The Conservation of Thailand’s Sino-Thai Mercantile Heritage: Talad Phlu Canal Community of Bangkok

Worrasit Tantinipankul B.Arch. (Hons), M.L.A., Ph.D. School of Architecture and Design, KMUTT

Keyword

Historic District, Urban Community, Canal Community, Conservation, Cultural Heritage, Cultural Landscape, Thailand, Bangkok

Short Description

One of the last historic canal districts of Bangkok is facing serious threats from rapid urban growth due to the state’s development policies that neglect its values as the nation’s heritage.

Description

Historic urban communities in small towns across Thailand are disappearing as a result of growing industrial development across the region of Southeast Asia. Comprised of simple wood structures, these houses and shop houses reflect humble architectural craftsmanship and represent the unique patterns of early urban settlement, livelihood and culture in the Chao Phraya River Valley of the Central Plain of Thailand. And yet, this provincial urban cultural landscape does not figure into the official Thai conception of architectural heritage, which emphasizes mainly royal architecture and Buddhist structures.

This article focuses on the area of Talad Phlu, one of the historic canal communities along the old Chao Phraya River Oxbow of Thonburi district in the west of Bangkok. This canal community reveals a unique historical relationship with the historic district of Bangkok. The residents of this area are the descendants of Chinese merchants and low-ranking bureaucrats who served the ruling classes in the capital city of Bangkok before the modern development took place during the Cold War period. As of today, this urban canal neighborhood faces serious threats from development as the new mass transit lines and stations are under the construction across this last canal district of Bangkok.

This paper will highlight the social meaning and identity of the Talad Phlu historic urban canal community, examining its current problems resulting from the Thai state authority's development policies. Moreover, this article as a part of the research funded by the National Research Council of Thailand1 also touches

1 This paper is a part of “The Study of Community Capacity for Cultural Tourism Development in the Preservation of Historic Urban Communities along the Old Chao Phraya River loop of Thonburi area: Case of Communities in Talad Phlu and Wat Phonimit” funded by the National Research Council of Thailand. This research is a 1-year project conducted by the author and Dr. Budsaket Intrapasan, Atjaneeya Wongkitkanwanit, and Thayuth Thongpan under the School of Architecture and Design, King Mongkut University of Technology Thonburi. The article is a part of initial report of the project. upon the management problems of maintaining and preserving this local urban heritage and the community’s unique everyday activities, and also addresses the challenges that accompany the growing demand for tourism-related activities.

The Old Chao Phraya River Oxbow: Bangkok’s indigenous urban settlement

Bangkok has been known internationally as a canal town even before its inception as a capital city because of the canal networks connecting the flow of the city’s traffic to the Chao Phraya River. The canal network of Bangkok dates back to the Ayutthaya period when King Chairacha (1534–1546) ordered the excavation of a shortcut route to reduce travel time to the Gulf of Thailand. This shortcut was expanded as a result of the direct flow of the river, and is recognized by most Bangkok residents as part of the Chao Phraya River. Therefore, the old Chao Phraya River’s oxbow became a small channel referred to as a “khlong” or canal loop comprised of 3 parts; Bangkok Noi at the north, Chak Phra in the middle and Bang Luang at the south.

Map 1: The shortcut created in 1542 making Chao Phraya River into today the canal loop of Khlong Bangkok Noi, Chak Phra and Bang Luang

When King Taksin, whose father was a Chinese, established Thonburi as the new capital city of the kingdom in 1767, this canal loop of Khlong Bang Luang became an enclave of Chinese and Thai merchants turned bureaucrats working closely with the half-Chinese king. When his successor, King Rama I (r. 1782-1809), moved the capital across the river to the East side, which today is the Rattanakosin Historic District of Bangkok, most bureaucrats continued to live on the Thonburi side, serving the palace from the beginning of the Bangkok period through the end of the absolute monarchy (1932).

Since the beginning of the modernization period, Bangkok expanded rapidly, and road networks were built over the canals, especially on the east side of the Chao Phraya River. By contrast, the fabric of water-based urban communities in the Thonburi district were left intact, with their everyday life activities concentrating on the canal network. Together the lifeways and vernacular architecture constitute a unique cultural landscape in keeping with the World Heritage definition2 and represent the living history of the Rattanakosin Era.

