Samphanthawong
| Samphanthawong สัมพันธวงศ์ |
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| Data | |
| Province: | Bangkok |
| Surface: | 1.416 km² |
| Residents: | 26,932 (2013) |
| Population density : | 22,638.4 U / km² |
| ZIP : | 10100 |
| Geocode : | 1013 |
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| Bangkok boroughs | |
Samphanthawong ( Thai สัมพันธวงศ์ ) is one of the 50 districts (Khet) in Bangkok , the capital of Thailand . Samphanthawong is located on the east bank of the Mae Nam Chao Phraya ( Chao Phraya River ) southeast of the Phra Nakhon district. It is the smallest district of Bangkok in terms of area, at the same time the one with the smallest number of inhabitants and is commonly referred to as "Bangkok's Chinatown ". There are numerous commercial shops along Charoen Krung and Yaowarat Streets .
geography
Samphanthawong is bounded in the north by Thanon Charoen Krung (Charoen-Krung Road), in the east by Thanon Maha Phrutharam, in the south by Mae Nam Chao Phraya and in the west by Khlong Ong Ang.
The neighboring khet (districts) are clockwise from the north: Pom Prap Sattru Phai , Bang Rak , Khlong San (on the other bank of the Mae Nam Chao Phraya) and Phra Nakhon .
history
The Samphanthawong area has been inhabited by Chinese since the founding of Bangkok. Before Bangkok became the capital of the Siamese Empire in 1782 (during the so-called Rattanakosin period), a Chinese community lived on the grounds of what is now the Grand Palace. They were kindly "asked" by King Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I) to relocate their businesses to the "gardens", a then uninhabited area in front of the city, which is now known as "Sampeng". The narrow Sampheng Lane ( สำ เพ็ง , now called Wanit I Road , วานิช 1) was for a long time the main thoroughfare of Chinatown , "with a maze of narrow streets and nested buildings, as was common in the Middle Kingdom" ( Lit .: Van Beek , 1999). She was at that time also a notorious red-light district , where brothel -ranked brothel. The Chinese prostitutes allegedly all had to use the surname Kim. Today it is mainly cheap household goods, plastic toys, fabrics and textiles and devotional items for the locals that are sold here. The alley is so narrow that the goods have to be dragged on on their backs, vehicles cannot enter here.
In 1863, at the insistence of many Bangkok foreigners, the paved New Road ( Charoen Krung ) was added. After a devastating fire in 1891, King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) allowed the construction of a third thoroughfare, Yaowarat Road . Today Yaowarat Road is the heart of Bangkok's Chinatown.
While the total population of Bangkok has grown explosively since the 1980s, the population of Samphanthawong has steadily declined. Between 1987 and 2016 it even halved from over 50,000 to less than 25,000.
Thanon Yaowarat
The Yaowarat Road (Thai: ถนน เยาวราช - Thanon Yaowarat ) is about 1.5 km long. On both sides of the street there are numerous gold shops and all kinds of Chinese specialty restaurants , for noodle and rice dishes, dim sum or swallow's nest soup . There are other smaller shops for traditional Chinese medicine or fresh fruits, for devotional items or household goods in the countless tiny alleys that branch off from the main street.
A gate was inaugurated in 1999 on the occasion of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 72nd birthday . It is at the end of Yaowarat Road on the so-called Odeon Circle , a roundabout that is named after a cinema that once stood here.
At the corner of Yaowarat Road and Yaowanphanit Road is the two hundred year old Talat Kao (Thai: ตลาด เก่า - Old Market ). Here you will find a wide range of foods that are exotic even for Thailand.
Temples and shrines
There are some famous Thai Buddhist temples ( wat ) in this district :
- Wat Traimit ( วัด ไตรมิตร วิทยา ราม วรวิหาร ) is known for its huge Buddha statue , which is believed to be made of 5.5 tons of solid gold. The gold was hidden under a layer of plaster of paris for years until it was discovered by accident in 1955.
- Wat Pathum Khongkha ( วัด ปทุม คงคา ) is a very old temple that was renovated during the reign of King Phra Phutthayotfa (Rama I) .
- Wat Chakkrawat ( วัด จักรวรรดิ ราชา วา ส มหา วิหาร ) - also called Wat Sam Pluem ( วัด สาม ปลื้ม ).
There are also numerous Chinese temples and shrines, such as B .:
- Leng Buai Ia Shrine ( ศาล เจ้า เล่ ง บ๊วย เอี๊ ยะ ) - the oldest shrine in the district, it is said to be around 300 years old.
