Yap Ah Loy's curriculum vitae in his petition to Weld (1882)
To His Excellency
Sir Frederick Aloysius Weld, K. C. M. G., Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Straits Settlements, etc, etc.
The Humble Petition of
Yap Teck Loy of Kuala Lumpur
Sheweth:
1. That your petitioner is now of the age of forty-six years and was born at Canton in the Empire of China.
2. That your petitioner is the Captain of the Chinese at Kuala Lumpur, and has resided in Malacca about 7 years and afterwards in Kuala Lumpur aforesaid where he now resides for 18 years, 4 years of which time as a merchant and 14 years as the Captain of the Chinese.
3. That your petitioner was married at Malacca aforesaid and has had issue, to wit four children.
4. That your petitioner has permanently settled in Kuala Lumpur and is the largest landed proprietor here and is under British protection.
Your petitioner therefore humbly pray that your Excellency may be pleased to grant him the privileges of naturalization under the provisions of the Naturalization Act No. VIII of 1867 and your petitioner will � pray etc.
I the within named Yap Teck Loy make oath and say that the statements contained in the within Petition are true to the best of any knowledge, information, and belief.
Sworn at Kuala Lumpur
aforesaid this � day
of � 1882
Before me
- This request was discussed by Yon Weng Woe 阮湧俰 (2023) 雪蘭莪政府秘書署檔案之研究：有關雪蘭莪華人甲必丹葉亞來申請歸化英國籍之檔案介紹 Introductory remarks on Yap Ah Loy's request for British naturalization, Xuewen 學文 23(2), pp. 98 - 102. Yon's reproduction of the letter in p. 100 contains a few typos: (a) ‘four years of which service as a merchant' should be rendered as four years of which time as a merchant (b) ‘and has had wife to wit four children' should read: and has had issue, to wit four children (c) ‘may he pleased to front him the privileges' should read: may be pleased to grant him the privileges.
The letter was also briefly discussed by Yon in a forum organized by the Fuichew Association (25 May 2024). See also 1957/0001997W and 1957/0002000W.
. . .It is somewhat strange that the subject of an independent sovereign state should apply to become the naturalized subject of another independent sovereign state (with certain limits), by force of an acquired domicile in a � a dependant state. It would seem that it is only an independent sovereign state who has the right to naturalize foreigners, and this is done by conforming upon the . . .
- The oath read by the Captain China follows the formula stipulated in the Naturalization Act No. VIII (1867): I, Yap Teck Loy, of Kuala Lumpur, do swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Victoria.
The timeline given by S. M. Middlebrook (b. 1898, d. 1944) was built with materials gathered between 1936 and 1942, but it was only published posthumously by J. M. Gullick after the war, in 1951. It has since become the gold standard in the study of the life of the Captain China of Kuala Lumpur, widely accepted and repeated by subsequent writers such as Wang (1958), Carsten (1988), Cheng (1997), Tang (2016), and even Yon (2023). However, the timeline presented by Yap Ah Loy in the 1882 petition does not fully align with the Middlebrook timeline.
This discrepancy becomes even more pronounced when Middlebrook’s narrative is compared with another résumé written a day after the Captain China’s death (16 April 1885). A closer examination reveals that the account of his early years in Melaka and other native states includes interpolations of apocryphal stories that are likely fictional. For instance, the adventures in Sungei Ujong, as narrated in the works referenced by Middlebrook, clashed oddly with the Captain China's own statement that his spent the first four years in Kuala Lumpur as a merchant before he was recruited by Liu Ngim Kong to fight the Klang war.
