Section 52: Kepis Village

The New Village Maintains Its Traditional Appearance

The reorganized New Village is on the list, and Kepis 12 Mile Village boards the development train.

In 2009, the government announced the nationwide restructuring of several villages, and Kepis 12 Mile Village on the Bahau Tampin Road emerged as a standout, finally catching up with the development train.

Over the years, Kepis 12-Mile Village, once consisting of over 50 purely ethnic Chinese households, has transformed into a harmonious blend of Chinese and Indian residents. At least 10 Indian families have either settled or rented homes in the village, while the Chinese population has aged. This has led to a noticeable infusion of energy and vitality from the Indian community, resulting in significant changes in the previously Chinese-dominated village.

Kepis 12-Mile Village, located on the border between Jempol and Kuala Pilah Districts, is situated 12 miles (approximately 19.2 kilometers) from Bahau. Although the metric system is now used, the name "Kepis 12-Mile" has been retained.

Over the years, this village has preserved its traditional charm. The residents primarily earn a living by tapping rubber trees, starting their work at sunrise and ending at sunset, leading a simple and unremarkable life.

The establishment of Kepis 12-Mile Village can be traced back to before 1948. There were two plantations near the area, covering an area of 500 acres and 200 acres, respectively. During the 1970s, both of these plantations were rubber plantations. Over time, with the addition of some land, the plantation workers gradually formed a small village. Currently, the village still preserves the long "company houses" where the plantation workers once lived.

Though the village population is not large, it obtained access to electricity and water supply as early as 1986. Telephone lines are available, and the village roads have been paved with asphalt, ensuring basic living conditions on par with other areas.

The village is equipped with facilities such as a community hall and a basketball court. Adjacent to a small shop is a post office where the mail carrier from Johol Post Office frequently delivers and collects mail.

Residents usually go to Bahau to handle their affairs, as it is equidistant from both Kalau Pilah, at 12 miles, while it is 21 miles away from Tampin. Therefore, residents typically choose to go to Bahau for their errands.

The students in the village attend a Chinese primary school in Kepis 10 Miles, and there is also a nearby secondary school. Therefore, villagers do not have to worry about education issues.

Like many other new villages, Kepis 12 Mile New Village was once a prosperous and lively place, but now it is gradually becoming an elderly village. Here, there is an old-established tea shop called Yuan An Tea House. Initially, it was just a simple tea house for dining, but later, due to increasing demand from residents, a grocery store was added.

At the age of 68, Tong Zijun recalled that the village's most glorious period was from the late 1970s to the late 1990s. During that time, several nearby rubber plantations employed a large number of workers, and the total population in the village was close to a thousand. In the peak rubber production era, both workers and villagers came to Yuan An Tea House to shop and taste tea, and the place was bustling with activity. People would even gather to drink tea and alcohol and chat late into the night.

However, with the conversion of rubber plantations to oil palm cultivation, the demand for workers declined sharply. Coupled with young people leaving for development opportunities elsewhere and the recent outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in the last two years, many foreign laborers who returned to their hometowns did not come back, and now the village is gradually becoming an elderly community.

In the past, the New Village was flourishing, with a constant flow of people, especially during the lively Chinese New Year celebrations. Even late into the night, customers would come to enjoy tea and socialize. However, nowadays, they have to close the shops and go to bed as early as 8 o'clock in the evening. These changes lead people to describe the New Village's past and present as "once bustling and lively, now deserted and quiet."