Lunar New Year a chance to reminisce

Lunar New Year a chance to reminisce

From auto shops to guest houses, Talat Noi hangs on to its roots

A woman puts out plates of offerings including food, fruit and sweets to celebrate Lunar New Year inside a shrine in Talat Noi in Bangkok.
A woman puts out plates of offerings including food, fruit and sweets to celebrate Lunar New Year inside a shrine in Talat Noi in Bangkok.

For many Thais with migrant links, Chinese New Year is a festival full of memories, a time to reflect and celebrate the strength of ethnic heritage.

Among the baby boomers and Generation X descendents of the ethnic Chinese who settled on these shores, the Lunar New Year celebration brings back fond recollections of their childhood and times they cherished with their familes.

For those in Generation Y, or the Millennials, their role has switched. From receivers of the traditional red envelopes full of cash which they used to get on the Lunar New Year from their parents and grandparents, they are now handing out the envelopes.

Gleefully picking up the envelopes now are their "Gen Z" offspring who are still living off their parents' allowances.

Somchai Kwangthongphanit, a 58-year-old local history enthusiast, recalled how he grew up unenthused by the Lunar New Year celebration.

It was no fun as a child having to help his mother out with a long list of household chores. Prior to the festival, his mother would order him to help clean up their house and shop for food offerings for the New Year ceremony.

However, the task he dreaded most was having to pluck the feathers of a freshly slaughtered chicken before it was boiled and plated up among the ceremonial offerings.

The young Somchai was often unable to contain his frustration and would complain, only to be given a dressing down by his mother.

"You won't have to do all this after I die," she would tell her son.

Mr Somchai's mother passed away 10 years later, leaving him with a decision to make: should he ditch the Lunar New Year ceremony and "be done with it" or carry on the tradition in honour of his mother and ancestral roots? He told himself he would only practice the ceremony for three more years. However, nearly 40 years later, he still continues the tradition today.

Mr Somchai thinks he was never enthusiastic about the ceremony when he was young because he did not understand enough about it. After his mother's death, he found that the more he delved into what it means to celebrate Chinese New Year, the more fascinated he became.

"My mum died a long time ago. But memories of her are very vivid in my mind," he said.

The hidden value in his mother's attention to detail in organising the ceremony, which he only later appreciated, was that it had fostered in him a work ethic and a sense of responsibility and dedication, the keys to success he has enjoyed in his jobs as an adult.

"I don't believe that performing the Chinese New Year rites will bring me wealth. We pay tribute to our [dead] parents to remember their good deeds and the good things they did for us," he said.

These days Lunar New Year ceremonial practices have evolved to include a local flavour too, although they still strongly resemble the customs practised by the first Chinese migrants to set foot on Thai soil many generations ago.

The migrants settled in many parts of the country. However, the heartland of ethnic Chinese people in Thailand is Yaowarat in Bangkok, long dubbed Thailand's China Town, where many aspects of life and culture from their homeland still prevail.

Another part of the capital with a strong Chinese influence is Talat Noi which used to be a thriving commercial district during the early Rattanakosin period (1782-present). It was here that many merchants arrived by boat from China and made it their permanent home.

During World War II, many blacksmiths took up residence in Talat Noi and and were hired by Japanese soldiers to make iron ship parts. That iron-work centre was later transformed into what is now widely known as "Chiang Kong" -- a hub for the auto parts trade.

"Chiang Kong" may have been a mispronunciation of "Xian Kong", according to Rungchan Chaloemwiriya, a member of the Khon Rak Talat Noi (Talat Noi Lovers) group. "Xian, is a Chinese word for god and Kong for grandfather," she added.

The second-hand car parts business flourished and spread to other areas of Bangkok including Rong Muang, Worachak, Lak Si and Bang Na and also to the provinces.

In the old days when boats provided the main form of transport, Talat Noi was a key inland port for junk from China. Chinese merchants made a stop at Talat Noi before continuing on to Ayuttyaya where they sold goods from China and bought Thai products back for sale in China.

Unlike any other communities in Bangkok where the younger generations of Chinese-Thai families have moved out, Talat Noi's population remains 80% ethnic Chinese, according to the group. More and more shophouses, which were once second-hand auto part businesses, have been turned into guesthouses for visitors keen to experience the old living environment and learn about the history of Talat Noi from the locals, she said.

While the community is keen to see the area adapt and evolve, it is also passionate about preserving its ethnic and cultural integrity. "We have embraced change and learned to adjust," said Ms Rungchan, adding that several old buildings with unique architecture have been refurbished and preserved.

In terms of location, Talat Noi is suitable for promotion as a cultural heritage tourism site. It's only 10 minutes from Wat Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram (Wat Phra Kaeo) and is easily accessible by boat from the Chao Phraya River and using the MRT.

Among the main attractions at Talat Noi is So Heng Tai, a two-storey traditional Chinese mansion more than two centuries old, which has been adapted to accommodate a swimming pool and is used for diving classes. "As you can see, the people here are really willing to change with the times," said Ms Rungchan. Locals have also come up with a landscape development plan to convert riverside space stretching from Zhou Shi Kong shrine to Rong Kueak shrine into a public park.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT (2)