| Year | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1885 | Year 21 in Kuala Lumpur | The Captain China died on 15 April 1885, at the age of 48.088. He was buried not far away from Number 1 Market Street, in a 19-acre plot along the first mile of Ampang Road, at the foot of present-day Bukit Nanas 暗邦・一條石・古壠窩橋, directly opposite another 19-acre plot which held the remains of his father. On June 1 (1957/0004240W), Kok Kang Keow wrote, in her petition to Cecil C. Smith: The widow was not exaggerating, her children were indeed all very young: Hon Chin 韓進 (15.29), Loong Shin 隆盛 (10.03), Leong Soon 隆顺 (5.11), Lóngfā 隆發 (2.68). After the death of Yap Ah Loy, Kok was paid 200 dollars until she passed away on 12 July 1924 (1957/0231678W) |
| 1884 | Year 20 in Kuala Lumpur | In March, Frank A. Swettenham was transferred to Perak as acting Resident when Hugh Low's one-year leave was approved by Frederick A. Weld. To fill the vacancy in Selangor, John P. Rodger was made the Acting Resident in March. Many years later, after the death of Yap Ah Shak, Rodger was replaced by William G. Maxwell and transferred to Pahang in 1889, where he eventually encountered the resistance put up by Mat Kilau and his father Imam Perang Rasu Abd al-Salām (Tok Gajah). Tok Gajah played an important role in the Klang war as he and the Pahang army helped Yap Ah Loy to recover Kuala Lumpur in March 1873. |
| 1883 | Year 19 in Kuala Lumpur | Swettenham was physically in Selangor by April. On May 11, Yap Ah Loy memoralized to the Governor of the Straits Settlements, begging him to retract his decision on Old Market. |
| 1882 | Year 18 in Kuala Lumpur | On January 10, Raja Mahadi passed away. On August 10, his fourth son 隆發 was born. Also, in August, Douglas was forced to resign and Swettenham was asked to take over his position, but Swettenham's appointment was confirmed in a Gazette dated 19 January 1883. About two months later after the birth of his son by his concubine Madam Ho 何氏, a 45.6-year-old Yap Ah Loy filed his request to obtain a British naturalization. It is likely that Yap Ah Loy rounded up his age in the petition when he said he was 46 in the letter. On 29 December, the Captain China received a letter from Swettenham, informing him that the government will take back the Old Market and its land after his death. |
| 1881 | Year 17 in Kuala Lumpur | Two acts of God in one year. The Great Fire on January 14 and the Great Flood on December 21. |
| 1880 | Year 16 in Kuala Lumpur | His third son, Leong Soon 隆顺, was born on 6 March 1880. Douglas moved the British Residency to Kuala Lumpur. In July, Lukut was ceded to Sungei Ujong, Raja Bot, the son of Raja Jumaat, refused to swear his allegience to Dato' Klana. |
| 1879 | Year 15 in Kuala Lumpur | Yap Ah Loy's salary as Captain China was increased from 200 to 400 dollars in January, with the revision applied retroactively from January 1878 (see 1957/0000861W).
Robinson was replaced by Anson in February. In May, Anson tried to revise the land tax scheme in Kuala Lumpur. In July, Yap Ah Loy and other mining towkays filed a petition to ask Anson to delay his plan. In August, Princess Nuṭfah, the wife of Tunku Kudin, was sent back to Langat from Klang |
| 1878 | Year 14 in Kuala Lumpur | On April 18, Yap Ah Loy's father was buried in a 19-acre plot on the left side of the first mile of Ampang Road. |
| 1877 | Year 13 in Kuala Lumpur | |
| 1876 | Year 12 in Kuala Lumpur | Swettenham was appointed a magistrate in Singapore. In December, Dato Maharaja Lela and others were tried by Raja Yusuf and Raja Alang Hussain, the two Malay judges were assisted by Davidson and W. Maxwell (Maxwell was to be later appointed the Resident of Selangor in 1889). |
| 1875 | Year 11 in Kuala Lumpur | His second son, 隆盛 Loong Shin, was born on 4 April 1875. This was the first son born after the Klang war. To fund the construction of the Damansara-Kuala Lumpur road, he revised the tin tax rate from one dollar per bahara to two dollars per bahara. Apparently, this was unpopular among tin miners and led to a labor drain from the town. In August, Douglas wrote to Yap, asking him to drop the implementation (1957/0000061W). Interestingly, Kok Kang Keow revealed, in a letter (1889) to Cecil, that the rate was once one dollar per bahara. J. G. Davidson received his appointment letter in January and moved to Klang in February. J. W. W. Birch was assasinated in November, and this has prompted Davidson's reassignment to Perak in 1876. Also, Douglas was asked to relocated to Langat in November. |
| 1874 | Year 10 in Kuala Lumpur | |
| 1873 | Year 9 in Kuala Lumpur | Tunku Kudin repossessed the forts at the mouth of Selangor River in November. |
| 1872 | Year 8 in Kuala Lumpur | In August, Sutan Puasa was induced by a piece of fake news spread by Raja Mahadi and revolted against Tunku Kudin. The Mandailings were quickly suppressed by the forces of Tunku Kudin, with a loss of 200, while the son-in-law of the Sultan suffered a loss of 3 or 4 men. Tunku Kudin lost Selangor to Syed Mashhor in September. |
| 1871 | Year 7 in Kuala Lumpur | |
| 1870 | Year 6 in Kuala Lumpur | Raja Mahadi was ejected from Klang. Yap Ah Loy massacred miners in Kanching. |
