We've tried to ensure the information displayed here is as accurate as possible. Should there be any inaccuracies, we would be grateful if you could let us know at info@ipohworld.org . All images and content are copyright.
(Please click on the thumbnail for a bigger image.)
An Article From Ipoh Echo - The First Moving Pictures Arrive In Town
The first cinematographs came to Ipoh in August 1906 in the form of travelling picture shows. Initially the cinematograph market was monopolized by one company, the Matsuo Japanese Cinematograph Company, who used to hold nightly shows in a tent for 7-weeks running, moving from city to city. The following year however, he had competition in the form of 3 other cinematograph companies, each employing different novelties to attract crowds. But their days were numbered once Ipoh’s first theatre was built, as part of New Town by Yau Tet Shin. The Ipoh Cinematograph company was formed by R.L. Corbett to lease the theatre and screen cinema shows in a permanent and comfortable surrounding. The Ipoh Cinema was a great success, spurring K Harima, an established cinematographer in Singapore, to build another theatre in Ipoh. As the rivalry intensified, each cinema had to offer something more to draw in the crowds, resulting in the set up of a live band at the Ipoh Cinema and a meticulous attention to detail at Harima Hall. The benefactors were undoubtedly the people of Ipoh.
To read more about Towkay Yau Tet Shin, click here.