BANGKOK
BANGKOKSIGHTSBANGKOKSIGHTScourtyard behind the bòht exhibits 53 Bud-
dha images (33 originals and 20 copies) rep-
resenting famous fi gures and styles from all
over Thailand and other Buddhist countries.
Dusit Palace Park ROYA L PA L AC E
(วังสวนดุสิต; Map p 96 ; bounded by Th Ratchawithi, Th
U- Thong Nai & Th Ratchasima; adult/child 100/50B
or free with Grand Palace ticket; h9.30am-4pm;
bus 18, 28, 515) Following Rama V’s fi rst Eu-
ropean tour in 1897 (he was the fi rst Thai
monarch to visit the continent), he returned
home with visions of European castles swim-
ming in his head and set about transforming
these styles into a uniquely Thai expression,
today’s Dusit Palace Park. The royal palace,
throne hall and minor palaces for extended
family were all moved here from Ko Ra-
tanakosin, the ancient royal court. Today the
current king has yet another home and this
complex now holds a house museum and
other cultural collections.
Originally constructed on Ko Si Chang in
1868 and moved to the present site in 1910,
Vimanmaek Teak Mansion contains 81
rooms, halls and anterooms, and is said to
be the world’s largest golden-teak building,
allegedly built without the use of a single
nail. The mansion was the fi rst permanent
building on the Dusit Palace grounds, and
served as Rama V’s residence in the early
1900s. The interior of the mansion con-
tains various personal eff ects of the king
and a treasure trove of early Ratanakosin
art objects and antiques. Compulsory tours
(in English) leave every half-hour between
9.45am and 3.15pm, and last about an hour.
The nearby Ancient Cloth Museum
presents a beautiful collection of traditional
silks and cottons that make up the royal
cloth collection.
Originally built as a throne hall for Rama V
in 1904, the smaller Abhisek Dusit Throne
Hall is typical of the fi ner architecture of
the era. Victorian-infl uenced gingerbread
architecture and Moorish porticoes blend to
create a striking and distinctly Thai exterior.
The hall houses an excellent display of re-
gional handiwork crafted by members of the
Promotion of Supplementary Occupations &
Related Techniques (Support) foundation, an
organisation sponsored by Queen Sirikit.
Near the Th U-Thong Nai entrance, two
large stables that once housed three white
elephants – animals whose auspicious al-
binism automatically make them crown
property – are now the Royal Elephant
Museum. One of the structures contains
artefacts and photos outlining the impor-
tance of elephants in Thai history and ex-
plaining their various rankings according toTHE CHINESE INFLUENCEIn many ways Bangkok is as much a Chinese city as it is Thai. The presence of the
Chinese in Bangkok dates back to before the founding of the city, when Thonburi Si Ma-
hasamut was little more than a Chinese trading outpost on the Chao Phraya River. In the
1780s, during the construction of the new capital under Rama I, Hokkien, Teochiew and
Hakka Chinese were hired as coolies and 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 King 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 immense expansion in Thailand’s market
economy. Visiting Europeans during the 1820s were astonished by the number of Chi-
nese trading ships in the Chao Phraya River, and some assumed that the Chinese formed
the majority of Bangkok’s population.
The newfound wealth of certain Chinese trading families created one of Thailand’s fi rst
elite classes that was not directly related to royalty. Known as jôw sŏo·a, these ‘merchant
lords’ eventually obtained additional status by accepting offi cial posts and royal titles, as
well as off ering their daughters to the royal family. Today it is thought that more than half
of the people in Bangkok can claim some Chinese ancestry.
During the reign of Rama III, the Thai capital began to absorb many elements of Chi-
nese food, design, fashion and literature. The growing ubiquity of Chinese culture, cou-
pled with the tendency of the Chinese men to marry Thai women and assimilate into Thai
culture, meant that by the beginning of the 20th century there was relatively little that
distinguished many Chinese from their Siamese counterparts.