History of Taiping Taiping is located in the Larut district, which is an early tin mining settlement in Perak.

The history of Taiping is started when in 1848, a young adventure man found tin while bathing in the stream. He is Long Jaafar who had came to the Larut district on an exploratory trip and with this finding he was the person to recruit the first batch Chinese miners to mine the area known Klian Pauh. Klian words is a Malay word for mine, while Pauh is a type of small mango. The Klian Pauh was the name of the place before the town of Taiping was formed. Long Jaafar has been historically credited with the discovery of tin in Larut. Then he brought the first group of Chinese lead by Chung Keng Kwee aka Ah Quee to help him work the mines at Klian Pauh. Chung Keng Kwee who is later made kapitan China by the British is a dispatched a band of Chinese coolies to mine the tin ore. Long Jaafars coolies were Hakka Chines belonged to the Hai San Secret Society headed by Ah Que. According to the legend, The Minister of Larut had an elephant, used to ride with him when journeying. One day, the elephant brooke loose and stampeded into the jungle. After a long search, the elephant is founded at wooded area. Later in 3 days, Long Jaafar noticed that the elephant hooves were covered with mud encrusted with tin ore. The discovering of another mining area of Klian Baru or New Mine lead another group of Chinese Miners is suppliers to mines the tins at that area. Long Jaafar was succeeded by his son Ngah Ibrahim. After Long Jaafar died, his son became the Minister of Larut. Around 1856 before Long Jaafar is devoid, Ngah Ibrahim built his residence, Kota Ngah Ibrahim. He was the first established modern system of administration in Perak. Incidently,Kota Ngah Ibrahim is built to fortify it with a wall to protect against attacks during Larut Wars. Under his administration, Larut was destined to be plagued by four majors war between members of both the Gee Hin Society that owned the Cantonese Go Kuan and Hakka Hai San Society. These Chines communities were at war within themselves protracted called Larut Wars or Perang Larut took place in 1861, 1865, 1872, and then last one in 1873. In 1861, the first war between the Hai San and Ghee Hin erupted over control of the watercourse to the tin mines. It led the more numerous Hai San driving the Ghee Hins out of Klian Bharu. The Ghee Hin brought the matter to the Straits Settlement government. As a result, the Ghee Hins received a compensation of $17,447 from Ngah Ibrahim, the Mentri of Larut, on behalf of the Sultan of Perak.Although both sides returned to their mines, neither party was happy. The Ghee Hins felt that Ngah Ibrahim favoured the Hai Sans. The Hai Sans, on the other hand, were annoyed that the Ghee Hins were not driven out, but instead given cash compensation. In 1865, The Hai Sans attacked the Ghee Hins, capturing 14 members as prisoners. They killed 13 of them. One managed to escape, and reported to his clan. The Ghee Hins retaliated by attacking the Hai San village, killing 40 men.With the help of Ngah Ibrahim, the Hai Sans fought back. They burned Klian Bharu and took possession of the Ghee Hin's tin stock. The Ghee Hins, numbering two thousand, fled to Province Wellesley. The fight speeded there, and then to Penang, where other secret societies aligned to the Hai Sans and the Ghee Hins also joined in. In 1867, the fight took to the streets of George Town, as was known as the Penang Riot. Casualties were heavy on both sides. Exchausted from all the fighting, eventually both sides had to call for a truce. They were fined $5,000 each for causing disturbance in Penang, and their leaders were banished. In 1872, an illicit love affair brought the Hai Sans and the Ghee Hins to the battlefield once more. The leader of the Ghee Hins was said to be engaged in an affair with the wife of the nephew of the Hai San leader, Chung Keng Kwee. The couple was caught, tortured, put into a pig basket and drowned in a disused mining pond. To revenge the death of their leader, the Ghee Hins engaged 4,000 professional mercenaries from China, and this time, they succeeded in driving the Hai Sans out of Larut. Ten thousand Hai San members had to seek refuge in Penang. Meanwhile, it was a shaky time for the Perak sultanate as well. When Sultan Ali passed away in 1871, a succession dispute ensued. Raja Abdullah was supposed to be appointed the next Sultan of Perak, but instead Raja Ismail was elected instead. Raja Abdullah, still considering himself the ruler of Perak, got his friend in Singapore, Tan Kim Ching, to write a letter to Sir Andrew Clarke, expressing his desire to place Perak under British protection, and to have "a man of sufficient abilities show him a good system of government." As the conflict has threatened their tin production, Chung Keng Kwee on 26 Sept 1872 sent a petition signed by himself and 44 other Chinese leaders of Penang, seeking British interference. In the subsequent months, the Hai Sans launched counter attacks. With the help of Ngah Ibrahim, they recovered their mines in Matang and Larut. This was the beginning of British intervention in Perak.

In 1873, just weeks after the Hai Sans regained Larut, the Ghee Hins fought back. This time they too have a Malay ally, in the form of Raja Abdullah. They counterattacked with men and weapons brought in from Singapore and China. This time the Malays also suffered loses. Ngah Ibrahim's house and fort in Matang was badly damaged. He escaped to Penang, where he recruited help from Tristram Charles Sawyer Speedy, alias Captain Speedy, who was at that time the superintendent of police in Penang. Captain Speedy resigned from his post to work for Ngah Ibrahim. He brought troops from India to restore order in Larut. This incident lead to the intervention of British on 1872, and Perjanjian Pangkor 1874 is made appointed Sultan to accept the advice of colonial officer and became the starting point of British intervention into the Malay States. After the signing of the Treaty of Pangkor 1874, Captain Speedy became the Assistant residents stationed at Larut and an employee of Ngah Ibrahim. Taiping got name from Captain Speedy who gave the name for Hakka Chinese which mean Everlasting Peace. The first British resident of Perak was James Wheeler Woodford Birch. He only lasted one year from November 1874 to November 1875 because is murdered. By 1877, Taiping is developed by Sir Hugh Low as the third residents British of Perak from 1877 to 1899. He own found out that a civil administration was in full control with European administrative officers and others. Taiping is a heritage town that is one of Perak's foremost historic attractions.