250px, Saphan Han Saphan Han ( th, สะพานหัน, ) is a small bridge over the Khlong Rop Krung (Rop Krung canal; lit: ''around the city canal''), also known as Khlong Ong Ang (Ong Ang canal; lit: ''canal of jars and pots'') in the areas of

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

Chakkrawat 250px, '' Prang'' (pagoda in Khmer-style) of Wat Chakkrawat, the origin of the area's name. Chakkrawat ( th, จักรวรรดิ, ) is a '' khwaeng'' (subdistrict) of Samphanthawong district, Bangkok. History In the year 1915, correspon ...

sub-district,

Samphanthawong Samphanthawong ( th, สัมพันธวงศ์, ) 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. ...

district and Wang Burapha Phirom sub-district, Phra Nakhon district. It is also the name of the surrounding area. The bridge was built along with the excavation of the Khlong Rop Krung at the beginning of Rattanakosin (presently Bangkok) in the reign of King Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I). At that time Saphan Han was a bridge made of a single plank for people crossing from outer city to inner city. On side was firmly fixed while the other side laid across the opposite side without fixing which could be turned for the boat to pass. Hence the name "Saphan Han", which means "turntable bridge" or "swing bridge". In the

Ayutthaya period The Ayutthaya Kingdom (; th, อยุธยา, , IAST: or , ) was a Siamese kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. The Ayutthaya Kingdom is conside ...

, it was noted that there are similar bridges at Khlong Takhian (Takhian canal; lit: '' Hopea odorata canal'') and Khlong Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon ( Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon's canal). This type of bridge can be found everywhere in Bangkok and other provinces in old days. left, 250px, Saphan Han in Chulalongkorn's reign. Later in the reign of King

Phutthaloetla Naphalai Phra Phutthaloetla Naphalai ( th, พระพุทธเลิศหล้านภาลัย, 24 February 1767 – 21 July 1824), personal name Chim ( th, ฉิม), also styled as Rama II, was the second monarch of Siam under the Chakri ...

(Rama II), when Saphan Han disintegrated. It has been rebuilt with two planks and can't turn the same again. In the reign of

King Mongkut Mongkut ( th, มงกุฏ; 18 October 18041 October 1868) was the fourth monarch of Siam (Thailand) under the House of Chakri, titled Rama IV. He ruled from 1851 to 1868. His full title in Thai was ''Phra Bat Somdet Phra Menthora Ramathibod ...

(Rama IV), the steel frame was added to the bridge and its floor was still movable with the aid pulley to open for the boat to pass through. During the reign of

King Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn ( th, จุฬาลงกรณ์, 20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, titled Rama V. He was known to the Siamese of his time as ''Phra Phuttha Chao Luang'' (พร� ...

(Rama V) was rebuilt as a corridor wooden bridge with a width of about 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in), the interior was also divided into small rooms for sale. It was based on the Rialto bridge in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

and the

Ponte Vecchio The Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge", ) is a medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River, in Florence, Italy. The only bridge in Florence spared from destruction during the Second World War, it is noted for the shops bui ...

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

, both of which are historic bridges in Italy. Including there are also walkways and small

shophouse A shophouse is a building type serving both as a residence and a commercial business. It is defined in dictionary as a building type found in Southeast Asia that is "a shop opening on to the pavement and also used as the owner's residence", a ...

s on each side of the canal, to be a center of trade as well. For the current Saphan Han is a reinforced concrete bridge built in 1962, but the name of the bridge remains the same as a memorial to commemorate the first bridge that was constructed. During the reigns of King Mongkut and King Chulalongkorn, Saphan Han was considered one of the most important and bustling shopping district of Bangkok. Since it was in the end of

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

Yaowarat Yaowarat Road ( th, ถนนเยาวราช, ; ) in Samphanthawong District is the main artery of Bangkok's Chinatown. Modern Chinatown now covers a large area around Yaowarat and Charoen Krung Road. It has been the main centre for trading ...

was the main artery and opposite to

Little India Little India or India Town (less commonly known as Indian Street or India Bazaar) is an Indian or Desi (South Asian) sociocultural environment outside India or the subcontinent. It especially refers to an area with Indian residences and a dive ...

or Phahurat neighbourhood. It was the residence of the Indians in Thailand. In those days, it was full of business and commerce, such as fruits from abroad,

canned food Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container (jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although un ...

s, chewing tobaccos and

herbs In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

, as well as businesses that were illegal and prone to immorals, such as gambling houses,

opium dens An opium den was an establishment in which opium was sold and smoked. Opium dens were prevalent in many parts of the world in the 19th century, most notably China, Southeast Asia, North America, and France. Throughout the West, opium dens were ...

and

brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...

s. In addition, it was also close to many landmarks viz

Saphan Lek 250px, Saphan Lek or Damrong Sathit Bridge in 2014 Saphan Lek ( th, สะพานเหล็ก, , ) is the name of a bridge and a now-extinct makeshift market near the bridge in Bangkok. Now officially known as Damrong Sathit Bridge (, ), the b ...

, Wang Burapha, Thieves' Market or better known as Woeng Nakhon Khasem, etc. Today, Saphan Han remains an important and bustling shopping district, as in the past. It is full of shops in the form of a shophouse. There're many kinds of goods sold, such as clothing, fresh and dried food, fruits, kitchenwares, kid toys, cosmetics, buttons, fabrics, textiles, and mostly ladies' items. It is considered to be the tip of Sampheng or the official name Soi Wanit 1, the long narrow lane lined from the center of Yaowarat. Sampeng is divided into three parts: first part starts from Song Sawat road near Song Wat road and separated by Ratchawong road near Ratchawong pier, the second part starts from Ratchawong road and separated by Chakkrawat road near Wat Tuek intersection, and third part begins from Chakkrawat road through Saphan Han as far as terminating at Chak Phet road opposite to Phahurat. In this phase also known as "Trok Hua Med" (ตรอกหัวเม็ด), and although it is only a narrow and busy lane, it is also home to two Chinese shrines, Pung Tao Kong shrine and Chun Sieng Chow Sue shrine. Since October 2015, the Thai government has a policy to improve the scenery of the Khlong Rop Krung and Khlong Ong Ang, include there are also renovate five bridges in a row viz Saphan Lek, Bhanubandhu bridge, Saphan Han, Borphitphimuk bridge, and Osathanond bridge is the last at the area of

Phra Pok Klao bridge Phra Pok Klao Bridge ( th, สะพานพระปกเกล้า, , ) is a bridge crossing the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand. It serves to connect the two sides of the Chao Phraya River in the Bangkok area, namely Phra Nakhon Dis ...

's foot, which cross to

Thonburi __NOTOC__ Thonburi ( th, ธนบุรี) is an area of modern Bangkok. During the era of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, its location on the right (west) bank at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River had made it an important garrison town, which is ...

side. The demolition of various shophouses surrounding it, such as Saphan Lek, or Khlong Thom, Saphan Han is one of them. When the stores next to the canal were demolished, the bridge can be seen clearly after being covered for over 40 years.

References

External links

* * category:Shopping districts and streets in Bangkok category:Neighbourhoods of Bangkok category:Chinese-Thai culture Samphanthawong district Phra Nakhon district category:Bridges in Bangkok {{coord, 13, 44, 39.04, N, 100, 30, 12.07, E, type:adm3rd_region:TH-10, display=title

See also

References

External links