Figure 1: Old wooden houses along the canal loop of Khlong Bangkok Noi, Chak Phra and Bang Luang

Bangkok’s indigenous canal communities: Cultural Landscapes in Danger

The canal communities along the old Chao Phraya River Oxbow are facing rapid deterioration as a result of four major factors; 1) no recognition as national heritage, 2) inadequate infrastructure and incompatible public facilities, 3) socio- economic changes, such as an aging population and 4) new urban development.

First, according to official documents, which articulate Thailand’s “authorized heritage discourse”3 (Smith 2006), the Fine Arts Department, Thailand’s state agency responsible for conservation recognizes primarily only heritage related to royal and Buddhist institutions. From its inception as a department in the Ministry of the Palace, the Fine Art Department has been influenced by prominent figures who regarded royal heritage as the nation’s heritage while the historic sites of commoners were largely ignored. With its small number of experts, today the institution is limited to protecting royally-related heritage sites and does not have much experience in terms of the conservation of living,

2 In the World Heritage Convention 1992, the Committee acknowledged that cultural landscapes represent the "combined works of nature and of man" designated in Article 1 of the Convention. They are illustrative of the evolution of human society and settlement over time, under the influence of the physical constraints and/or opportunities presented by their natural environment and of successive social, economic and cultural forces, both external and internal. Cultural landscapes fall into three main categories; first is the clearly defined landscape designed and created intentionally by man. The second category is the organically evolved landscape and the final category is the associative cultural landscape associated with powerful natural and religious elements. The area of Khlong Bang Luang also fits the category of the evolved landscape. 3 The term “authorized heritage discourse has been referred to grand and nationalistic narrative influenced by European scholars from the Western nations from 19th century to late modernity thus giving certain upper middle class and elites’ authority to dominate and arbitrate definitions, preferences and management of heritage. See more in Smith, Laurajane, Uses of Heritage. New York: Routledge, 2006. historic communities, although it has organized seminars supporting local advocacy and collaboration with communities since 19904.

Figure 2: Narrow road-limiting infrastructure to the community

Second, in terms of infrastructure, the narrow road networks inside canal communities are only for pedestrian and bicycle usage, therefore limiting Bangkok Metropolitan Auhority (BMA)’s capacity to provide standard sewage and trash collecting services, causing the illegal disposal of waste and refuse into the canal. Water and air pollution have followed. Moreover, the electric power, tap water and telecommunication lines provided by different authorities create visual chaos along the canal edge. Concrete barriers, water gateways and piers were installed by government agencies for protection from landslides and for safety purposes, but these unfit structures prohibit the flow and usage of water channels.

Figure 3: Concrete beams sustaining the water edge but prohibiting the use of canal and trash accumulating at the watergate

4 “Office of Archaeology” in , 96 years of the Establishment of the Fine Arts Department, 2007, 68. Third, looking at socio-economic factors, the population has declined as younger generations with higher education have moved out to live near the downtown business district and into suburban housing, leaving senior residents in old wood houses and shops. Some families moved out to further suburbs for better public facilities. Some vacant areas along the roads were transformed into modern housing developments, tenement houses, apartments and small factories therefore turning their back to the canal and bringing more newcomers and labor migrants to the area. The loud noise from long tail boats carrying tourists along the canal also disturbs the neighborhood.

Figure 4: Example of new housing developments turning backyard and wall to the canal instead of using it

Figure 5: Longtail boat carrying tourists for sightseeing of canal community generating loud noise along the canal

Finally, the urban development following major public infrastructural expansion of road networks, mass transit lines and stations could be detrimental to existing fabric of canal communities. The local roads began to expand in the 1960s, and since this time, had already impacted some communities, waterfront markets and orchards. The crossover bridges at the junction of local roads and canals were built too low for boats to pass. The construction of mass transit stations now underway will cut through the canal loop and creating the new neighborhood centers. The land value of the area will increase exponentially and thus compel the original owners of these old neighborhoods to sell their land for high-rise towers and condominiums, thereby erasing the historic urban canal communities of Bangkok.

