Ayer Tawar
Encyclopedia
Ayer Tawar is a small town of 30,000 people in the district of Manjung
, state of Perak
, Malaysia. Ayer Tawar literally means "fresh water" in the Malay language
, although the word "Tawar" on its own means tasteless. The town is less well-known than its immediate and larger neighbour Sitiawan
, which is 12 kilometres away.
, and about 22 km from Lumut
, where the largest Malaysian naval base is situated. You can reach the town from the North South Highway via Penang
to Taiping
to Pantai Remis
, via Ipoh or the coastal road from Telok Intan to Sitiawan
.
Ayer Tawar includes a number of new villages eg Kampong Raja Hitam, Kampong Merbau, Kampong Jering, and the largest of all, Ayer Tawar New Village.
The town is divided into two sections known as Old Town and New Town by the Ayer Tawar River. Ironically, certain buildings in the Old Town are even newer than those in the New Town due to redevelopment, from repeated fires which gutted the original thatched wooden shophouse
s. Today, development is going on in the New Town along the row of shophouses next to Jalan Sekolah, the road leading to the Min Te Chinese Primary School, which is the oldest school of the town.
Besides that, there are a few primary school nearby. For example Ayer Tawar Tamil Primary School, Pei Min Primary School in Kampong Raja Hitam, and Merbau Primary School in Kampong Merbau.
Notable landmarks in Ayer Tawar include: the Chinese
Methodist Church, Taoist Nine Emperor Gods Temple, a Hindu Krishna Temple, the Buddhist Guang Ji Gong Temple, and the Kutien Association Building.
-based industries. The town is surrounded by plantations and small holdings of commercial crops, such as oil palms, rubber trees, cocoa, coconut trees and, recently, fruit plants such as durian
and mango.
From 1910 to 1970, rubber was the sole commercial crop cultivated by the farmers and the British plantation owners. The economic well-being of the population invariably fluctuated in tandem with the price of rubber. In the early 1970s, the town suffered a devastating economic slump due to prolonged low rubber prices. This led to 3 significant developments: the emigration of the younger populace to major cities such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and even the United Kingdom, to seek a better living; the migration of many farming families to new settlements such as Sri Jaya in Pahang
; and lastly the diversification of cultivation to include other commercial crops, the most important of which is the planting of oil palms. The latter now dominates land use in the vicinity.
group, comprise the majority of Ayer Tawar's population. Most of them work in rubber
estates and oil palm
plantations, or participate in the retail industry. Outlying villages are populated by Malay people
, mainly paddy
and fruit farmers. Ayer Tawar currently faces a problem of emigration of its younger residents to other bigger towns and cities.
Manjung
Manjung, previously also known as Dinding, is a district in the southwestern part of the state of Perak, Malaysia. It is well-known for Pangkor Island, a major attraction in Perak and the home of the Royal Malaysian Navy Lumut Naval Base and dockyard...
, state of Perak
Perak
Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...
, Malaysia. Ayer Tawar literally means "fresh water" in the Malay language
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
, although the word "Tawar" on its own means tasteless. The town is less well-known than its immediate and larger neighbour Sitiawan
Sitiawan
Sitiawan, Malaysia is a region in the Manjung district of Perak, Malaysia....
, which is 12 kilometres away.
Geography and layout
Ayer Tawar is about 60 km west of the state capital, IpohIpoh
Ipoh is the capital city of Perak state, Malaysia. It is approximately 200 km north of Kuala Lumpur on the North-South Expressway....
, and about 22 km from Lumut
Lumut
Lumut is a coastal town in the state of Perak, Malaysia, situated about 84 km from Ipoh, 12 km from the town of Sitiawan and it is the gateway to Pangkor Island. It is a quaint little town famous for its beautiful seashell and coral handicrafts...
, where the largest Malaysian naval base is situated. You can reach the town from the North South Highway via Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
to Taiping
Taiping, Perak
Taiping is a town located in northern Perak, Malaysia. With a population of 191,104 , it is the second largest town in Perak after Ipoh, the state capital. Taiping took over Kuala Kangsar's role as the state capital from 1876 to 1937, but was then replaced by Ipoh...
to Pantai Remis
Pantai Remis
Pantai Remis [班台] is a coastal town in Manjung, Perak, Malaysia. It is situated in between Simpang and Sitiawan. is a commercial district that serves as the heartland for the surrounding towns as far north as Terong on Highway A101, to the south to Segari on Highway 60; to the south-east to...
