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Ishtar
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Editor Pick

Yaowarat Road: Bangkok's Chinatown

  • September 4, 2008
  • Rated 5 of 5 by SeenThat from Tel Aviv, Israel
Yaowarat Road: Bangkok's Chinatown

In the Beginning

Yaowarat Road was built between 1892 and 1900 by King Rama V. Stretching from Ong Ang canal to Wat Traimit Witthayaram it provided Bangkok with additional 1532m of streets. Few imagined what this short stretch would become.

In the Name

Yaowarat means in Thai "Young King." While naming it, King Rama V referred to the fact he ascended to the throne at the age of fifteen. When he became later the responsible for keeping Thailand away from colonizing powers and modernizing the country, this street got a special importance as yet another testimony of his reign.

Asian Streets

Different models exist for the design of cities. Colonial and American cities stick to strict rectangular grids. My hometown uses radial avenues originating in various main plazas. Asian cities resemble trees; the main avenues are long branches with smaller streets and alleys splitting from them. Crossing from one main branch to another is difficult.

In Thailand, the main streets are called "thanon;" this may be confusing since avenues like Sukhumvit and streets like Khaosan are both called thanon. Small streets and alleys beginning from a thanon are called "soi;" usually they are numbered. The first alley along Sukhumvit would be called Sukhumvit 1, sometimes a nickname would also be given to it. A soi beginning at another soi would still be defined by the main avenue; following the former example, it could be called Sukhumvit 1/1. However, sometimes the venue is not even an alley; a very narrow soi is called a "trok;" finally, some alleys are not named or numbered at all.

Thus, I found it difficult to refer to addresses within Chinatown and decided to skip them at all, the explanation would become otherwise lengthy and cumbersome. However, finding the way within the maze is easy, since all of Chinatown spins around the wide Yaowarat Road.

Thai-Chinese

The historic migration of Thais into modern Thailand, was caused by the settlement of Han-Chinese in Yunnan, the Thai original territory. Chinese continued migrating south along the years and nowadays are a large minority in Thailand, some statistics show numbers well above 10% of the total population.

They are responsible for much of the commerce in the kingdom; for example, Chinese speaking the Swatow dialect (a dialect using eight tones) hold the monopoly in the distribution of rice. Other areas of the country featuring large Thai-Chinese populations are Hua Hin and Nakhon Sawan.

The area around Yaowarat became known as Chinatown, since it became the first - and largest for a long time - residential area of Thai-Chinese.

Reaching Chinatown

Bordering the Chao Praya River and reaching the Hualampong Railway Station, Bangkok's Chinatown is easily accessible and provides entertainment for a few hours. The Hualampong Metro Station reaches the northeastern corner of the Samphanthawong District - the formal name of the area.

A Different Kind of Chinatown

Chinatown Bangkok is different from similar areas elsewhere since Yaowarat Road is a wide avenue, creating thus a comfortable and uncluttered area for shopping. Alleys do exist; within them the archetypal image of a Chinatown can still be met.

Moreover, successful commerce transformed Yaowarat into the first high raising neighborhood in Bangkok, featuring buildings of seven and nine stories, both lucky numbers in the Chinese tradition. Many of them survived and their shops at the street level are still active. This is the only commercial quarter in Bangkok still functioning out of shops and not within modern, air-conditioned shopping malls.

The Sights

At first glance, it is difficult to difference this area from other neighborhoods in the city, however, the Chinese letters announcing gold shops, gewgaws, hole-in-the-wall shops, rice dishes, noodles soup, dim sum, bird's nest soup, and Chinese traditional medicine and food ingredients tell the secret even to the most distracted traveler.

The best place to begin an exploration of Chinatown is from the Hualampong Station. Crossing the bridge at its west leads to Wat Trimit, a temple were a three meters height Buddha made of 18 karats gold and weighing five and half tones can be appreciated. As a protection from the Burmese invader, the statue was covered with plaster; its golden interior was discovered only in 1954. Sitting in the Mara position, it is typical of the Sukhothai Kingdom and thus it is dated to be around 800 years old. It is open daily between 8am and 5pm.