| 1869 | Year 5 in Kuala Lumpur | His eldest son, Hon Chin 葉韓進/隆興, was born on 29 December 1869, this means that the marriage was consumated by March 1869 at the latest. Hon Chin was born in Melaka and not Kuala Lumpur because Kok Kang Keow was unable to secure any postpartum care in Kuala Lumpur at that time. Raja Abdullah died in his journey to Singapore and was buried in Melaka. Tunku Kudin tried to take Klang from Raja Mahadi. |
| 1868 | Year 4 in Kuala Lumpur | Yap Ah Loy made it very clear in his 1882 letter that he spent his first four years in Kuala Lumpur as a merchant. Thus, 1868 was the final year Yap operated his apothecary business full time. Liu Ngim Kong died in the 7th month of Wuzhen (between 18 August and 18 September 1868) and Yap Ah Loy succeeded Liu as the leader of the Chinese community. Tang (1997) incorrectly claimed that Hon Chin was born in 1868. On Wednesday, 24 June 1868 (5 Rabi al-Awal 1285), Tunku Kudin was appointed as the Viceroy or Wakil Mutlak of the Sultan. Interestingly, 24 June 1868 is equivalent to the 5th day of the 5th month of the Year of Wuchen, the day assigned by Wang (1958) as the auspicious on which Yap Ah Loy was installed. However, Middlebrook assigned the second week of February 1869 as the fifth month of Yap's captaincy, which means that Yap Ah Loy started to assume the position of Liu in September 1868. The traditional narrative was that Yap was appointed by Liu and installed by Raja Mahadi. Given the timing of Tunku Kudin's appointment, it is possible that Liu, who was previously aligned with Raja Mahadi, was sidelined in favor of Yap Ah Loy, a candidate of choice of the newly minted son-in-law of Sultan Abd al-Samad.
The nearest new moon to June 24 was June 20 (10:45 pm). June 20 is equivalent to the 1st day of the 5th month of Wuchen. In Johor, Temenggung Ibrahim passed away on June 29 and was replaced by his son. |
| 1867 | Year 3 in Kuala Lumpur | Raja Abdullah was ejected from Klang, and the land was enfiefed to Raja Mahadi by Sultan Abd al-Samad, on the condition that a cut of 500 dollars must be remited to Langat every month. |
| 1866 | Year 2 in Kuala Lumpur | Raja Mahadi was slapped with a tax bill of 100 dollars for importing two chests of opium to Klang.
The order was reportedly given by William H. Read and Tan Kim Cheng 陳金鐘 (Captain China of Singapore), the business associates of Raja Abdullah. 
The tax kerfuffle marked the first episode of the Klang Civil Wars, which concluded only in 1873. According to the 1885 resume, Yap Ah Loy was recruited by Liu Ngim Kong at the onset of the conflict, meaning his earliest role under Liu’s leadership could not have been before 1866/67. The civil wars provided Yap Ah Loy with an opportunity to demonstrate his abilities, eventually earning him a promotion as Captain Liu’s personal attendant and sword bearer. |
| 1865 | Year 1 in Kuala Lumpur/Last year in Melaka | In June, we were told that a group of Huizhou men had their blood drained out from their throat during the second episode of the Larut disturbances, triggering a Huizhou exodus. Among those recruited by Liu Ngim Kong was Hiu Fatt, who would later become Yap Ah Loy's top fighter. Middlebrook (1951) states that Yap Ah Loy opened his apothecary and married Kok Kang Keow in 1865, suggesting that the marriage was matchmade by Liu Ngim Kong. However, this is unlikely to be correct, as Yap Ah Loy only joined Liu's company after 1865 and that Hon Chin was born in December 1869, four years after the year of marriage mentioned by Middlebrook. |
| 1864 | Year 7 in Melaka | Raja Jumaat, the brother of Raja Abdullah died. In September 1864, Sultan Abd al-Samad reaffirmed that Klang remained a fief of Raja Abdullah. Raja Jumaat's death destabilized the tin mining businesses. We were told, in June 1861, that Raja Jummat was actively managing for the Sultan, the renevue farms in Lukut, Langat, Klang, and Selangor (for a sum of 5,000 dollar per year). |
| 1863 | Year 6 in Melaka | |
| 1862 | Year 5 in Melaka | |
| 1861 | Year 4 in Melaka | Raja Jumaat granted the British, the rights to build a lighthouse in Cape Rachado. |
| 1860 | Year 3 in Melaka | Seng Meng Lee/Shin On 盛明利/盛大安, the Captain China of Sungei Ujong, was killed on 23 August 1860. A group of Melaka merchants filed a petition (28 August 1860) to request the colonial government in Singapore to intervene militarily and manage the riot, which started on 21 August 1860. August 21 is the date quoted by most Malay authors, e.g. Norhalim Haji Ibrahim (1998). Tang (1997) quoted 26 August 1860 instead, which is unlikely since it is only two days apart from the date of the Melaka petition. August 26 was first cited by Middlebrook (1951) as the Gregorian equivalent of the 12th day of the 7th lunisolar month of the 10th year of the reign of Xianfeng 咸豐10年7月12日 but Middlebrook's Gregorian value was off by 2 days since 咸豐10年7月12日 is actually August 28. It is also claimed in many Chinese sources that Yap was involved in the Sungei Ujong riot, which is again unlikely since this is only his third year as a freshman in a foreign land. |
| 1859 | Year 2 in Melaka | Sultan Abd al-Samad was enthroned as the new king, he was the first Selangor king not installed by Perak Sultan. Kuala Lumpur celebrated its centenary (13 to 15 June 1959), with the Kuala Lumpur City Hall officially recognizing 1859 as the town’s founding year.
