Samphanthawong ( th, สัมพันธวงศ์, ) is one of the 50 districts (khet) of

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in 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 estimated populati ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. Regarded as

Bangkok's Chinatown Bangkok's Chinatown is one of the largest Chinatowns in the world. It was founded in 1782 when the city was established as the capital of the Rattanakosin Kingdom, and served as the home of the mainly Teochew immigrant Chinese population, who ...

, 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 ( th, ป้อมปราบศัตรูพ่าย, , or popularly just called Pom Prap, ) is one of the 50 districts (khet) of Bangkok, Thailand. Neighbouring districts are (from north clockwise) Dusit, Pathum Wan, ...

, Bang Rak, Khlong San (across Chao Phraya River), and Phra Nakhon.

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 Lane Sampheng ( th, สำเพ็ง, ) is a historic List of neighbourhoods in Bangkok, neighbourhood and market in Bangkok's Chinatown, in Samphanthawong District. It was settled during the establishment of Bangkok in 1782 by Teochew people, Teoch ...

(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 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� ...

. Sampheng Lane is depicted on the back of series 15 20

baht The baht (; th, บาท, ; sign: ฿; code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). The issuance of currency is the responsibility of the Bank of Thailand. SWIFT ranked the Thai baht as the 10th-m ...

banknotes, to commemorate an important post-World War II visit by young king

Rama VIII Ananda Mahidol ( th, พระบาทสมเด็จพระปรเมนทรมหาอานันทมหิดล; ; 20 September 1925 – 9 June 1946), posthumous reigning title Phra Athamaramathibodin ( th, พระอั� ...

(accompanied by HM's brother, Prince Bhumibol, with his ever-present camera). Nowadays, Yaowarat Road remains the heart of Bangkok's Chinatown. The area now in the Samphanthawong district was once three separate

amphoe An amphoe (sometimes also ''amphur'', th, อำเภอ, )—usually translated as "district"—is the second level administrative subdivision of Thailand. Groups of ''amphoe'' or districts make up the provinces, and are analogous to count ...

s, Samphanthawong, Sam Yaek, and Chakkrawat, established on 15 October 1915 when old districts were overhauled and replaced by 25 new districts to cover inner Bangkok. Sam Yaek District and Chakkrawat District were later merged into Samphanthawong District. The district became Khet Samphanthawong in 1972. It is believed that the name ''Samphanthawong'' was derived from ''

Wat Samphanthawongsaram Wat Samphanthawongsaram Worawiharn ( th, วัดสัมพันธวงศาราม วรวิหาร), also known in short Wat Samphanthawongsaram is a third grade royal Buddhist temple of Worawihan in Dhammayuttika Nikaya sect. I ...

'', 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

The district is divided into three sub-districts (''khwaeng'').

Yaowarat Road

Yaowarat Road (เยาวราช) is about 1.5 km in length. Along both sides, gold shops and Chinese restaurants: noodles,

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

dim sum Dim sum () is a large range of small Chinese dishes that are traditionally enjoyed in restaurants for brunch. Most modern dim sum dishes are commonly associated with Cantonese cuisine, although dim sum dishes also exist in other Chinese cuis ...

, bird's nest soup are found. More shops, especially those selling fruit and Chinese traditional medicine, can be found in the small lanes branching off the main road. A gate was built to celebrate King Bhumibol's 72nd birthday. It is on

Odeon Circle Odeon Circle and Chinese gate., 300px Odeon Circle or Wongwian Odeon ( th, วงเวียนโอเดียน, ; zh, 崇聖牌樓; pinyin: ''Chóng shèng páilóu'') is a roundabout in Bangkok. It is the intersection of Yaowarat, Charoen ...

, (named after a cinema that once stood nearby) at end of Yaowarat Road.

Temples and shrines

Some of well-known Thai Buddhist Temples in the district are: *

Wat Traimit The Golden Buddha, officially titled Phra Phuttha Maha Suwanna Patimakon ( th, พระพุทธมหาสุวรรณปฏิมากร; sa, Buddhamahāsuvarṇapaṭimākara), commonly known in Thai as Phra Sukhothai Traimit ( th, ...

