Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE CHINESE INFLUENCE
In many ways Bangkok is a Chinese, as much as a Thai, city. The presence of the Chinese in Bangkok dates back
to before the founding of the city, when Thonburi Si Mahasamut was little more than a Chinese trading outpost on
Mae Nam Chao Phraya (Chao Phraya River). 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. The
Chinese already living in the area were relocated to the districts of Yaowarat and Sampeng, today known as
Bangkok's Chinatown.
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 Europeans 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.
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 sŏo·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. By the time of the 2001 census, more than
half the people in Bangkok were able to lay claim to some Chinese ancestry.
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. This growing ubiquity of Chinese culture, coupled with the tend-
ency of the Chinese men to marry Thai women and assimilate into Thai culture, had, by the beginning of the 20th
century, resulted in relatively little difference between the Chinese and their Siamese counterparts.
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