Jinjang (Chinese: 增江), also known as J-Town, is a township and Chinese new village in the Kepong constituency in north-western Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Jinjang
Suburb
Taman Jinjang Baru in Jinjang, Kuala Lumpur
Taman Jinjang Baru in Jinjang, Kuala Lumpur
CountryMalaysia
StateFederal Territory of Kuala Lumpur
ConstituencyKepong
Government
 • Local AuthorityDewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur
 • MayorKamarulzaman Mat Salleh
Time zoneUTC+8 (MST)
Jinjang
Traditional Chinese增江
Simplified Chinese增江
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZēng Jiāng
Hakka
Pha̍k-fa-sṳTsen-kông
Yue: Cantonese
JyutpingZang1 Gong1
Southern Min
Hokkien POJCheng-kang
Tâi-lôTsing-kang

Jinjang comprises Jinjang Utara (North) and Jinjang Selatan (South). It was previously known for the prevalence of 'gangsterism' from the 1960s.

Etymology of the name

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It has been believed that the name Jinjang was derived from the name of a pig brought to Malaya by a Chinese merchant in the 19th century. The pig was believed to be auspicious.[1][2]

The name Jinjang might also be derived from the mispronunciation of the Chinese word “Zeng Guang”.[3]

History

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The town in its modern form was established as part of the British strategy called the Briggs Plan during the Malayan Emergency. The strategy aimed to relocate the colony’s large rural ethnic Chinese population of Malaya into more concentrated and governable spaces; in an effort to cut off supplies – mainly food, money and military provisions – to the MCP and MNLA. Jinjang was by far the largest of the resettlement areas (called "New Villages") on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, with an approximate population of 13,000, and at 445 hectares (4.45 km2), nearly twice the size of the other New Villages combined.[4][5]

During early post-independence years until the 1960s, the town gained a "fearsome" reputation due to the presence of bandit members; the notorious "Robin Hood" criminal Botak Chin was said to have been active in the area. Older residents surmised that the area's alleged seedy reputation likely stemmed from the fact that most early inhabitants were working-class and thus viewed with prejudice.[6]

Along with the township of Kepong, Jinjang has been particularly prone to outbreaks of dengue fever,[7] and the outbreak of the 1973 dengue epidemic which resulted in 969 reported cases and killed 54 people was traced to Jinjang.[8]

Transportation

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It is served by Jinjang MRT station and Sri Delima MRT station - on the MRT Putrajaya Line, with operations began on 16 June 2022.

Education

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There are at least four Chinese national-type primary schools (SJK(C)) in the township:

  • SJKC Jinjang Selatan[9]
  • SJKC Jinjang Tengah 1[10]
  • SKJC Jinjang Tengah 2[11]
  • SJKC Jinjang Utara[12]
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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "An Introduction to Jinjang". iProperty. Retrieved 2014-08-21.
  2. ^ "Jinjang, Kuala Lumpur". Toponymy Heritage Places of Malaysia. Retrieved 2017-05-18.
  3. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-04-24. Retrieved 2017-04-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ King, Ross (2008). Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya: negotiating urban space in Malaysia. NUS Press. ISBN 978-9971-69-415-9.
  5. ^ Corry, W. C. S. (1954). A General Survey of New Villages: Report to His Excellency Sir Donald MacGillivray, High Commissioner of the Federation of Malaya. Kuala Lumpur: Government Printing Press.
  6. ^ "Jinjang grows out of bad reputation". The Star (Malaysia). 12 May 2015.
  7. ^ Asiaweek, Volume 15, Issues 1-26 (1989).
  8. ^ BioSciences Information Service of Biological Abstracts (1980): Abstracts of entomology, Volume 11.
  9. ^ "增江南区华小". Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  10. ^ "SEKOLAH JENIS KEBANGSAAN (CINA) JINJANG TENGAH 1 - Sekolah2u". sekolah2u.com. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  11. ^ "SEKOLAH JENIS KEBANGSAAN (CINA) JINJANG TENGAH 2 - Sekolah2u". sekolah2u.com. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
  12. ^ "SEKOLAH JENIS KEBANGSAAN (CINA) JINJANG UTARA - Sekolah2u". sekolah2u.com. Retrieved 2024-11-12.

3°07′N 101°41′E / 3.117°N 101.683°E / 3.117; 101.683