- Ah Nia Geng Shrine ( ศาล เจ้า อา เนี้ ย เก็ง ) - also Chue Pui Nia Nia Shrine ( ศาล เจ้า ฉื่ อ ปุย เนี่ ย เนี้ ย ) is dedicated to the goddess Kuan Yin .
- Guan U Shrine ( ศาล เจ้าพ่อ กวนอู ) - in honor of General Guan Yu and his horse Sek Tao.
- Bunyasamakhom Shrine ( ศาล เจ้า โรง เจ บุญ สมาคม )
- Thien Fa Foundation ( มูลนิธิ เทียน ฟ้า ) - the first registered foundation in Thailand to provide medical care for the poor. Inside is a Kuan Yin shrine.
The most famous Chinese temple in this area, Wat Leng Nei Yi ( วัด เล่ ง เน่ ย ยี่ , official name Wat Mangkon Kamalawat - วัด มังกร กมลา วา ส ), is located just outside the Samphanthawong district in neighboring Khet Pom Prap Sattru Phai .
More Attractions
- Wat Mae Phra Luk Prakham ( วัด แม่ พระ ลูกประคำ ) or Holy Rosary Church is one of the oldest Catholic churches in Bangkok. It is also known by its old name Wat Kalawar ( วัด กาล หว่า ร์ ), named after "Calvary", the English name for Golgotha . It was founded in 1787 by settlers who moved here after the destruction of the old capital Ayutthaya. The current building dates from 1890.
- Not far away is the building of the first commercial bank in Thailand. It was built in 1904 and then called the Book Club ( บุ ค ค ลัภย์ ). Today it houses the Siam Commercial Bank .
- Also not far away is River City , a shopping mall that specializes in art and antiques.
- Markets: There are many markets in the Samphanthawong district. There are many small shops along Yaowarat Road, Sampheng Lane (now Soi Wanit 1) and Charoen Krung Road, which are mainly open at night and on weekends. Saphan Lek is the old name of a bridge over the Khlong Ong Ang on Charoen Krung Road. The maze of narrow streets is known for many tiny stores that sell accessories for video game consoles. Not far away is the Woeng Nakhon Kasem ( เวิ้ง นคร เกษม ) district, also known as the “thieves' market”. However, no stolen goods are sold here, but antiques, agricultural equipment and musical instruments. Already in the neighboring district of Pom Prap Sattru Phai is the Khlong Thom Market with used and new tools.
Festivals
Numerous festivals are celebrated every year, and the entire Yaowarat Road is often closed to car traffic:
- Chinese New Year ( เทศกาล ตรุษจีน , Thesakan Trut Chin , varying between January 21st and February 21st) is the largest festival. The residents wear red clothes, and dragon dances are performed.
- Mid-Autumn Festival or Mid- Autumn Festival ( เทศกาล ไหว้ พระจันทร์ , Thesakan Wai Phra Chan , varies between September and early October) - many shops sell moon cakes.
- The festival of the nine imperial gods ( เทศกาล กินเจ , Thesakan Kin Che ) takes place from the first to the ninth day of the ninth month in the lunar calendar (according to the western calendar, end of September or October, after the moon festival). During this time, many Thai people of Chinese origin dress in white and forego certain foods, especially meat, fish, seafood and dairy products, but also garlic and onions, which is why the festival is also known as a "vegetarian festival". On the Thanon Yaowarat, cookshops will be set up offering vegetarian dishes. They are identified by yellow flags with a red " 齋 ". Some dishes look like meat has been processed, but in reality they are made with tofu .
traffic
The blue metro line with the Wat Mangkon stop runs along the northern edge of the district . On the Chao Phraya River, public express boats run to the Ratchawong and Marine Department (Krom Chao Tha) piers .
administration
The district is divided into three sub-districts ( Khwaeng ) :
| No. | Surname | Thai | Pop. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Chakkrawat | จักรวรรดิ | 8,237 |
| 2. | Samphanthawong | สัมพันธวงศ์ | 10,361 |
| 3. | Talat Noi | ตลาด น้อย | 8,334 |
literature
- Edward Van Roy: Sampheng - Bangkok's Chinatown Inside Out . Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 2007, ISBN 974-9990-33-1
- Steve Van Beek: Bangkok then and now . AB Publications, Nonthaburi 2001, ISBN 974-87616-2-2 (English original edition from 1999: ISBN 974-870639-7 )
Individual evidence
- ↑ 2013 population statistics ( Thai ) Department of Provincial Administration. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
Web links
- Samphanthawong District Office (in Thai)
- Samphanthawong Museum (in English)
Coordinates: 13 ° 44 ' N , 100 ° 31' E