Map 2: The area of Old Chao Phraya River Oxbow or canal loop of Bangkok Noi, Chakphra, and Bang Luang with the major roads and Mass transit lines. Talad Phlu is the area in red line. This map was produced by 4th year students in Architecture Program of School of Architecture and Design, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi in 2012

Talad Phlu Canal Community: A China Town of Western Bangkok

Talad Phlu is one of the canal communities located at the southern end of the old Chao Phraya River known as Khlong Bang Luang. Its famous name “Talad Phlu” means the market of the betel plant, which is a traditional stimulant (together with betel nut, or areca nut) found widely in Southeast Asia. The name reflects the historical settlement of the area that was comprised of bureaucrats who could hold the large land rented for growing betel plants, betel nut and other fruits. The waterfront markets and commercial strips were established later at the piers of the three temples along the canal as trade centers for the flourishing business of exchanging betel and Betel nuts for other products. Located at the junction of Khlong Bang Luang and two major canals (Dan and Phasi Charoen) to western region of Thailand, Talad Phlu was the trade depot to send goods to the west of Thailand. The Chinese ethnic group began to grow when the third monarch of Bangkok (Rama III) ordered the renovation of the local temples bringing more Chinese guilds and laborers to the area. Moreover, in this period, Chinese laborers were sent to work on sugarcane plantations and in factories in the western region of Thailand by Phasi Charoen Canal next to the Talad Phlu area.

Figure 6: Betel nut orchard dominating Talad Phlu and its canal neighborhood area of Thonburi in the past. Image from Thirana Chuangphichit and Sudara Sudchaya

By the reign of the fourth monarch, King Mongkut (r. 1851-1868), Talad Phlu was already well known as the Chinatown of Thonburi District, providing goods not only for Thais but also Chinese, such as fish from the south, rice and vegetables from the north, traditional herbal medicine, and sacred foods for offering during Chinese festivities. By the reign of King Chulalongkorn (r. 1868- 1910), Talad Phlu expanded greatly as a result of the arrival of the railroad in 1903, increasing the capacity to carry goods to and from the west and southern coastal towns of Thailand. Therefore, Talad Phlu featured all the services of a Chinatown, such as Chinese shrines with canteens for free vegetarian food, boat yards, rice mills, sawmills, gold shops, pawn shops, slaughter houses, Chinese operas houses, Lion dance troupes, liquor stores, casinos and opium dens.

The original road in the Talad Phlu Market was a small pedestrian walk, called Talad Phlu Road, running parallel to the waterfront passing three major temples and markets in the area. It was expanded in 1910 to accommodate a tramway. However, in 1931, the government of King Rama VII (r. 1925-1935) constructed the first bridge (Rama I Bridge) crossing over to the Thonburi District with a network of eleven roads. One of them, Thoedthai Road, was constructed along the old small Talad Phlu Road connecting to the first bridge across the Chao Phraya River to Bangkok.

Figure 7: Talad Phlu area at the junction of 2 canals: Khlong Dan and Khlong Bang Luang before modern era. The image retrieved from Sujit Wongthes, Where Bangkok from?, Bangkok: Matichon 2005.

Talad Phlu market began to decline and the new market opened near the traffic circle of a new intersection to the bridge, taking advantage of the new road network. Talad Phlu degenerated further when the nationalist government of Field Marshal Phibunsongkhram imposed the National Cultural Maintenance Law in 1945. The law prohibited the consumption of betel nut on the grounds that it fostered public indecency as people spit betel pulp on street. The landscape of Talad Phlu was transformed drastically as betel and betel nut orchards were flooded in the same year, and replaced with tenement houses and shop-houses to serve the Bangkok urban residents fleeing the bombs from Allied airplanes during WWII. During the nationalist regime, Chinese schools were forced to shut down.

After the WWII, more roads were constructed, transforming the patterns of everyday life of communities as they came to rely on road networks and develop more facilities along the road. The major highway to the south, Phetchakasem Road, which was erected in 1957, started from Rama I Bridge and passed through the south canal loop of Khlong Bang Luang to the western and southern regions. The ring road, Ratchadaphisek, was built in 1982, cutting through the Talad Phlu area to form the loop of freeways connecting western and eastern suburbs of Bangkok. The construction of new roads passing over Talad Phlu pier removed two theatres, which were vital nodes of activities of the old market. Instead, the road construction stimulated the development of high-rise apartments, massive shopping centers, and shophouses, all of which brought more migrants from outside communities and drove original landowners out to find other choices of living.

What is left for Talad Phlu?

