From Tin Pans to Traffic Jams: The Story of Puchong

 

If you only know Puchong today, you probably picture endless traffic, malls at every junction, and the occasional flash flood that turns the LDP into a boating lane. But long before the condos, cafés, and car-choked highways, this lively suburb was something else entirely -- a quiet tin-mining town surrounded by jungle, plantations, and ponds that gleamed in the hot sun.

Back in the late 19th century, Puchong was one of Malaya’s many tin-mining frontiers. The British handed out mining leases to Chinese towkays who brought in workers from southern China. They dug deep into the swampy ground from Batu 14 and Puchong New Village to what’s now Puchong Jaya, Puchong Perdana, and Kinrara. The familiar “tasik” you see around Puchong Prima or Tasik Prima today? Those were once deep mining pits filled with rainwater -- relics of a booming trade that vanished when tin prices crashed in the 1980s.

When the dredges stopped, the developers moved in. The first big township, Bandar Puchong Jaya, rose in the mid-80s, followed by Kinrara, Perdana, and many more. Slowly, the kampung lombong transformed into a buzzing suburban maze.

I’ve lived here for over two decades, long enough to watch the place reinvent itself over and over. My daughter was born here, and I’ve seen firsthand how the LRT line was built, how roads were widened (and then somehow still jammed), and how IOI Mall went from a modest neighbourhood mall into a full-blown retail giant with a cinema, gym, and everything in between.

Pic credit: Wikimedia Commons

Today, Puchong is one of the most connected suburbs in the Klang Valley -- with easy access to highways, the LRT, and enough eateries to last a lifetime. And while the traffic is still the stuff of legend, there’s something oddly endearing about the chaos. It’s a town that never stops growing, never quite sits still.

From tin pans to traffic jams, Puchong has come a long way. Still rough around the edges, still unpredictable when it rains -- but to those of us who’ve watched it evolve, it’ll always be home.

Watch this incredible video!

Did You Know?

The name Puchong comes from the burung puchong, a heron-like bird once common around the swamps and mining ponds here. Back in the day, locals said you could spot them daily, gliding low over the muddy water -- long before the skyline filled with cranes of a different kind.