| Map
: Rattanakosin Island
A Walking Tour in Chinatown: An Old Place with
a New Look
A few months ago, I had a chance to explore the
route of the one-day Walking Tour of Chinatown,
Bangkok, and found it quite interesting. This
area is one of the earliest Chinese communities
in Thailand. It bears a lot of interesting aspects-history,
architecture and commerce-which are worth promoting
as a valuable heritage. Realizing this, the River
City Shopping Complex, the Tourism Authority of
Thailand, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration
and Samphanthawong District Office thus cooperated
to launch this project of Walking Tour.
Wat Suthat and
Giant Swing |
Now follow me to explore the route. From the
starting point at the southern end of the area
which was formerly a commercial centre and berths
for junks and now is the River City Complex, the
first place you will find is the Holy
Rosary Catholic Church. It is called
by the local people as the Kalawar Church. The
word Kalawar is a corruption of Calvary, which
is derived from the name of the hill near Jerusalem
where Jesus Christ was crucified. It was built
in 1897 in the Neo-Gothic style of architecture.
The colourful stained glass of this church depicting
stories from the Old and New Testament is still
in its original condition though it is 105 years
old now.
From the Holy Rosary Church, turn left and continue
walking for a while, you will catch sight of the
Siam Commercial Bank, which is
the first commercial bank of Thailand run by Thais.
Built in 1904 (in the reign of King Rama V, 1868-1910),
its architectural style is of the Art Deco. Each
gable is unique with delicate patterns of stucco.
The surroundings are shady with a large bo tree
and a banyan tree.
Democracy
Monument |
From the bank, turn left and walk along the Sieng
Kong Zone, the oldest auto spare parts
business centre in Bangkok, you will arrive at
Pathum Khongkha Temple. Built
in the Ayutthaya period, it was commonly known
as "Sampheng Temple". The present name
"Pathum Khongkha" was given by King
Rama I (1782-1809) when the temple was renovated
for the first time. The ordination hall houses
a decorated principal image of Buddha named Phra
Buddha Mahajanaka in the posture of subduing Mara.
Mural paintings on the east wall depicting the
Buddha's victory over Mara were painted by the
same artisan who painted the Buddhaisawan Throne
Hall. At present, they have been restored to their
perfect condition.
From the temple, walk to Wanit I Road
and you will enter Sampheng shopping centre,
an old Chinese community originally residing in
the Grand Palace area but moved to outside the
city wall by order of King Rama I who was establishing
his capital at Rattanakosin Island in 1782. Various
kinds of goods, mostly for wholesale, ranging
from sewing instruments to souvenirs are available
here. The narrow street is usually crowded like
a marketplace. Walk on and on, you will come to
the end of Sampheng and face the intersection
of Chakkrawat Road.
Wat Thepthidaram |
Cross the road to Saphan Han and
Phahurat shopping area. There are
plenty of jewellery shops in this area. Moreover,
cloths, ready-made clothes, cosmetics, souvenirs
and snacks are sold along the way. Turn right into
Chakkraphet Road, on your right-hand side is the
Khlong Ong Ang Market where you
can purchase almost any kinds of toys. Next to it
is Nakhon Kasem Market, which is
the retail and wholesale market of machines and
musical instruments. Adjacent to this market is
Khlong Thom Market where thousands
of consumers come daily to buy electrical appliances
and sundry goods. Everything here is believed somewhat
cheaper than elsewhere because the stall-owners
pay just a nominal rent to the metropolitan administration.
These markets are off Yaowarat Road, which was developed
later than Sampheng. But before long, as international
trade started to grow, this road became the first
important business centre in Bangkok. Roast chestnuts
and imported products, chiefly from China such as
fruits and foodstuffs are symbol of Yaowarat. And
if you feel hungry, there are many choices of food
stalls and restaurants to select from, especially
in the evening when it becomes a paradise for gourmets.
Furthermore, Yaowarat is an ideal place for gold-lovers.
Scores of gold shops here are famous for their fine
craftmanship and high quality.
And after indulging yourself in shopping, you can
walk through Mangkon Road for about
200 m to a Chinese temple called Wat Mangkon
Kamalawat to pay homage to Chinese deities.
This was once the biggest Mahayana Buddhist temple
in Bangkok. During important festivals, like the
Chinese New Year and Vegetarian Festival, thousands
of Chinese Buddhists flock here to worship the Buddha.
Phukhao Thong
or Golden Mount |
Back on Yaowarat Road, walk further for 320 m,
you will notice the archway of Traimitwitthayaram
Temple or the Temple
of the Golden Buddha (or Wat Traimit
for short) on your left-hand side. The feature
of this temple is the largest 5.5 ton gold Buddha
image in the world whose name is Phra Sukhothai
Traimit. This is an image of Buddha in the posture
of subduing Mara made of pure gold. In the old
days, this image was covered with plaster to hide
it from the enemy invading Thailand at the end
of the Ayutthaya period. Later, when the image
was being moved to be enshrined in a new vihara,
the covering plaster was accidentally broken,
revealing the hidden radiance of gold. From the
temple, go for a further 50 metres and on your
right is The King's Birthday Celebration
Arch built by Chinese- Thais to show
their loyalty to King Bhumibol on his 72th birthday
anniversary on 5 December 1999. On the arch is
written four big Chinese characters in the handwriting
of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, meaning
"Long Live The King". This area is called
Odien circle. It is the last point of this walking
tour. Now walk along the Charoen Krung Road back
to the starting point, the River City Complex.
Though this route is less famous than that around
the Temple
of the Emerald Buddha and other routes nearby,
it is worth exploring because you will have a
chance to witness the lifestyles of local people
and at the same time, you will enjoy shopping
and bargaining many items along the route.
Special thanks to River City Shopping Complex,
to Rev. Fr. Joseph Suphakij Lertjitleakha of the
Holy Rosary Church and to Phra Ratrattanadilok
of Pathum Khongkha Temple for giving information
to Thaiways- Ed. |