The Talad Phlu community still possesses continuities with its past, particularly those that are linked to its traditional products and services, such as Chinese specialties for religious offerings and festivities, poultry, baked goods, Chinese noodles, herbal medicine, Thai dessert, woodcraft and the wholesale fresh market business. Old wooden shop houses along Thoedthai Road are still vital at night, offering traditional street foods such as Chinese noodles and desserts. The religious places and community centers such as Buddhist temples, Chinese shrines, schools and mosques continue to be the focus of cultural events and activities.

Figure 8: Food with advertisement board indicating the history and genealogy of the owners

However, the trades and services that gave Talad Phlu its original name--betel orchards, rice mills, sawmills, opium dens, and casinos--are long gone because of the changing economic and political situation. Some historic shop houses and residences constructed in wood and featuring Chinese classical details are clustered along the water’s edge, but are in a state of deterioration. The historic street of Talad Phlu has been reduced to a small pedestrian lane with dilapidated wooden houses, while transportation along the canal network is still in use but with more focus on tourism activities.

Map 3: Area of Talad Phlu with major temples of Wat Ratchakhrue, Wat Chantharam, Wat Intharam and Wat Phonimit

Map 4: Area of Talad Phlu with major unique shops selling local crafts and service in the area of Talad Phlu

While transformation is undoubtedly a feature of all urban landscapes, I argue that the historic site of Talad Phlu is an integral, historic part of the original urban settlement of Bangkok’s canal communities. It reveals the living history of petty bureaucrats, merchants and laborers from different ethnic groups, including Thai, Chinese, Mon, and Muslim Malay, who lived together and served the royal rulers from the beginning of the Bangkok period to the end of the absolute monarchy. Historically, it was also the node connecting Bangkok to the provincial towns in the western and southern regions of Thailand through the flow of canal networks. Talad Phlu, in particular, represents a largely ethnic Chinese community, which collaborated with the royal court since the establishment of Bangkok and the expansion of urban communities into the western provinces.

Heritage Tourism: New hope for reviving Bangkok’s historic canal communities?

Historically, the ethnic Chinese have long been the vital support of the crown’s financial stability, as they served as bureaucrats in various sectors, including trade business with China, tax collection, construction and medicine. Moreover, the royal court of Siam relied on paid Chinese laborers for the construction and sugar production that became the base of the state’s financial wealth. However, the ethnic Chinese population in Thailand was fragmented as a result of their different dialects, which generated conflicts and competition among the groups and with the Thai authorities that treated groups unevenly. During the third reign (r. 1809-1824), the Chinese laborers in sugar cane plantations revolted against Thai authorities, causing riots and deaths of more than 2000 Chinese men5. Moreover, Chinese immigrants traditionally sent financial support back home to China, which became a concern of royal elites. The relationship between Thai authorities and Chinese in Siam became more volatile at the turn of 20th century when political revolution in China took place and caused turmoil until the end of 1950s. The instability in China led to the growing discomfort among the government and Siamese elites who feared that that Chinese were transferring financial resources from Thailand to China and weakening the economy.

As mentioned previously, Thailand’s state conservation authorities focused mainly on royal heritage and overlooked most forms of heritage belonging to commoners. Given the history of tensions and conflicts, the heritage of Sino- Thais in Bangkok’s last canal communities is unlikely to gain attention from the government’s conservation agencies. In spite of their absence of recognition in the official, national heritage, historic canal communities have nevertheless gotten a boost from the tourism sector since the 1990s, as the demand for tourism activities in Thailand has changed significantly from historic monuments and ruins to the emerging trend of eco-tourism focusing on cultural landscapes of ordinary locals. Cultural heritage tourism, if properly managed, could improve the local economy and provide needed resources and attention to assist the historic conservation.6 In 2003, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) launched an international campaign-- ”Unseen Thailand”—to promote new tourist destinations in local areas.7 Recently, TAT’s marketing plan for 2012 includes “Thailand Experience and Smile” aimed at young students and youthful

4 G. William, Skinner, Chinese Society in Thailand : An Analytical History. Ithaca, Cornell University Press, 1957. 114.

6 Timothy, D J. and Nyaupane, Gyan Cultural Heritage and Tourism in the Developing World: A Regional Perspective. New York: Routledge. 2009. 7 http://www.asiatraveltips.com/travelnews03/206Unseen.shtml tourists in Asia, and seeks to incorporate small neighborhoods as new tourist destinations8.

