Balakong

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Balakong

Balakong (Jawi: بالقوڠ; Chinese: 無拉港) or Cheras South (Jawi: چراس سلتن; Chinese: 蕉賴南區) is a township in Selangor, Malaysia. The township consists mainly of residential condominiums, office complexes and factories. Notable landmarks in Balakong include AEON Mall Cheras Selatan and Sin Ann Meow Temple (星安庙).

History[]

Name[]

According to local Chinese residents, the name Balakong comes from the Chinese New Village, Balakong Chinese New Village. The village was drawn up and barred-wired by the British Empire during the Malayan Emergency. Another belief is that there was a river running through the village named Sungai Balak and that the village adopted the river's name. The meaning of Kong has two interpretation in Hakka, one meaning port or location and the other being 'ong', meaning prosperity. It is believed that there was an upper and lower kong within the village.

Before 1990s[]

The village was surrounded by rubber plantation surrounding former tin mines. Most families in the village were rubber tappers. There was a primary school, a few Chinese temples, a wet market, a hilltop Lutheran church, a cowboy town street, a town hall, and a football field. The village was divided by Sungai Balak.

After 1990s[]

During Taming Jaya's development, locals mentioned that the developer of Taming Jaya rebuilt Balakong Road into a two-lane highway starting at The Mines and terminated at Cheras 11th Mile. A newer road was constructed that connected the village to Taman Connaught. Taming Jaya's developer also had developed a small-industry area and housing estate on a rubber plantation opposite the village.

Infrastructure[]

Today, Balakong is accessible via the Balakong Interchange of SILK Highway, which joins with the North–South Expressway Southern Route . The township has since developed into an integrated township with residential, commercial and industrial areas.

The Batu 11 Cheras MRT station is a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station serving the suburbs of Batu 11 Cheras, Balakong and Bandar Sungai Long in Selangor, Malaysia. It is served by the Sungai Buloh–Kajang Line and is part of the Klang Valley Integrated Transit System. The station is located at Balakong Interchange of Cheras-Kajang Expressway.

Balakong consists of many shopping malls that locals and tourists frequently visit. Some of the malls in Balakong include AEON Mall Cheras Selatan, Giant Balakong, and Econsave Balakong. Selangor Turf Club is located on the former site of New Balakong Village. To cope with the increase in public demand for better healthcare services and facilities, Columbia Asia Hospital established a branch in Balakong in 2010.

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Balakong.

Coordinates: 3°1′48″N 101°45′0″E / 3.03000°N 101.75000°E / 3.03000; 101.75000