(วัดไตรมิตรวิทยารามวรวิหาร) is known for its giant Buddha image made from solid gold and weighing about 5.5

tonne The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the short ton ( United State ...

s. The gold was hidden under plaster for centuries until being rediscovered in 1954. * Wat Pathum Khongkha (วัดปทุมคงคา) is an ancient wat, renovated and renamed Wat Sampheng during the King

Rama I Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok Maharaj (, 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), personal name Thongduang (), also known as Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom and the first monarch of the reigning Chakri dynasty of Siam (now T ...

period. * Wat Chakkrawat (วัดจักรวรรดิราชาวาสมหาวิหาร) or Wat Sam Pluem (วัดสามปลื้ม) *

(วัดสัมพันธวงศาราม วรวิหาร) or Wat Ko (วัดเกาะ), a Dhammayuttika temple. Its name is the origin of the district's name and was Dan Beach Bradley's first residence in Thailand. Many

Chinese temples Chinese temple architecture refer to a type of structures used as place of worship of Chinese Buddhism, Taoism or Chinese folk religion, where people revere ethnic Chinese gods and ancestors. They can be classified as: * '' miào'' () or ''d ...

and shrines are also here, including: *

Leng Buai Ia Shrine Leng Buai Ia Shrine ( th, ศาลเจ้าเล่งบ๊วยเอี๊ยะ; zh, 龍尾古廟) is a Chinese shrine, in the Samphanthawong district of Bangkok's Chinatown. It is located in a courtyard among a network of narrow all ...

(ศาลเจ้าเล่งบ๊วยเอี๊ยะ), the oldest shrine in the area, about 300 years old, is considered the oldest Teochew shrine in Thailand. * Ah Nia Geng Shrine (ศาลเจ้าอาเนี้ยเก็ง) or Chue Pui Nia Nia Shrine (ศาลเจ้าฉื่อปุยเนี่ยเนี้ย), a shrine to

Kuan Yin Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She w ...

. * Guan Di Shrine (ศาลเจ้าพ่อกวนอู), shrine to Lord Guan and His horse Sek Tao, in Talat Khao. * Thien Fah Foundation (มูลนิธิเทียนฟ้า), the first foundation registered in Thailand, established to provide health care for the poor. There is a

Guan Yin Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She w ...

shrine inside the hospital. * Bunyasamakhom Shrine (ศาลเจ้าโรงเจบุญสมาคม) * Chó-su-kong Shrine (ศาลเจ้าโจวซือก๋ง), a shrine to Qing Shui Zu Shi, the oldest

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...

shrine in Thailand, in Talat Noi, used to organize the largest Chinese vegetarian food festival in the country. The most famous Chinese temple in the area,

Wat Mangkon Kamalawat Wat Mangkon Kamalawat ( th, วัดมังกรกมลาวาส, ), previously (and still commonly) known as Wat Leng Noei Yi ( th, วัดเล่งเน่ยยี่, ; ), is the largest and most important Chinese Buddhist temp ...

(วัดมังกรกมลาวาส), popularly known as Wat Leng Noei Yi (วัดเล่งเน่ยยี่), lies just outside the Samphanthawong boundary in the neighboring

District.

Other places

There are other places of historic interest in Samphanthawong. Wat Mae Phra Luk Prakham (วัดแม่พระลูกประคำ) or Holy Rosary Church, on the bank of Chao Phraya River, is one of the oldest Catholic churches in Bangkok. It is more widely known by its older name, Wat Kalawar (วัดกาลหว่าร์), named after

Calvary Calvary ( la, Calvariae or ) or Golgotha ( grc-gre, Γολγοθᾶ, ''Golgothâ'') was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where Jesus was said to have been crucified according to the canonical Gospels. Since at least the early medie ...

. It was first built in 1787 during King

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 houses the Talat Noi Branch of Siam Commercial Bank. Downriver from Holy Rosary Church is

River City Shopping Complex River City Bangkok, The Anchor of Arts & Antiques (RCB) is a shopping center in Bangkok, Thailand. It is on the Chao Phraya River on the Si Phraya Pier near many large hotels. It is accessible by car or boat. History River City Bangkok, The An ...

, 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 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 ...

, the older name of the bridge crossing Khlong Ong Ang canal on

Charoen Krung Road Shophouses along Charoen Krung road with the Sathorn Unique Tower in the vicinity (2021) Charoen Krung Road ( th, ถนนเจริญกรุง, ) is a major road in Bangkok and the first in Thailand to be built using modern construction ...

, is a narrow strip along both sides of Khlong Ong Ang with small shops selling goods. Nearby is

Woeng Nakhon Khasem 250px, The gate of the Woeng Nakhon Khasem on Charoen Krung side in 2016. Woeng Nakhon Khasem (, ) is a market in the Samphanthawong District, Bangkok, Thailand. It is popularly known as the "Thieves Market" as formerly mostly stolen goods were sol ...