Half a long block southwest from the temple is the impressive Chinese Gate, announcing the entrance to the Yaowarat Road and to Chinatown heart; it is placed on the Odeon Circle. Note that the gate does not look into Yaowarat Road, the last is on the gate's side. If entering the Chinatown through the gate, some of the most attractive alleys are reached, but then missing the area north of Yaowarat is easy. The best tactic would be advancing along Yaowarat while performing short incursions into the alleys on its both sides.

Expectedly, the area features Chinese temples as well; after entering Yaowarat Road, the Thien Fah Foundation is the first one to appear at the left side of the road. Created in 1902, it was also the first Chinese foundation in Thailand. It was established by Chinese communities speaking five different dialects in order to provide medical care to the deprived, using modern and traditional Chinese medicine. A Kuan Yim shrine can be appreciated in its interior, the statue was brought from China in 1958. Written also Guan Yin, this is the Buddhists' Compassion Bodhisattva, depicted usually as a woman. The Ah Nia Geng Shrine shares a similar nature and is located roughly midway along the street.

Near it is the Guan Yu Shrine, a temple honoring a general of that name under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms. He played a significant role in the civil war that led to the Han Dynasty collapse and the establishment of the Kingdom of Shu. Slightly north of there is the Leng Buai Ia Temple, which is the oldest shrine in the area.

Deeper into Yaowarat, the area becomes exclusively commercial with shops specializing in gold, housewares, restaurants, fresh food and food ingredients and hotels. Traditionally, Thai-Chinese hold a big part of the hotels industry in Thailand; almost all the hotels next to railway and bus stations - which are almost exact copies of each other - belong to this community. Chinatown is a destination favored by travelers and displays an amazing amount of hotels; the most distinctive one is the China Town Hotel, mainly due to the two dragons atop it.

A Tops Supermarket hiding among a plethora of gold and red signs adds a modern touch to the area; nearby is a fish market that in concept dates back to immemorial times. Shark fins soup, birds nest soup and seafood are the best culinary attractions of the area

The neighborhood features even one of the oldest Catholic churches in the city. The Holy Rosary Church - Wat Mae Phra Luk Prakham or Wat Kalawar - is near the Chao Praya River at the very southern tip of the neighborhood. It was built in 1787, just after Bangkok's foundation, though the actual building dates back to 1890. Its history is fascinating; the Portuguese founded the Calvary Church in the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, and almost succeeded in evangelizing Thailand. Later, the church moved here together with the kingdom's capital. The Portuguese "Calvario" became along the time distorted into "Kalawar." Near it is the River City; an arts and antiques shopping centre which is not directly related to Chinatown. Another interesting church in the area is the Maitrichit Chinese Baptist Church, featuring an impressive black tower.

The area is also known for the several small and specialized markets it hosts. Saphan Lek is the bridge crossing Khlong Ong Ang canal on Charoen Krung Road, features many small shops selling goods, especially game consoles. Nearby is Woeng Nakhon Kasem, Bangkok's Thieves Market. The Khlong Thom Market (in Pom Prap Sattru Phai district, bordering Chinatown to the north) is a famous market for low cost electronics. During Saturdays nights, the stalls operate until dawn.

From journal Colonial Bangkok

Editor Pick

Chinatown and the Golden Buddha

  • August 15, 2008
  • Rated 4 of 5 by barbara from Atlanta, Georgia
Chinatown and the Golden Buddha

Squeezed between New Road and the river, we found Chinatown. Full of narrow streets crowded with smells, colours, sounds, and goods for sale, this is a wonderful area to simply take a wander around with your eyes open. We were dropped off in this district to do just that, and we found a thriving district perfect for window shopping. It was fun to simply weave through the people, look at the fresh fish and assorted Asian foods for sale, dodge the tuk tuks loaded down with goods, and manage not to get separated from each other. After a while though, I got "crowd overload", so I wanted a focus for our walk. Checking our map, we headed west of the Hualamphong station to seek out the Golden Buddha in the Traimitwitthayaram Temple. Along the way, we stumbled across the first charity hospital erected in Thailand and basically just enjoyed the atmosphere.

