Samphanthawong
Encyclopedia
Samphanthawong is one of the 50 districts (Khet) of Bangkok
, Thailand
. Regarded as Bangkok's Chinatown
, it is the smallest district in area but has the highest population density of Bangkok's districts. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Pom Prap Sattru Phai
, Bang Rak
, Khlong San
(across Chao Phraya River), and Phra Nakhon
.
. Nowadays, Yaowarat Road remains the heart of Bangkok's Chinatown.
The area now comprising Samphanthawong district was once three separate amphoe
s, Samphanthawong, Sam Yaek, and Chakkrawat established on 15 October 1915 where old amphoes were overhauled and replaced by 25 new amphoes to cover inner part of Bangkok. Amphoe Sam Yaek and Amphoe Chakkrawat were later merged into Amphoe Samphanthawong. The amphoe became Khet Samphanthawong in 1972. It is believed that the name Samphanthawong was derived from Wat Samphanthawongsaram, the temple near the district office when it was first built. Now the district office has moved to Yotha Road in Talat Noi sub-district.
The district is sub-divided into 3 sub-districts (Kwaeng).
(เยาวราช) is about 1.5 km in length. Along both sides, many gold shops and all kinds of Chinese restaurants: noodle
, rice
, dim sum
, bird's nest soup
, etc. can be found. More shops, especially those selling fruit and Chinese traditional medicine, can be found in the small lanes branching off the main road.
Recently, a gate was built to celebrate King Bhumibol
's 72nd birthday. It is located on Odeon Circle (named after a cinema that once stood nearby) at one end of Yaowarat Road.
s in the district are:
Many Chinese temples and shrine
s are also here, including:
The most famous Chinese temple in the area, Wat Mangkon Kamalawat
(วัดมังกรกมลาวาส), popularly known as Wat Leng Noei Yi (วัดเล่งเน่ยยี่), lies just outside Samphanthawong boundary in the neighboring Pom Prap Sattru Phai district.
. It was first built in 1787 during King Rama I period by settlers who migrated from Ayuthaya when the city was lost to Burma. The current building was constructed in 1890.
Upriver from the church is Thailand's first commercial bank building. The building was constructed in 1904 and called Book Club (บุคคลัภย์). It now houses a branch of Siam Commercial Bank
. Downriver from Holy Rosary Church is River City, a shopping center specializing in arts and antiques.
There are numerous markets around Samphanthawong. There are many shops and stalls along Yaowarat, Sampheng (now Wanit 1), and Charoen Krung roads, especially at night and during weekends. Saphan Lek, the older name of the bridge crossing Khlong Ong Ang canal on Charoen Krung Road
, is a narrow strip along both sides of Khlong Ong Ang with lots of small shops selling goods. It is particularly known as a center for game consoles. Nearby is Woeng Nakhon Kasem
(เวิ้งนครเกษม) or thieves market. The Khlong Thom Market (in Pom Prap Sattru Phai
district), a famous market for low cost goods and electronics, is a large area of several blocks on the opposite side of Charoen Krung Road. The small lanes inside the blocks are fully packed with stalls operating on Saturday nights till Sunday mornings.
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. Regarded as Bangkok's Chinatown
Chinatown
A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
, it is the smallest district in area but has the highest population density of Bangkok's districts. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Pom Prap Sattru Phai
Pom Prap Sattru Phai
Pom Prap Sattru Phai is one of the 50 districts of Bangkok, Thailand. Neighboring districts are Dusit, Ratchathewi, Pathum Wan, Bang Rak, Samphanthawong, and Phra Nakhon.-History:...
, Bang Rak
Bang Rak
Bang Rak is one of the 50 districts of Bangkok, Thailand. The district is bounded by four other districts : Pathum Wan, Sathon, Khlong San , and Samphanthawong. It was established in 1912.-History:...
, Khlong San
Khlong San
Khlong San is one of the 50 districts of Bangkok, Thailand. Located on the west bank of Chao Phraya River, neighboring districts across the river are Phra Nakhon, Samphanthawong, Bang Rak, Sathon, and Bang Kho Laem...
(across Chao Phraya River), and Phra Nakhon
Phra Nakhon
Phra Nakhon is one of the 50 districts of Bangkok, Thailand. It is the central district of Bangkok, including the Rattanakosin Island...
.
History
The area has been a Chinese community since the early days of Bangkok. Originally living in what is now the Phra Nakhon district, they were relocated here when the capital was set up. The narrow Sampheng Road (สำเพ็ง, now called Wanit I Road, วานิช 1) was the district's main street until Yaowarat Road was constructed in 1892 during the reign of King ChulalongkornChulalongkorn
Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramintharamaha Chulalongkorn Phra Chunla Chom Klao Chao Yu Hua , or Rama V was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri. He was known to the Siamese of his time as Phra Phuttha Chao Luang . He is considered one of the greatest kings of Siam...
. Nowadays, Yaowarat Road remains the heart of Bangkok's Chinatown.