, via Ipoh or the coastal road from Telok Intan to Sitiawan
Sitiawan
Sitiawan, Malaysia is a region in the Manjung district of Perak, Malaysia....
.
Ayer Tawar includes a number of new villages eg Kampong Raja Hitam, Kampong Merbau, Kampong Jering, and the largest of all, Ayer Tawar New Village.
The town is divided into two sections known as Old Town and New Town by the Ayer Tawar River. Ironically, certain buildings in the Old Town are even newer than those in the New Town due to redevelopment, from repeated fires which gutted the original thatched wooden shophouse
Shophouse
A shophouse is a vernacular architectural building type that is commonly seen in areas such as urban Southeast Asia. This hybrid building form characterises the historical centres of most towns and cities in the region.- Design and features :...
s. Today, development is going on in the New Town along the row of shophouses next to Jalan Sekolah, the road leading to the Min Te Chinese Primary School, which is the oldest school of the town.
Besides that, there are a few primary school nearby. For example Ayer Tawar Tamil Primary School, Pei Min Primary School in Kampong Raja Hitam, and Merbau Primary School in Kampong Merbau.
Notable landmarks in Ayer Tawar include: the Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
Methodist Church, Taoist Nine Emperor Gods Temple, a Hindu Krishna Temple, the Buddhist Guang Ji Gong Temple, and the Kutien Association Building.
Economy
Like many other rural townships, Ayer Tawar is economically dependent on its agroAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
-based industries. The town is surrounded by plantations and small holdings of commercial crops, such as oil palms, rubber trees, cocoa, coconut trees and, recently, fruit plants such as durian
Durian
The durian is the fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus Durio and the Malvaceae family . Widely known and revered in southeast Asia as the "king of fruits", the durian is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk...
and mango.
From 1910 to 1970, rubber was the sole commercial crop cultivated by the farmers and the British plantation owners. The economic well-being of the population invariably fluctuated in tandem with the price of rubber. In the early 1970s, the town suffered a devastating economic slump due to prolonged low rubber prices. This led to 3 significant developments: the emigration of the younger populace to major cities such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and even the United Kingdom, to seek a better living; the migration of many farming families to new settlements such as Sri Jaya in Pahang
Pahang
Pahang is the third largest state in Malaysia, after Sarawak and Sabah, occupying the huge Pahang River river basin. It is bordered to the north by Kelantan, to the west by Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, to the south by Johor and to the east by Terengganu and the South China Sea.Its state...
; and lastly the diversification of cultivation to include other commercial crops, the most important of which is the planting of oil palms. The latter now dominates land use in the vicinity.
Demographics
Ethnic Chinese, mostly from the Kutien sub-clan of the Fuzhou dialectFuzhou dialect
Fuzhou dialect , also known as Foochow dialect, Foochow, Foochowese, Fuzhounese, or Fuzhouhua, is considered the standard dialect of Min Dong, which is a branch of Min Chinese mainly spoken in the eastern part of Fujian Province. Native speakers also call it ' , meaning the language spoken in...
group, comprise the majority of Ayer Tawar's population. Most of them work in rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
estates and oil palm
Oil palm
The oil palms comprise two species of the Arecaceae, or palm family. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African Oil Palm Elaeis guineensis is native to West Africa, occurring between Angola and Gambia, while the American Oil Palm Elaeis oleifera is native to...
plantations, or participate in the retail industry. Outlying villages are populated by Malay people
Malay people
Malays are an ethnic group of Austronesian people predominantly inhabiting the Malay Peninsula, including the southernmost parts of Thailand, the east coast of Sumatra, the coast of Borneo, and the smaller islands which lie between these locations...
, mainly paddy
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
and fruit farmers. Ayer Tawar currently faces a problem of emigration of its younger residents to other bigger towns and cities.