Balakong ( Jawi: بالقوڠ; ) or Cheras South ( Jawi: چراس سلتن; ) is a township in

Hulu Langat District Hulu Langat District is a district located in the southeastern corner of Selangor, between Kuala Lumpur and Negeri Sembilan. It is bordered by the state of Pahang to the east and north, Gombak district to the north-west, Federal Territory of Kua ...

Selangor Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. Located to the southeast of

Greater Kuala Lumpur Greater Kuala Lumpur is the geographical term that determines the boundaries of Metropolitan Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. Though similar to the term "Klang Valley", there remains a variation between the two. It is similar to Greater London and Grea ...

, 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 The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading post ...

under the Briggs Plan during the

Malayan Emergency The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces o ...

. Another belief is that there was a river running through the village named Sungai Balak and that the village adopted the river's name. It is believed that "-Kong" in Balakong comes from the Hakka word for river (江), and Balakong refers to the Hakka pronunciation of the river, Sungai Balak. 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. Since the early 2010's, Balakong has seen rapid commercial development in the form of Dataran C180 and Cheras Traders Square.

Education

List of schools in Balakong

Primary Schools

Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Balakong Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Batu 11 Cheras Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Connought 2 Sekolah Kebangsaan Bandar Tun Hussein Onn Sekolah Kebangsaan Bandar Tun Hussein Onn 2 Sekolah Kebangsaan Cheras Jaya Sekolah Kebangsaan Desa Baiduri Sekolah Kebangsaan Taming Jaya

Secondary Schools

Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bandar Damai Perdana Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bandar Tun Hussein Onn 2 Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Cheras Jaya Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Cheras Perdana Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Perimbun

Politics

Balakong is represented in the Dewan Rakyat of the

Malaysian Parliament The Parliament of Malaysia ( ms, Parlimen Malaysia) is the national legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The bicameral parliament consists of the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives, lit. "People's Assembly") and the ...

by as part of the Bangi federal constituency. Syahredzan Johan of DAP has represented the constituency since

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeyp ...

. On the state level, Balakong is represented in the

Selangor State Legislative Assembly The Selangor State Legislative Assembly ( ms, Dewan Negeri Selangor) is the unicameral state legislature of the Malaysian state of Selangor. The State Assembly is composed of 56 members representing single-member constituencies throughout the sta ...

by Wong Siew Ki of DAP since the 2018 Balakong by-election after the death of the incumbent assemblyman Eddie Ng Tien Chee. On the local level, Balakong is administered by the Kajang Municipal Council.

Infrastructure

Today, Balakong is accessible via the Balakong Interchange of SILK Highway, which joins with the

North–South Expressway Southern Route The North–South Expressway Southern Route is an interstate controlled-access highway running parallel to the southwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The expressway forms the south section of the North–South Expressway, connecting the st ...

. The township has since developed into an integrated township with residential, commercial and industrial areas. The Bandar Tun Hussein Onn MRT station and Batu 11 Cheras MRT station are Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations serving the suburbs of Batu 11 Cheras, Balakong and Bandar Sungai Long in Selangor, Malaysia. It is served by the Kajang Line and is part of the

Klang Valley Integrated Transit System The Klang Valley Integrated Transit System is an integrated transport network that primarily serves the area of Klang Valley and Greater Kuala Lumpur. The system currently consists of 11 fully operating rail lines; two commuter rail lines, ...

. 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.

References

External links

{{Coord, 3, 1, 48, N, 101, 45, 0, E, type:city_region:MY_source:nlwiki, display=title Hulu Langat District Townships in Selangor