The area now comprising Samphanthawong district was once three separate amphoe
Amphoe
An amphoe is the second level administrative subdivision of Thailand. Usually translated as district, amphoe make up the provinces, and are analogous to a county seat...
s, Samphanthawong, Sam Yaek, and Chakkrawat established on 15 October 1915 where old amphoes were overhauled and replaced by 25 new amphoes to cover inner part of Bangkok. Amphoe Sam Yaek and Amphoe Chakkrawat were later merged into Amphoe Samphanthawong. The amphoe became Khet Samphanthawong in 1972. It is believed that the name Samphanthawong was derived from Wat Samphanthawongsaram, the temple near the district office when it was first built. Now the district office has moved to Yotha Road in Talat Noi sub-district.
Administration
| 1. | Chakkrawat | จักรวรรดิ |
| 2. | Samphanthawong | สัมพันธวงศ์ |
| 3. | Talat Noi | ตลาดน้อย |
Yaowarat Road
Yaowarat RoadYaowarat Road
Bangkok's Chinatown is centered on Yaowarat Road in Samphanthawong district.The Chinatown is an old business center covering a large area around Yaowarat and Charoen Krung Road. There are many small streets and alleys full of shops and vendors selling all types of goods...
(เยาวราช) is about 1.5 km in length. Along both sides, many gold shops and all kinds of Chinese restaurants: noodle
Noodle
The noodle is a type of food, made from any of a variety of doughs, formed into long thin ribbons, strips, curly-cues, waves, helices, pipes, tubes, strings, or other various shapes, sometimes folded. They are usually cooked in a mixture of boiling water and/or oil. Depending upon the type, noodles...
, rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, dim sum
Dim sum
Dim sum refers to a style of Chinese food prepared as small bite-sized or individual portions of food traditionally served in small steamer baskets or on small plates...
, bird's nest soup
Bird's nest soup
Bird's nest soup is a delicacy in Chinese cuisine. A few species of swift, the cave swifts, are renowned for building the saliva nests used to produce the unique texture of this soup....
, etc. can be found. More shops, especially those selling fruit and Chinese traditional medicine, can be found in the small lanes branching off the main road.
Recently, a gate was built to celebrate King Bhumibol
Bhumibol Adulyadej
Bhumibol Adulyadej is the current King of Thailand. He is known as Rama IX...
's 72nd birthday. It is located on Odeon Circle (named after a cinema that once stood nearby) at one end of Yaowarat Road.
Temples and Shrines
Some of famous Thai Buddhist templeTemple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
s in the district are:
- Wat Traimit (วัดไตรมิตรวิทยารามวรวิหาร) is known for its giant Buddha image made from solid gold and weighing about 5.5 tons. The gold was hidden under plaster for centuries until being rediscoved in 1954.
- Wat Pathum Khongkha (วัดปทุมคงคา) is an ancient watWatA wat is a monastery temple in Cambodia, Thailand, or Laos. The word "wat" means "school".- Introduction :...
, renovated and renamed from Wat Sampheng during King Rama I period. - Wat Chakkrawat (วัดจักรวรรดิราชาวาสมหาวิหาร) or Wat Sam Pluem (วัดสามปลื้ม)
Many Chinese temples and shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
s are also here, including:
- Leng Buai Ia ShrineLeng Buai Ia ShrineThe Leng Buai Ia Shrine is a Chinese shrine, in the Samphanthawong district of Bangkok's Chinatown. It is located in a courtyard amongst a network of narrow alleys off Charoen Krung Road.-History:...
(ศาลเจ้าเล่งบ๊วยเอี๊ยะ), the oldest shrine in the area, about 300 years old. - Ah Nia Geng Shrine (ศาลเจ้าอาเนี้ยเก็ง) or Chue Pui Nia Nia Shrine (ศาลเจ้าฉื่อปุยเนี่ยเนี้ย), a shrine to Kuan YinKuan YinGuanyin is the bodhisattva associated with compassion as venerated by East Asian Buddhists, usually as a female. The name Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin which means "Observing the Sounds of the World". She is also sometimes referred to as Guanyin Pusa...
. - Guan Yu Shrine (ศาลเจ้าพ่อกวนอู), shrine to Guan YuGuan YuGuan Yu was a general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han Dynasty of China. He played a significant role in the civil war that led to the collapse of the Han Dynasty and the establishment of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period, of which Liu Bei was the...
and his horse Sek Tao. - Thien Fah Foundation (มูลนิธิเทียนฟ้า), the first foundation registered in Thailand, established to provide health care for the poor. Inside there is a Guan Yin shrine.
- Bunyasamakhom Shrine (ศาลเจ้าโรงเจบุญสมาคม)
The most famous Chinese temple in the area, Wat Mangkon Kamalawat
Wat Mangkon Kamalawat
Wat Mangkon Kamalawat , previously known as Wat Leng Noei Yi , is the largest and most important Chinese Buddhist temple in Bangkok, Thailand...