What is the Golden Buddha? Fifteen feet high, the Golden Buddha is considered a major treasure for Thailand. Over seven hundred years old, it was once covered in plaster to hide it from invading enemies. At some point, the plaster was broken and the Buddhists in whose charge it was put discovered it to be solid gold.

To view it, we walked to Wat Traimit (well sign-posted) and found a large temple to see as well as the smaller temple in which the Buddha is kept.

To walk up the stairs to see the Buddha, you must pay a very nominal fee (less than $1). We did this and then went up to take a look.

While we could enter the small temple itself, we didn't because we could easily see the Buddha from right outside the open doors. (There were people praying, and it seemed disrespectful to me to disturb them by traipsing into the temple and snapping pictures.)

Indeed, the statue is stunning. I might have thought there was a security risk as it is so easily accessed, but it is seen as a holy image by Buddhists themselves... and would-be thieves of no faith would have a very difficult time--I'd think--moving a statue that weighs 5 tons!

After seeing all that we wanted to see, we walked out of Wat Traimit and made our way a couple of blocks over to hire a tuk tuk. I think this is a must-do while in Bangkok. I associate the Hollywood image I had of the city before visiting with these small taxis, so the ride itself was an attraction. Make sure you agree on a price before you start your ride. The drivers are certainly open to reasonable negotiation. Three people could have fit in our tuk tuk... maybe four if squeezed tight.

From journal Balmy Bangkok

Editor Pick

Chinatown

  • December 14, 2002
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Ishtar from Bayside, New York
Chinatown

Much in Thailand’s culture is a product of Chinese and Indian influences dating back as early as the third century BCE. Chinatown is not only a geographic location, but it is an atmosphere, a labyrinth of incessant "in your face" people, smells, hawking, gawking, and so many alleyways that you do lose sight of the major arteries.

Our taxi left us off in the jewelry district, where neon signs will overshadow Chinese lanterns. Huge is an understatement here. Chuck and I wondered if there would be enough people in the world to buy all the gold we had seen on just one street. If you’re not turned on by the jewels, as I am, I began to notice what was around on the street, on the pavement, and there would be a beggar with amputated arms and legs. Even so, he would put his stunted limbs together in the form of the traditional Thai greeting to ask for alms. Huge dichotomy.

Woks of hot oil were being readied for whatever was the "plat du jour". Eating is serious business in Thailand, no matter where. The sidewalks are in dire need of repair, and as I found out, some streets have no sidewalk at all, but rather a stretch of sand.

We came to stop at an intersection and looked right and left and at each other as if to say: "shall we attempt to sink in the human mass that lies ahead"? And so in we dove! It was brutally hot and humid that afternoon, but, in retrospect, awfully brave. Our eyes simply could not grasp all there was, and our minds finally understood when our computers give us a "fatal error" message. Hundreds, maybe thousands of makeshift shops are set up on both sides of the street, on the sidewalk, off the sidewalk, in the middle of the street, so that barely one person can get through. Here you will find every blessed thing under the sun that you might need at home, for your car (yes! They were selling engines) for your closet, - what were the guns and rifles for? ,-for your babies, and yes, hardware galore! And in multiples!

Then came the sea of CD’s, DVD’s and CVD’s, the latter being a foreign term for me. I think the FTC would have spent their time better going after piracy across the ocean than worrying about Napster. The latest movies are available, for the most part either dubbed or subtitled in Thai. I broke into hysterics as I saw Arnold do his terminator thing in Thai. Every so often, you’d see a group of young men huddled around in a rear section of video, and you just knew the porn section had appeared. If a new movie is opening in your town this week, chances are it’s available on DVD in Thailand already.

The most unforgettable thing? Selling teeth on the sidewalks.

From journal Thailand Ties - Part I

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