Showing posts with label Historical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Historical. Show all posts

Saturday 29 April 2017

#Thailand - Trang’s inland treasures

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Beyond the beaches, the old walled town teems with historical and cultural charms

WHILE MOST of the travelers arriving in Trang quickly find a perch on the beach or head straight to the boats to go diving in the Andaman Sea, the tranquil town itself offers all sorts of landlubber delights.
Trang was a thriving trading hub in the days when it was known as Muang Thub Thieng, a port established by Chinese merchants. 
In the days of the Sumatra-based Melayu Kingdom between 600 and 1200 AD, vessels docked there laden with kerosene for lamps and ingredients for making pastry. When they departed, they were filled with locally grown pepper.
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 In 1899 the area became the first place where rubber was planted in Siam. A man called Phraya Ratsadanupradit Mahison Phakdi brought the saplings from Malaya and built up an export business.
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On my first visit to Trang I’m impressed with the diversity of culture, with Western-style churches sitting alongside Chinese shrines, Thai temples and Muslim mosques, as if to demonstrate the benefits of living in harmony. 
My host is tourism promoter Ko Daeng, who with his friends arranges day-trips around town for visitors, charging Bt250 per hour or Bt650 for a four-hour tour. You get to see the sights in a frog-nosed tuk-tuk imported from Japan. 
“Some of our vehicles were built 100 years ago,” Ko Daeng says. “We modify the engines so they can carry people. It’s a way to conserve our heritage – these kinds of vehicles were popular here in the past, so we thought it would be a good way to promote tourism, using tuk-tuks.”
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 Ko Daeng ’s operation has a list of 17 destinations to choose among, and I pointed to the Tam Kong Yia Shrine.
Erected more than a century ago, the temple attracts worshipers seeking success and good health. In its foundation are sacred ashes and a cloth talisman that the founder brought with him from the Nine Dragons Temple in Huizhou, China, to protect him on the voyage to Siam. 
The structure has some amazing craftsmanship that was carefully preserved during a 1953 renovation. Sunlight pours in through the open roof to illuminate statues of goddesses, lending the place a mystical atmosphere.
A few minutes’ drive away is Wat Kaphang Surin, designated a National Ancient Monument in 1999. Constructed in 1897 as Wat Kaphang, it was renamed in honour of esteemed local developer Phraya Surin Racha. 
The original wood-and-cement ubosot reflects traditional southern architecture. Inside is a series of 100-year-old wood or metal figures depicting the Lord Buddha in different poses. 
Sections of the ancient wall surrounding the old town have recently been decorated with three-dimensional paintings. There are scenes of the local life, rubber plantations and the Emerald Cave on Koh Mook, every one a magnet for selfie shooters. 
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At the Tha Klang intersection nearby, a string of old two-storey buildings are painted in pastel colours. At least there was some charm to the Portuguese colonial era, when the architecture became a hybrid of Chinese and European design and bright hues were the norm on exteriors.
But most of these buildings date to 1913, originally the homes of wealthy Chinese merchants. They also have in common narrow entrances, roofs open over a central courtyard and a shared arcade out front that offers passers-by shade and shelter. The houses at the corners of the block feature curving edges and diamond-shaped tiles on the roof.
Along Rama VI and Ratchadam- noen Roads is a shopping district that includes the town’s oldest hotel, the Jing Jing, recognised by the Associ- ation of Siamese Architects last year for its “valuable architecture”. 
There’s also the celebrated Chinese pharmacy Yin Jiee Thong, home – along with its ancient medicines – to the original Trang grilled pork, made with local spices and herbs. Classic shophouses along the avenue are stocked with furniture, bicycles, apparel, cosmetics and much more.
Also striving to conserve local culture, a group called Trang Positive has the support of the Tourism Authority in hosting the annual “Yan Kao Ngao A-deed”. It comprises an art exhibition, student-orchestra performances and lively talks about, for example, the local cuisine. Visitors can learn how to make Tae Chew-style mee tiew, stewed chicken in red sauce and mor lao (deep-fried dumplings). 
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 The splendid natural scenes outside town are perhaps best at Baan Khao Lak in Namphud district, where you can paddle a canoe along a canal. The community has set itself up as a model of sufficiency living and nature conservation.
Once finished their farm chores, the residents take visitors on four-kilometre canoe “cruises” amid cool forests and limestone bluffs sculpted by wind and water into interesting shapes. Back in the village you can learn how to make local desserts or a wicker souvenir. 
“I started the project three years ago to help people earn extra income,” village head Sawat Khunnui tells us. “We take people trekking in a watershed forest or canoeing, and there will be also a home-stay programme. It’s all about conserving the environment. We set up a ‘waste bank’, too, and donate recycled material to a school.” 
Another great place to visit is Baan Na Por, which has a factory full of skilled cutlers making knives, hoes and even swords from the leaf springs of old buses. Prawet Chitjan, 58, a fifth-generation member of a family of cutlers, runs the operation. Long ago he left home to get a city job, but in 1987 decided to return and do his part to salvage the local wisdom. 
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  Artisans at Baan Na Por make knives that are in professional demand around the country. 
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The factory produces the 55-brand and Three Star knives popular with rubber tappers and farmers in the South and Northeast. The prices range from Bt160 to Bt650. 
“We use crafting techniques that have been passed on from generation to generation for more than 100 years,” Uncle Prawet says. “We believe that two villagers – Nai Petch and Nai Kong – discovered one technique whereby ship spikes were turned into garden tools, and then the quality is enhanced through different designs and materials.
“Next, I’m building a museum to exhibit all the old types of agricultural tools and house a mock-up cutlery factory.”
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Source - TheNation
 
