Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Understand
The Chinese Influence
In many ways Bangkok is a Chinese, as much as a Thai, city. The Chinese presence in Bangkok predates the
founding of the city, when Thonburi Si Mahasamut was little more than a Chinese trading outpost on Mae Nam
Chao Phraya. In the 1780s, during the construction of the new capital under Rama I (King Phraphutthayotfa; r
1782-1809), Hokkien, Teochew and Hakka Chinese were hired as labourers. Eventually these labourers and en-
trepreneurs were relocated to the districts of Yaowarat and Sampeng, today known as Bangkok's Chinatown.
Roots in Business
During the reign of Rama I, many Chinese began to move up in status and wealth. They controlled many of
Bangkok's shops and businesses, and because of increased trading ties with China, were responsible for an im-
mense expansion in Thailand's market economy. Visiting Euro- peans during the 1820s were astonished by the
number of Chinese trading ships on Mae Nam Chao Phraya, and some assumed that the Chinese formed the ma-
jority of Bangkok's population.
An Emerging Aristocracy
The newfound wealth of certain Chinese trading families created one of Thailand's first elite classes that was not
directly related to royalty. Known as
jôw sǒo·a
, these 'merchant lords' eventually obtained additional status by
accepting official posts and royal titles, as well as offering their daughters to the royal family. At one point, Rama
V (King Chulalongkorn; r 1868-1910) took a Chinese consort. Today it is believed that more than half of the
people in Bangkok can claim some Chinese ancestry.
Cultural Integration
During the reign of Rama III (King Phranangklao; r 1824-51), the Thai capital began to absorb many elements of
Chinese food, design, fashion and literature. By the beginning of the 20th century, the ubiquity of Chinese cul-
ture, coupled with the tendency of the Chinese men to marry Thai women and assimilate into Thai culture, had
resulted in relatively little difference between the Chinese and their Siamese counterparts.
