upper level of the street

Conclusion

If you are visiting Kuala Lumpur and want to explore something new, I highly recommend taking a walk to this new tourist attraction in Kuala Lumpur called Kway Chai Hong to see the beautiful restoration and street art. Check out some of the other new tourism attractions in Kuala Lumpur, an article which I wrote.

Please do go in the morning or afternoon, as they close this lane after 6.00 PM. This is the current timing set by the owners, but it may change in the future. Overall, this is one of the latest tourist attractions in Kuala Lumpur, offering a free experience suitable for anyone who loves to see something different.