Ipoh, capital of the Malaysian state of Perak, is located by the Kinta River and nearly 180 kilometers north of Kuala Lumpur. It is the fourth largest city in Malaysia.
Originally a village, Ipoh began to grow rapidly in the 1880s after huge deposits of tin were discovered within its vicinity. It is also known as a mountain city because it is encircled by mountains.
About 75 percent of Ipoh residents are of Chinese origin, among which Cantonese and Hakka people are the majority. Cantonese is the most commonly-used language between local Chinese.
Ipoh has gradually developed into an important business, education and investment center in Malaysia.
Wenzhou and Ipoh developed sister city ties in March 2012.