(เวิ้งนาครเขษม) or "thieves market". The Khlong Thom Market (in

District), once 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 were fully packed with stalls operating on Saturday nights till Sunday mornings, but it is now closed as part of a pavement cleanup campaign in March 2015.Bangkok's Khlong Thom 'Dark Market' set to become latest casualty of junta's cleanup
''The Nation'', 28 February 2015

Festivals

Several Chinese festivals are held here yearly. Yaowarat Road is often closed to traffic during these periods. *

Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. In Chinese and other East Asian cultures, the festival is commonly referred to as the Spring Festival () a ...

Festival (เทศกาลตรุษจีน) is the biggest festival with dragon dances, lion dances, and people dressed in red. *

Mid-Autumn Festival The Mid-Autumn Festival ( Chinese: / ), also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a traditional festival celebrated in Chinese culture. Similar holidays are celebrated in Japan (), Korea (), Vietnam (), and other countries in E ...

(เทศกาลไหว้พระจันทร์) with shops selling

mooncake A mooncake () is a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節). The festival is about lunar appreciation and Moon watching, and mooncakes are regarded as a delicacy. Mooncakes are offered between ...

s. * Chinese Vegetarian Food Festival (เทศกาลกินเจ) (1st to 9th day of 9th

lunar month In lunar calendars, a lunar month is the time between two successive syzygies of the same type: new moons or full moons. The precise definition varies, especially for the beginning of the month. Variations In Shona, Middle Eastern, and Eur ...

) 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 The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu ...

Gallery

file:2016 Bangkok, Dystrykt Samphanthawong, Ulica Yaowarat (12).jpg, Street food vendors in front of Talat Khao (ตลาดเก่า) or Old Market side of Yaowarat Road file:2016 Bangkok, Dystrykt Samphanthawong, Wejście na ulicę Charoen Krung 10 (02).jpg, Entrance of Thieves' Market or commonly known as Woeng Nakhon Kasem, a historic shopping district in the district file:Chinatown Bangkok.jpg, Atmosphere of Soi Wanit 1 or better known as Sampheng, the main marketplace in Samphanthawong District Sampeng Lane in Bangkok's Chinatown, Bangkok, Thailand.jpg, Sampeng Lane Sampeng Lane, Bangkok's Chinatown, Bangkok, Thailand.jpg, Sampeng Lane file:River City Bangkok.jpg, River City Shopping Complex, a shopping center by the

Chao Phraya River The Chao Phraya ( or ; th, แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา, , or ) is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. ...

next to Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel in Bang Rak District file:0005387 - Wat Traimitr Withayaram 001.jpg,

at night file:วัดจักรวรรดิราชาวาสวรมหาวิหาร Wat Chakkrawat Rachawat Woramahawiharn (17).jpg, Principal Buddha image at Wat Chakkrawat file:Bangkok Yaowarat1.jpg, The colours of Yaowarat Road at night file:ธนาคารไทยพาณิชย์ สาขาตลาดน้อย Siam Commercial Bank Talat Noi Branch (1).JPG, Historic Siam Commercial Bank, Talat Noi Branch image:วัดแม่พระลูกประคำ เขตสัมพันธวงศ์ กรุงเทพมหานคร.jpg, Holy Rosary Church from mid-Chao Phraya River File:Thien Fa New Year.jpg, Thien Fah Foundation open at night during Chinese New Year

Notable people

* Puey Ungphakorn: economist * Kunoi Vithichai: professional boxer *

Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi ( th, เจริญ สิริวัฒนภักดี; ; ; born 2 May 1944) is a Thai business magnate and investor. He is the founder of Thai Beverage, and the chairman of conglomerates TCC Group and Fraser ...

: businessman *

Chuwit Kamolvisit Chuwit Kamolvisit ( th, ชูวิทย์ กมลวิศิษฎ์; ; born 29 August 1961) is a controversial Thailand, Thai politician who was once the country's biggest massage parlour owner, known as the "tub tycoon". After an arres ...

(Davis Kamol): businessman, politician, TV host

References

External links

BMA website with the tourist landmarks of Samphanthawong

Wat Traimit
(Thai)

(Thai)

(Thai) {{Khet Bangkok Samphanthawong district, Districts of Bangkok Chinatowns in Asia