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This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
Kulai
کولاي | |
|---|---|
Town and district capital | |
| Chinese transcription(s) | |
| • Simplified | 古来 |
| • Traditional | 古來 |
| • Pinyin | Gǔlái |
| • Hakka | Kú-lòi |
 | |
 Coat of arms | |
| Nicknames: Kulaijaya, The Turtle Town (Gui Lai) | |
| Motto: | |
  Kulai Location within Malaysia | |
| Coordinates: 1°40′00″N 103°36′00″E / 1.66667°N 103.60000°E | |
| Country | Malaysia |
| State | Johor |
| District | Kulai |
| Establishment | 1892 |
| Local Council | 1950 |
| District Council | 1 January 1976 |
| Municipality status | 21 April 2004 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Local Government |
| • Body | Kulai Municipal Council |
| • President | Haji Abdul Rahman Salleh |
| • Kulai Member of Parliament | Teo Nie Ching (DAP) |
| Area | |
• Total | 747.00 km2 (288.42 sq mi) |
| Population (2023) (within MPKu administrative area)[1] | |
• Total | 352,290 |
| • Rank | 29th |
| • Density | 471.61/km2 (1,221.5/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | Not observed |
| Postal code | 81000 |
| Area code | +6-07 |
| Vehicle registration | J |
| Website | www |
Kulai is a town and the capital of Kulai District, Johor, Malaysia. It is administered by the Kulai Municipal Council (MPKu), which covers an administrative planning area of 747.00 square kilometres (74,700 ha; 288.42 sq mi)[1] and had an estimated population of 352,290 across 26 planning action zones in 2023.[1]
According to local history, the name "Kulai" originated from the Chinese name Gui Lai (龟来), which translates to "the coming of tortoises".[1] During rainy seasons, the overflowing banks of the Kulai River frequently caused flooding, driving dozens of tortoises onto the riverbanks and into the town center.[1] The Hainanese community referred to the settlement as Gui Lai, a name that was previously displayed in Chinese script at the local railway station signboards before being modified to the modern phonetic name "Kulai" due to the complexity of writing the original characters.[1]
Kulai was wild jungle until Huang Guo Mao arrived in 1892, returning to China to recruit Chinese laborers to clear the land and establish the first settlement.[1] In 1902, Tan Yoke Fong arrived from Southern China and pioneered the New Town (Xin Jie Chang), followed by Fu Wen Zhang from Malacca who developed 4,000 acres in the area.[1] In 1937, two rows of double-storey brick shophouses were constructed by Fu Teck Hui and Fu Teck Nan.[1] During World War II in 1941, retreating British forces burned down the shophouses before incoming Japanese troops bombed and destroyed the remaining town center, which was rebuilt with two-storey wooden shophouses following the Japanese surrender.[1][2]
The Kulai Local Council was established in 1950 before being dissolved during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation in 1961.[1] On 1 January 1976, the Kulai District Council (MDK) was formed through the amalgamation of nine local councils: Kulai, Senai, Kelapa Sawit, Seelong, Saleng, Sengkang, Ayer Bemban, Sedenak, and Bukit Batu.[1] The local authority was elevated to municipal status as Kulai Municipal Council (MPKu) on 21 April 2004.[1]
Kulai was surveyed as one of the happiest cities in Malaysia in June 2020.[3]
The Kulai Local Council was formed in 1950.[1] The Labour Party of Malaya won in the city during the 1950s and 1960s.[4]
In 1947, there was a dispute between the pro-Kuomintang forces led by Tang Zhu Bo and the pro-Chinese Communist Party forces led by Chen Xiu Ying. Chen and his supporters went into the forest to fight a guerrilla campaign. Chen led around 100 men to attack Kulai in 1948, and killed Tan Go Kim, chair of the Kuomintang Kulai. Chen was killed in 1951.[5]
The total planning area under MPKu encompasses 74,700.00 hectares (99.10% of Kulai District and 0.90% within neighboring Johor Bahru District border adjustments).[1] As of 2023, undeveloped land accounted for 82.62% (61,793.03 hectares) of the municipality, dominated by agriculture (66.13% or 49,400.87 hectares) and gazetted forest reserves (8.85% or 6,610.38 hectares) covering Gunung Pulai, Sedenak, and Bukit Hantu.[1] Built-up areas spanned 17.38% (12,976.97 hectares), comprising transportation infrastructure (7.22%), residential use (3.31%), industrial land (2.99%), and commercial developments (1.09%).[1]
