Dr. Gan Boon Leong Statue — Attraction in Malacca

They called him the Father of Bodybuilding in Malaysia, and not without reason. He was one of those old-school strongmen who built a legacy with grit, steel and sweat, long before gyms were air-conditioned and gym gear existed. Back in the 1940s, he started as a skinny kid lifting in Melaka. By ’49, he was running the Body Building and Weightlifting Association of Melaka on a piece of land he’d got from his grandmother. Titles followed: Mr Melaka, Mr Malaya, then Mr Asia in ’56, Jakarta. At the time, that was as big as it got for a local boy. He didn’t just collect trophies; he built the scene from the ground up.

In 2000, the IFBB gave him the title “Honorary Mr Universe.” And that’s only half the story. Gan wasn’t just muscle. He was a politician too. MCA man. Took Bandar Hilir in ’86, even knocked down Lim Kit Siang, a heavyweight of a different kind. Won again in 1990. Shifted to Duyong, served till 2004, then bowed out. Old-school politician: direct, smiling, always present on the ground.

Gan Boon Leong passed on 15 August 2022, just ten days shy of his 88th birthday. Today, his legacy lives on in bronze and concrete. On Jonker Walk, tourists line up to snap selfies with his statue, a muscleman forever flexing in the heart of Melaka’s heritage street. Some come for history, others just need a shady bench and a working toilet. The park’s small, the toilets cost money, and the plaques don’t tell enough of the story. Visitors call it absurd, inspiring, charming, overhyped, sometimes all at once.

The statue is solid, impressive. But if you pause, sit a while and look at that carved grin, you catch a glimpse of what he stood for: a man who made bodybuilding more than just a sport in Malaysia. The rest of us, at least, get to sit...

This statue is located at the open air park at Jonker Street. This statue was built to respect Datuk Wira Dr Gan Boon Leong for his contribution on developing the night market in Jonker Walk. Visitors may take picture / video as memory with Dr Gan's statue or just sit at the park. No entrance fee to visit this park. Usage of toilet at this park...

Dr Gan Boon Leong is truly an iconic figure of Melaka, making Melaka and Malaysia famous in the 80s. He is well recognised by the state government.

He is also known as a famous Malaysia's bodybuilder and is a household name for local Melaka people until today. Sadly, the younger generation does not know...