(วัดมังกรกมลาวาส), popularly known as Wat Leng Noei Yi (วัดเล่งเน่ยยี่), lies just outside Samphanthawong boundary in the neighboring Pom Prap Sattru Phai district.
Other Places
There are other places of historic interest in Samphanthawong. Wat Mae Phra Luk Prakham (วัดแม่พระลูกประคำ) or Holy Rosary Church, located on the bank of Chao Phraya River, is one of the oldest Catholic church in Bangkok. It is more widely known by its older name Wat Kalawar (วัดกาลหว่าร์), named after CalvaryCalvary
Calvary or Golgotha was the site, outside of ancient Jerusalem’s early first century walls, at which the crucifixion of Jesus is said to have occurred. Calvary and Golgotha are the English names for the site used in Western Christianity...
. It was first built in 1787 during King Rama I period by settlers who migrated from Ayuthaya when the city was lost to Burma. The current building was constructed in 1890.
Upriver from the church is Thailand's first commercial bank building. The building was constructed in 1904 and called Book Club (บุคคลัภย์). It now houses a branch of Siam Commercial Bank
Siam Commercial Bank
Siam Commercial Bank is a bank from Thailand, based in Bangkok.- History :Established by Royal Charter in 1907, Siam Commercial Bank PCL was Thailand's first bank. At the time of its establishment, the only banks in the country were branch offices of foreign banks...
. Downriver from Holy Rosary Church is River City, a shopping center specializing in arts and antiques.
There are numerous markets around Samphanthawong. There are many shops and stalls along Yaowarat, Sampheng (now Wanit 1), and Charoen Krung roads, especially at night and during weekends. Saphan Lek, the older name of the bridge crossing Khlong Ong Ang canal on Charoen Krung Road
Charoen Krung Road
Charoen Krung ) is a major road in Bangkok that runs roughly parallel to the Chao Phraya river. Part of it is considered Chinatown along with Yaowarat Road, part of it is closest major road to Phahurat , its northern terminus is the Grand Palace, it runs through Nakhon Kasem and Khlong Thom...
, is a narrow strip along both sides of Khlong Ong Ang with lots of small shops selling goods. It is particularly known as a center for game consoles. Nearby is Woeng Nakhon Kasem
Nakhon Kasem
Nakhon Kasem is a market in Samphanthawong district, Bangkok, Thailand. Popularly known as Thieves Market because in past it were mostly stolen goods which were sold there. Nowadays mostly imitation antiques, old furniture and brassware are sold there. This market is located at Charoen Krung Road....
(เวิ้งนครเกษม) or thieves market. The Khlong Thom Market (in Pom Prap Sattru Phai
Pom Prap Sattru Phai
Pom Prap Sattru Phai is one of the 50 districts of Bangkok, Thailand. Neighboring districts are Dusit, Ratchathewi, Pathum Wan, Bang Rak, Samphanthawong, and Phra Nakhon.-History:...
district), a famous market for low cost goods and electronics, is a large area of several blocks on the opposite side of Charoen Krung Road. The small lanes inside the blocks are fully packed with stalls operating on Saturday nights till Sunday mornings.
Festivals
Several Chinese festivals are held here yearly. Yaowarat Road is often closed to traffic during these periods.- Chinese New YearChinese New YearChinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...
Festival (เทศกาลตรุษจีน) is the biggest one with dragon danceDragon danceDragon dance is a form of traditional dance and performance in Chinese culture. Like the lion dance it is most often seen in festive celebrations. Many Chinese people often use the term "Descendants of the Dragon" as a sign of ethnic identity, as part of a trend started in the 1970s. Another...
s, lion danceLion danceLion dance is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture, in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume. The lion dance is often mistakenly referred to as dragon dance. An easy way to tell the difference is that a lion is operated by two people, while a dragon needs many people...
s, and people dressed in red. - Mid-Autumn FestivalMid-Autumn FestivalThe Mid-Autumn Festival , also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival or Zhongqiu Festival, is a popular lunar harvest festival celebrated by Chinese and Vietnamese people. A description of the festival first appeared in Rites of Zhou, a written collection of rituals of the Western Zhou...
(เทศกาลไหว้พระจันทร์) with shops selling mooncakeMooncakeMooncake is a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival / Zhongqiu Festival. The festival is for lunar worship and moon watching; mooncakes are regarded as an indispensable delicacy on this occasion. Mooncakes are offered between friends or on family gatherings...
s. - Chinese Vegetarian Food Festival (เทศกาลกินเจ) (1st to 9th day of 9th lunar monthLunar monthIn lunar calendars, a lunar month is the time between two identical syzygies . There are many variations. In Middle-Eastern and European traditions, the month starts when the young crescent moon becomes first visible at evening after conjunction with the Sun one or two days before that evening...
) is a nine-day period when many Chinese practice vegetarianism and dress in white. All over Yaowarat Road, vegetarian food stalls with yellow flags and the Chinese character 齋 in red can be seen. Some foods look like meat but are made from soybeans.