Topographically, 95.09% of the area consists of lowlands below 150 meters elevation, while hilly and mountainous terrain reaches its highest point at Mount Pulai (654 meters).[1] The municipality is drained by seven primary river basins: Sungai Skudai, Sungai Pontian Besar, Sungai Sayong, Sungai Tebrau, Sungai Sanglang, Sungai Pulai, and Sungai Ayer Baloi.[1]
According to the 2020 national census by the Department of Statistics Malaysia, the population of Kulai District was 329,497 people. Under the municipal administrative boundaries of the Kulai Municipal Council (incorporating Maju Jaya and excluding non-MPKu administrative tracts), the planning population reached 352,290 residents across 89,241 housing units in 2023, with an average household size of 3.95 persons.[1]
| Planning Zone (Action Zone) | Total Housing Units | Total Population | Average Household Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bandar Kulai (Town Centre) | 25,331 | 101,152 | 3.99 |
| Bandar Putra Kulai | 14,123 | 62,935 | 4.46 |
| Bandar Senai | 15,397 | 59,310 | 3.85 |
| Saleng | 8,792 | 33,867 | 3.85 |
| Bandar Indahpura | 4,827 | 19,594 | 4.06 |
| Kelapa Sawit | 5,730 | 18,352 | 3.20 |
| Senai Airport & Industrial Zone | 3,181 | 13,950 | 4.39 |
| Bukit Batu | 3,039 | 11,003 | 3.62 |
| FELDA Taib Andak – Inas | 1,959 | 7,093 | 3.62 |
| Maju Jaya (Mukim Tebrau) | 840 | 3,684 | 4.39 |
| Sedenak | 1,129 | 3,616 | 3.20 |
| Seelong | 726 | 3,184 | 4.39 |
| Others / Rural / Estates / Forest Reserves | 4,167 | 14,550 | 3.49 |
| Total (MPKu Jurisdiction) | 89,241 | 352,290 | 3.95 |
The Colonial Development Corporation conducted the Kulai Oil Palm Estate (KOPE), a 1,772 acre plantation that was abandoned by its Chinese owner during World War II, in 1950. The CDC initially sought 10,000 acres, but the low cost and the large amount of elaeis made KOPE desirable.[6] In 1954, KOPE had 1,283 acres in production that produced 650 tonnes of oil and 3,083 acres were planned for the future.[7] A palm oil factory for KOPE was completed in 1957.[8] A 5,000 acre extension was launched in 1962.[9] There were 26,000 acres dedicated to oil palm in Kulai by 1965.[10]
In the 21st century, Kulai evolved into an industrial, digital, and commercial hub under the Iskandar Malaysia development corridor (Flagship E: Senai–Skudai and Flagship F: Sedenak).[1] Key economic growth drivers include the Senai Airport City (SAC), the Senai Airport Aviation Park, and the Ibrahim Technopolis (iBTEC) hub housing the Sedenak Tech Park (STeP) and the YTL Green Data Center Park.[1] The retail sector is anchored by commercial hubs such as Johor Premium Outlets (JPO) in Bandar Indahpura and IOI Mall Kulai in Bandar Putra.[1]
The Chinese community in Kulai mainly communicate in Hakka Chinese dialects. There are quite a number of Chinese temples to fulfill the religious needs of the local Chinese community, like Wan Xian Miao Temple (古来萬仙廟) (founded in 1913),[11] Hong Sen Tai Tee Old Temple (古来新港洪仙大帝古廟) (founded in 1891),[12] Yuen Sun Kung Temple (古来云山宫)[13] (founded in 1933) and several other temples (such as the Hwa Kuo Shan Temple at Sedenak).[14]
Transportation between Johor Bahru and Kulai was conducted through a bus service until 1933. There was one taxi in Kulai in 1936.[15]
Modern Kulai functions as a major regional multi-modal transport hub for southern Johor.[1] It is served by the North–South Expressway (E2) and Federal Route 1 (FT1).[1] Rail connectivity is provided by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) at the Kulai railway station, serving intercity and electrified double-track train services.[1] Air transportation for the region is anchored by the Senai International Airport (LTAS), located in the southern part of the municipality.[1]
Kulai has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy rainfall year-round.