Following up with the nation’s tourism agency, Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA)’s Office of Cultural, Sports and Tourism Promotion worked extensively with local communities throughout Bangkok to develop community tourism networks. Moreover, bicycling activities has increased globally, BMA’s agencies also implement bike routes and facilities in Bangkok and promote as a part of local community tourism network. The booklet “Amazing Bangkok in One Day” published by BMA’s Tourism Division portrays fifteen themes and routes to local neighborhoods of Bangkok. Moreover, it also distributes the map of walking and bicycling routes of local heritage within historic districts. Talad Phlu is one of fourteen neighborhoods from the old Chao Phraya River Oxbow in this campaign with the potential development of a waterfront bike route. Moreover, the Urban Renewal Division of the BMA also launched the development and conservation plans of seven historic neighborhoods in Bangkok and three of them including Talad Phlu are in the canal loop, while the Department of Transportation of the BMA also proposed the plan to improve the canal transportation safety and security networks for tourists. However, the plans of these BMA agencies lack collaboration among them and community. These projects could result in incompatible development along the canal loop of Khlong Bang Luang again.

Figure 9: The information inside “Amazing Bangkok in One Day” (produced by BMA’s office of Cultural, Sport and Tourism Promotion) portraying Talad Phlu as one of five unique historic communities of Bangkok.

8 Marketing Plan for Tourism in 2012. Tourism Authority of Thailand

Figure 10: The map for Bangkok Car Free Day (published by BMA) showing the historic communities in Rattanakosin Historic District of Bangkok and suggestion of bike route to visit communities

Conclusion Without proper unified long-term planning, conservation guidelines and community participation, these plans from different BMA’s local authorities could generate conflicts among them. Without a thorough evaluation of the community’s capacity and assessment of possible impacts, incompatible and unmitigated tourism activities and businesses could drive the local residents out of the area. This is analogous to what happening to historic sites elsewhere in the developing world, where globalization leads to either the rapid deterioration of indigenous urban fabrics or the commodification of historic places as artifacts for global consumption, disconnecting them from continuity and dynamic of community9.

The key factor for maintaining continuity and raising cultural heritage tourism is to focus on the community’s learning process and a shared recognition of their capacity to effect change as well as the value of their historical, natural and cultural resources. Community members must reach a consensus on management policies, types of services and products, and revenue redistribution. This agreement must ensure that tourism business is only secondary and will not transform the community’s core values, way of life and main occupations.

9 Zetter, Roger and Watson, Georgia B., Design for Sustainable City in Developing World. Ashgate Publishing, Burlington. 2006.

Moreover, the collaboration between local government and community is crucial to success, since the community needs the support of public facilities for maintaining its cultural and historical resources. However, most state agencies lack expertise in communicating with local communities, while communities also lack information. At this juncture, the academic institutions in architecture and urban planning can help by supporting community participation and workshops with all stakeholders. In addition, several architectural and urban planning programs in higher education have already initiated the process of documenting the tangible and intangible heritage of these communities, by surveying sites, sketching the historic structures and interviewing local residents.

Map 5: Inventory map for historic wooden structure of fish sauce warehouse in Talad Phlu Market

Figure 11: Draft Vernadoc drawings of the historic wooden structure of fish sauce warehouse

Figure 12: local residents in community helping students for measure drawing and preliminary drafting at site

One of the effective tools for fostering a sense of pride in local historic place is the method of Vernacular Documentation (Vernadoc10) combining realistic

10 The technique was developed by Finnish architect, Markku Matilla, and was introduced to ICOMOS CIAV Workshop in 2004. In Thailand, Vernadoc was initiated by Assistant Prof. Sudjit Sananwai of Faculty of Architecture, Rangsit University, as a method for documenting historic buildings by architecture students. The Vernadoc workshops had been organized for students from different universities to work for particular historic sites with the support of Assistant Prof. Sudjit Sananwai as mentor. rendering of atmosphere (shade, shadow and objects of everyday life usages) and architectural delineation of structures. Along with the process of survey measurement, the presence of students and volunteers asking about the history of the places encourages the owners and local neighborhood residents to recollect and recount the important elements of their local history. The completed drawings can also be part of the community’s historical record for local youth to understand and explore their history. Moreover, the drawings can be used as a starting point to stimulate local community participation in the process of cultural mapping to identify and document the locations of their intangible heritage. If done effectively and with cooperation of multiple agencies, these community-based heritage conservation efforts might yet save the Sino- Thai mercantile heritage of Bangkok for future generations.