From Johor Bahru Directory
Kampung Ah Fook is an area in downtown Johor Bahru between Jalan Wong Ah Fook and Jalan Tun Abdul Razak, on the left bank of Sungei Segget. The area was known to the Chinese pioneer settlers as Jiu Soon Kang and comprise a number of roads named after the Wong family, e.g. Jalan Siu Nam, Jalan Siu Koon, and Jalan Siu Chin.
2. The Johor Bahru properties in the area remained in the Wong family until about the 1960s or 1970s. The substantial tract of land in what is now the centre of Johor Bahru city was granted by Sultan Abu Bakar to Wong Ah Fook in 1892 under extremely favorable terms. It was granted one year after the expiry of his second lease contract that expired in 1891 as a reward for services rendered to the Johor government, most probably in breaking the monopoly of the Kongkek.
3. Wong Ah Fook was actually offered the choice of two pieces of land, one on high ground and the other on low ground. However, he chose the latter which was a cul-de-sac that led nowhere and inspite the fact that the land was soggy with mud and mangrove, because water means wealth in Cantonese. After receiving the grant of land, Wong Ah Fook built roads to improve the access to his property. He named the main road Jalan Wong Ah Fook after himself and the side roads after his three eldest sons.
4. Afterwards, the ferry came and its landing place was only a short distance away. Then came the railway and a railway station was build next to the ferry terminal and pier. Kampung Ah Fook was located between the railway line and the Sungai Segget and people had to pass by the kampung whenever they took the ferry or train. When a new road leading to the railway station was built, some of Wong's land was acquired by the government but the road added frontage and access to his properties. When the Johor-Singapore Causeway was opened in 1924, the cul-de-sac became a thoroughfare and Kampung Ah Fook became downtown Johor Bahru. Today, Jalan Wong Ah Fook has become a main street in Johor Bahru leading north to other parts of the peninsula.