| Climate data for Kulai | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.1 (88.0) |
31.5 (88.7) |
31.8 (89.2) |
31.8 (89.2) |
31.8 (89.2) |
31.9 (89.4) |
31.6 (88.9) |
31.6 (88.9) |
31.5 (88.7) |
31.4 (88.5) |
31.3 (88.3) |
31.1 (88.0) |
31.5 (88.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.3 (79.3) |
26.8 (80.2) |
27.1 (80.8) |
27.1 (80.8) |
27.1 (80.8) |
27.2 (81.0) |
26.9 (80.4) |
26.9 (80.4) |
26.8 (80.2) |
26.7 (80.1) |
26.7 (80.1) |
26.6 (79.9) |
26.9 (80.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 21.6 (70.9) |
22.1 (71.8) |
22.4 (72.3) |
22.5 (72.5) |
22.5 (72.5) |
22.5 (72.5) |
22.3 (72.1) |
22.3 (72.1) |
22.2 (72.0) |
22.1 (71.8) |
22.2 (72.0) |
22.1 (71.8) |
22.2 (72.0) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 252 (9.9) |
189 (7.4) |
246 (9.7) |
260 (10.2) |
241 (9.5) |
170 (6.7) |
173 (6.8) |
228 (9.0) |
218 (8.6) |
246 (9.7) |
273 (10.7) |
289 (11.4) |
2,785 (109.6) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org[16] | |||||||||||||
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Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.
Kulai is a town and the capital of Kulai District, Johor, Malaysia. It is administered by the Kulai Municipal Council (MPKu), which covers an administrative planning area of 747.00 square kilometres (74,700 ha; 288.42 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 352,290 across 26 planning action zones in 2023.
Kulai Municipal Council (Malay: Majlis Perbandaran Kulai, MPKU) is the local authority of Kulai District in Johor, Malaysia since 21 April 2004. It was formerly known as Kulai District Council (Malay: Majlis Daerah Kulai, MDK) from 1 January 1976 until 20 April 2004. Over the years, its administrative area increases from 123 km2 to 747 km2. The council covers nine towns in Kulai District, namely: Kulai, Saleng, Senai, Seelong, Sengkang, Sedenak, Kelapa Sawit, Ayer Bemban and Bukit Batu. These towns had their own local councils prior to merger and formation of the then-District Council. MPKU's headquarters has been located at the Kulai District government complex in Taman Kulai since the establishment of the Kulai District Council, with the old building fronting the new office building at the entrance of the headquarters' premises.
Bandar Putra Kulai is a medium-sized mixed-development township, built by IOI Group from 2001, in the Kulai District, Johor, Malaysia. The IOI Mall Kulai shopping complex is located here, as well as the Palm Villa Golf Resort, the Kulai fire brigade station and Hutan Bandar Putra park.
Kulai railway station is a train station located in the town of Kulai, Johor, Malaysia. The station is located in heart of Kulai town, and is accessible to every location in town within walking distance. The station is within walking distance of the Kulai Bus Terminal. The station provides KTM Intercity train services, as well as KTM ETS and KTM Komuter services since 12 December 2025 and 16 June 2026 respectively. On 2 September 2021, train services were moved to a temporary station for the Gemas–Johor Bahru electrification and double-tracking project (EDTP). The station reopened on 12 March 2025.
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →Shirley Chisholm, elected in 1968.
