page_title: Bukit Larut
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Bukit Larut / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Cendana Hut
context_page_description: Bukit Larut is a hill resort in Malaysia located in the state of Perak, Malaysia, 10 kilometres southwest from Taiping. The area was established under the Pangkor Treaty of 1874 between the Sultan of Perak and the British Empire. The treaty enabled the British to administer Perak. The British Governor insisted to look for a place where the administration and the tin mining activity could be seen from a hilltop from a place of retreat for the English people near Larut and Taiping. Thus, the first bungalow was set up in 1884 for the Resident-General of Perak. The area was named Maxwell Hill after the British Malaya administrator George Maxwell. The name was used until 1979 after which it was renamed as Bukit Larut. An attempt to redevelop Bukit Larut with the inclusion of hotels, a highland flower garden, a lookout tower, a seminar centre, and 400 metres of suspension bridge was opposed by the public. The government of Perak cancelled the massive redevelopment project and scaled back to renovating the old colonial-era bungalows and rest houses.
  Bukit Larut is rich in biodiversity which has been studied by various scientists and researchers.
context_section_description: The history of Bukit Larut dates back to the Larut Wars which occurred in 1861 between Chinese underground societies Han San and Ghee Hin over tin mine control in Klian Pauh (predecessor to Taiping), leading to British intervention into Taiping and later The Pangkor Treaty of 1874 which allowed the British administration in Perak. After the treaty was signed, Taiping received Captain Speedy, a British assistant, who was then looking for a way to overlook administration and tin mining from the hilltop. Maxwell Hill was strategically chosen not just as a Taiping observation place, but also as a retreat place for English people near Larut and Taiping. The place was named after George Maxwell, a British Malaya administrator. The first retreat bungalow, "The Cottage", was set up in 1884 for the Resident-General of Perak. The development was followed by the construction of Tempinis Bungalow (formerly Treacher Bungalow) and Cendana Bungalow (formerly The Hut), in 1880 and 1889, to accommodate visitors of Maxwell Hill. The Tea Garden constructed in 1887 used to be part of a tea plantation estate for Assam Tea prior to its end at an unspecified date. As the British realized that the landscape of Maxwell Hill was unable to fulfil their needs to build more buildings, facilities, and amenities such as hotels and railways due to lack of flat terrain, the British administration was in need to look for another mountain area which had a larger area that would allow for larger hill station development. Areas chosen to develop further hill stations were Fraser’s Hill and later Cameron Highlands. Maxwell Hill was renamed to Bukit Larut in 1979, although not much development has taken place in the hill station.
  In early 1997, the government of Perak announced that it would plan to redevelop Bukit Larut, a plan that would cost RM 320 million, to enhance potential as a tourism area which was less exploited by the state government. The redevelopment of Bukit Larut included a three-floor four-star hotel, a highland flower garden, a lookout tower, a seminar centre and a 400 metres (1,300 ft) suspension bridge. However, due to opposition to redevelopment plans by residents and some Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) in addition to political pressures, the redevelopment plan was cancelled on July 20, 1997, and was instead focused on renovating the old colonial-era bungalows and rest houses, which costed RM 2 million instead. At the same time, the JKR Perak revealed that the road on Bukit Larut could not be widened further.
  Later on September 23, 2018, a group known as the "Taiping, Larut, Matang dan Selama Nature Lovers Group" opposed the proposed construction of a cable car in Bukit Larut after discussions between North Perak Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry and several construction companies that took place in early September, citing that the construction of the cable car would overwhelm the tourism system in Bukit Larut and would also potentially erode the biodiversity in that area. The government of Perak, however, refuted the claim, stated that the cable car project will never take place in the future.
caption: Cendana Bungalow (formerly The Hut) was built in 1889
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