Yaowarat Road ( th, ถนนเยาวราช, ; ) in

Samphanthawong District 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. ...

is the main artery of

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 ...

. Modern Chinatown now covers a large area around Yaowarat and

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 ...

. It has been the main centre for trading by the Chinese community since they moved from their old site some 200 years ago to make way for the construction of

Wat Phra Kaew Wat Phra Kaew ( th, วัดพระแก้ว, , ), commonly known in English as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and officially as Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram, is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. The complex c ...

, the

Grand Palace The Grand Palace ( th, พระบรมมหาราชวัง, Royal Institute of Thailand. (2011). ''How to read and how to write.'' (20th Edition). Bangkok: Royal Institute of Thailand. .) is a complex of buildings at the heart of Ba ...

. Nearby is the Phahurat or Little India. The area is bordered 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. ...

to the south. Yaowarat Road is well known for its variety of foodstuffs, and at night turns into a large "food street" that draws tourists and locals from all over the city.

History

Chinatown is in one of the oldest areas of Bangkok. It is the result of the resettlement of Chinese on the west bank of Chao Phraya River after 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 ...

moved the capital of the kingdom from

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 ...

to Rattanakosin. From there Chinese traders operated maritime junk trade between (

Siam 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 bo ...

) and China throughout the Rattanakosin period. By the end of 1891, King

Rama V 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� ...

had ordered the construction of many roads, including Yaowarat Road. Chinatown does not consist of only Yaowarat Road, but also includes others such as

, Mangkon Road, Songwat Road, Songsawat Road,

Ratchawong Road Ratchawong Road ( th, ถนนราชวงศ์, ; lit: ''dynasty road'') is a road in Bangkok, Thailand. It is located in the area of Bangkok's Chinatown, or popularly known in Thai as Yaowarat. History The road was constructed by King Chu ...

, and Chakkrawat Road. Yaowarat's

Sampheng Sampheng ( th, สำเพ็ง, ) is a historic neighbourhood and market in Bangkok's Chinatown, in Samphanthawong District. It was settled during the establishment of Bangkok in 1782 by Teochew Chinese, and eventually grew into the surroundi ...

Market is the center of the area. The path of the road is said to resemble a dragon's curvy body, making it an auspicious location for business. Since it was built to avoid the existing cluster of houses of the people according the king's policy. Yaowarat is a road with a length of about 1.5 km (0.93 mi), 20 m (65 ft) wide and takes 8 years to build (1892–1900). There are many shops selling

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

garments Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...

textiles Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

stationery Stationery refers to commercially manufactured writing materials, including cut paper, envelopes, writing implements, continuous form paper, and other office supplies. Stationery includes materials to be written on by hand (e.g., letter pape ...

, souvenirs, second-hand parts and equipment, electric goods, computer parts, antiques, imported musical instruments and local delicacies. Based on 2002 data, there are 132 gold shops (including nearby), which is considered the area with the most gold shops in the world. Therefore, it was dubbed as "Golden Road" in tandem "Dragon Road". Land prices around Yaowarat Road have always been among the most expensive in Bangkok and Thailand due to limited land which is mostly owned by prominent

Thai-Chinese Thai Chinese (also known as Chinese Thais, Sino-Thais), Thais of Chinese origin ( th, ชาวไทยเชื้อสายจีน; ''exonym and also domestically''), endonym Thai people ( th, ชาวไทย), are Chinese descenda ...

families. This road was originally named "Yuppharat Road" and later changed to "Yaowarat Road", which means "young king", in honour to Prince

Vajirunhis Maha Vajirunhis, Crown Prince of Siam ( th, มหาวชิรุณหิศ; ; 27 June 1878 – 4 January 1895) was the first Crown Prince of the Chakri dynasty. He was the first son of King Chulalongkorn and Queen Savang Vadhana together, ...

, the first

crown prince of Thailand The Crown Prince of Thailand (or Siam; th, สยามมกุฎราชกุมาร; ; lit. the royal son of Siam) is a title held by the heir apparent to the Thai throne. First created by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) in 1886, for his so ...

, who was the first son of King Rama V. Before it was a road it was just rice fields and

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface f ...

s. In 1894, an electric tram car service passed through Charoen Krung and Yaowarat Roads, this service only ceased in 1968. Prior

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, regarded as the busiest area in Bangkok, it was the first road where the country's tallest buildings where situated, called seven-storeyed and nine-storeyed buildings on both sides of the road. There were many famous Chinese restaurants, Chaloem Buri Cinema the most modern one in that decade, many reliable gold shops as well as hundred of shops selling both fresh and preserved merchandised used for Chinese food cooking. At present, Yaowarat's significance is not fading. It is still one of the country's most busting commercial and delicious food district. Bkkthyaowarat060928a

On 3 June 1946, King

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

and his younger brother, Prince Bhumibol (later King Rama IX), visited Yaowarat and Sampheng by walking from morning until noon. This event is considered a milestone of Yaowarat and causing conflicts between Thais and Thais of Chinese descent, including overseas Chinese who live in Thailand to end. Nowadays, every

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 Yaowarat Road will become a venue for great celebrations. The road will be closed to completely turn into a pedestrian street. Princess

Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, The Princess Royal and Princess Debaratana Rajasuda ( th, มหาจักรีสิรินธร, ; ; born April 2, 1955), formerly Princess Sirindhorn Debaratanasuda Kitivadhanadulsobhak ( th, สมเ ...

has always presided over the opening ceremony, and since December 15, 2019 on every Sunday, this road from 07:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. will be completely closed to become a pedestrian street (only section Chaloem Buri to Ratchawong Intersections).

Characteristics

Yaowarat is a road with a total length of 1,532 m (about 5,026 ft) with traffic management as one-way running in opposite directions to the parallel, Charoen Krung Road. Starting from the

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 ...

near

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, ...

, or Temple of Golden Buddha, and spans canal Khlong Ong Ang to end at Wang Burapha Intersection in front of Wang Burapha area in Phra Nakhon District.

Transportation

Yaowarat Road is served by the BMTA and affiliated's bus lines: 1, 4, 7 (only section Ratchawong to Chakkrawat Roads) 21, 25, 40, 53, 73, 73ก, 507, 529, 542, and there are four bus stops: Thian Fah Foundation Hospital, Chaloem Buri, Talat Kao (Old Market) and Wat Tuek. The road also served by the Wat Mangkon Station of the MRT Subway, whose Blue Line runs under the nearby Charoen Krung Road.

References

External links

* {{Osmway , 462532630 Chinese-Thai culture Neighbourhoods of Bangkok Samphanthawong district Shopping districts and streets in Thailand Streets in Bangkok