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Yap Kwan Seng (1846–1902) was the last Chinese kapitan of Kuala Lumpur from 1889 to 1902. Kapitans were appointed chiefs or headmen of the various ethnic communities during the British colonial rule in what is present-day Malaysia. Kapitans played an important role in the history of the Chinese in Malaysia. They wielded considerable influence, contributing to social, economic and political development in areas under their jurisdiction. Yap Kwan Seng, of Hakka descent, was born in 1846 in the Chak Kai district of China. He moved to Malaya at the age of 18 and worked as a tin miner in Seremban. At the time of his demise, The Straits Times 〔The Straits Times, 21 January 1902, Page 4〕 carried the following: '' TOWKAY Yap Kwan Seng, the Captain China of Selangor, died at Kuala Lumpur on Friday, of consumption, at the age of fifty-five years, of which he had spent forty in the Straits. He came from the Canton province and had resided thirty-two years in Selangor. He had held the post of Captain China there since 1889. The deceased was popular among all classes and was a liberal giver to charities. He was a Trustee of the Victoria Institution to whose funds he liberally subscribed. He gave $10,000 to the Transvaal War Fund and also a handsome donation to St. Mary's Church building fund. He was always a good friend to his poorer countrymen, for whom he established a practically free dispensary. During the Pahang rebellion he rendered much assistance to the Government and was thanked for his services. He leaves behind him five wives here and three in China, also a large family consisting of fifteen sons and ten daughters. '' ==Entrepreneurship== In 1870, Yap packed his bags for Selangor where he began his hard work to help pioneer the tin mining industry. He made his fortune in tin-mining. It is said he had a workforce of 7,000 and soon owned more tin mines than any of his contemporaries. As a businessman, he foresaw an increased demand for bricks in fast-growing Kuala Lumpur and established a kiln in a district which came to be called Brickfields, a name by which it is still known today. Yap was elected the fifth Kapitan in 1890 and was also appointed a member of the State Legislative Assembly of Selangor. He ran his own small police force that helped him manage his many business interests. Yap was also the first Chinese to serve on the Kuala Lumpur Sanitary Board. During the Pahang War in 1892 and the Boer War, Yap assisted the British by providing transportation, supplies and funds. Yap also helped introduced the Chinese system of mining in West Africa when he sent thirty of his miners to assist the governor Sir William Maxwell in establishing the mining industry. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Yap Kwan Seng」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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