 He also mentioned that his superior, Raja Abdullah, had appointed Hiu Siew as the first Captain China. However, Sutan Puasa also referenced the reign of Sultan Muhammad. Given the power vacuum left by the Sultan’s passing, this suggests that the Lukut trio—Sutan Puasa, Hiu Siew, and Liu Ngim Kong—arrived between 1855 and 1859. If the timeline from other sources are considered, it is apparent that Sutan Puasa meant 40 + n years ago and not exactly 40 years ago. |
| 1858 | Year 1 in Melaka | The most reliable account of Yap’s early life comes from a résumé in The Straits Times (20 April 1885; the Selangor news snippet was written on 16 April 1885, one day after his death). It states that he initially worked as a gardener and pork butcher in Lukut but fled from his employer due to mistreatment. Hiding in the jungle, he became a charcoal burner—a role that likely introduced him to the world of tin mining. He later established his own tin mining business in Ulu Langat, though the exact details of how he arrived in Selangor remain unclear. The Ulu Langat episode was never mentioned in Middlebrook (1951) or in any subsequent Chinese biographies of the Captain China. Also, the charcoal burner episode was narrated slightly differently as it was connected to the 1860 riot in Sungei Ujong. |
| 1857 | Year 21 in Guīshàn | Sultan Muhammad Shah, the father-in-law of both Raja Jumaat and Raja Abd al-Samad, died on January 6. It has created a power vacuum in Selangor filled only two year later. Middlebrook (1951) tells us that capital to open Klang was secured from two Chinese merchants in Melaka, and Raja Abdullah started his operations in 1857. |
| 1856 | Year 20 in Guīshàn | |
| 1855 | Year 19 in Guīshàn | |
| 1854 | Year 18 in Guīshàn | In May, Singapore witnessed the Hokkien-Teochew riots. Middlebrook (1951), Tang (1997) and other Chinese sources traditionally assigned 1854 as Yap's first year in Melaka, which contradicts with Yap's own data in the 1882 petition. |
| 1853 | Year 17 in Guīshàn | |
| 1852 | Year 16 in Guīshàn | |
| 1851 | Year 15 in Guīshàn | |
| 1850 | Year 14 in Guīshàn | Raja Sulaiman, the father of Raja Mahadi, died. Klang was enfiefed to Raja Abdullah by Sultan Muhammad in 1266 AH (i.e. i.e. 17 November 1849 < 1266 < 5 November 1850). Klang was continuously administered by Raja Abdullah from 1850 to 1867. Raja Abdullah's administrative inception in Klang was incorrectly marked as 1853 by Middlebrook (1951). |
| 1849 | Year 13 in Guīshàn | |
| 1848 | Year 12 in Guīshàn | |
| 1847 | Year 11 in Guīshàn | |
| 1846 | Year 10 in Guīshàn | Raja Jaafar ibni Raja Ali passed away. His son, Raja Jumaat was enfiefed in Lukut by Sultan Muhammad. |
| 1845 | Year 9 in Guīshàn | |
| 1844 | Year 8 in Guīshàn | Raja Sulaiman's sister was married to Raja Abd al-Samad. |
| 1843 | Year 7 in Guīshàn | |
| 1842 | Year 6 in Guīshàn | China lost the Opium Wars and was forced to sign the Treaty of Nanking in August. |
| 1841 | Year 5 in Guīshàn | |
| 1840 | Year 4 in Guīshàn | |
| 1839 | Year 3 in Guīshàn | Raja Sulaiman, the eldest son of Sultan Muhammad, was enfiefed in Klang. Raja Sulaiman's sisters were married Raja Jumaat and Raja Abd al-Samad. |
| 1838 | Year 2 in Guīshàn | |
| 1837 | Year 1 in Guīshàn | Yap Ah Loy was born on 14 March 1837, i.e. the 17th Year of Daoguang, 8th Day of the 2nd Month of the Year of Dingyou, Hour of Tiger 道光十七年丁酉歲・二月初八寅時. Guīshàn 歸善 was renamed to Huìyáng 惠陽 only in 1912. |
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