Chow Kit


Chow Kit is a suburb in central Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is located around Jalan Chow Kit and is enclosed by the parallel streets of Jalan Raja Laut and Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. It is named after Loke Chow Kit a well-known miner, municipal councilor, public official, and also the first local owner of a department store - Chow Kit & Co – which was the largest in KL at the time. Today the area features a large Indonesian community, and more recently, a small African community. There is a night market also known as Bundle Chow Kit along Lorong Haji Taib which is known for the sale of used clothing and accessories.

Wet market

A daily wet market known as Bazaar Baru Chow Kit is the largest wet market in Kuala Lumpur, and a tourist attraction. A wide variety of fish and seafood products are available for customers.

Red-light district

Chow Kit has traditionally been known as one of the major red-light districts in Kuala Lumpur. Many of the prostitutes are daughters of prostitutes and have grown up in the area. Malaysian director Justin Ong's 2013 film, Ida's choice, is about a young woman in the red-light district.

Transportation

The KL Monorail Chow Kit Monorail station is situated in this area, and the Ampang Line PWTC LRT station is located nearby.

In popular culture