Yap Ah Loy (14 March 1837-15 April 1885), also known as Yap Tet Loy and Yap Mao Lan, is regarded as the founding father of modern Kuala Lumpur, he develops Kuala Lumpur as a commercial and mining center during the mid-19th century.

Yap Ah Loy becomes a Kapitan Cina (Chinese Captain) and the headman of a settlement of Chinese inhabitants.

After the independence of Federation of Malaya (Persekutuan Tanah Melayu) from the British Empire on August 31, 1957 (Malay Peninsula only) and later the Formation of Malaysia (that includes Sabah and Sarawak) in 1963, Kuala Lumpur becomes the capital of Malaysia.

Today, there is a street named after him in the heart of Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur, known as 'Jalan Yap Ah Loy' (Yap Ah Loy Road).