 
 

Monday 28 September 2015

The century-old residence of the Thai ambassador to Myanmar is a Tudor-style


The colonial-style residence of the Thai ambassador to Myanmar is recognized by the Association of Siamese Architects with a Historical and Architectural Conservation Award.


 IT'S HARD to visit Yangon without succumbing to the allure of the city's majestic colonial-era buildings. A team of Thai architects visited Yangon last year on a mission to search for the remains of Ayutthaya's King Uthumbhorn in Myanmar, and returned to Thailand not with a Siamese artefact, but a Tudor inspiration.

Of all the beautiful colonial-style buildings they came across in Yangon, the one they admired the most was the residence of the Thai ambassador, describing it as the epitome of architectural conservation.

On their return, these same architects nominated the Thai residence to the Association of Siamese Architects for the prestigious Historical and Architectural Conservation Award. And in May, the association officially announced the residence as the winner.

The awards presentation was held recently and presided over by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, with Norachit Sinhaseni, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, receiving the award on the behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.


 It was the first time the association had recognised a heritage building outside of Thailand and marked a turning point in the history of the conservation award, says Dr Vasu Poshyanandana, one of the vice-presidents of the ASA and a member of the judging committee.

He says the ASA picked the building for the award because of its architectural and historical value.

"Members of the judging panel were actually in Yangon on a completely different mission. While there, they were invited for dinner at the residence and discovered the beauty of the place. They found the building was quite old and well taken care of. On their return, they nominated the building to the association," Dr Vasu says.

The Tudor-style building that was to become the Thai ambassador's residence was originally owned by EM De Souza, a Portuguese-English businessman who purchased this house in 1902. Souza was a renowned importer of medicine during the colonial period where he operated a pharmacy at the De Souza building on Mahabanddoola Road just west of the Sule Pagoda.

The Thai government purchased this property as the residence of the Thai ambassador in 1948 when diplomatic relations between Myanmar and Thailand were established.


 Ambassador Pisanu Suvanajata was delighted with the award, saying the embassy took great pride and honour in the recognition of the stewardship of all former ambassadors and their families, as well as embassy officials, in the conservation of this national and cultural heritage.

The Thai residence not only serves as the property of the Royal Thai government, but it has also hosted many stately events, most importantly the royal banquet hosted by Their Majesties King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit for U Win Maung, the then President of Burma, in March 1960 during the royal couple's first and only state visit to Myanmar.

This residence had also hosted great number of VVIPs, leaders, statesmen, and various historic events throughout the modern history of Thai-Myanmar diplomatic relations.

Dr Vasu says he is sure that the residence invokes a certain nostalgia for life under British rule.

"Not all old buildings have value. But the century-old Thai residence has high architectural and historical value. There are many buildings like this in Yangon that were built when the country was still under British rule. The style is British colonial, but there are no Myanmar elements in the style at all. The residence is a half-timber building that was adjusted in terms of styling to suit the country's climate.

"When I see it, it brings back memories of a certain period when this form of architecture was flourishing. To me this building is a romantic representation of the glorious past. It makes me think of life, people and events during the colonial period, the way they lived their lives," he says.

Old buildings like the Thai residence need conservation in the face of rampant urban development in both Thailand and its neighbouring countries. 


 Quite a few of Myanmar's heritage buildings in Yangon are particularly at risk of demolition as a result of modern development projects. But Dr Vasu is glad that the Myanmar government and private conservation projects have been able to protect many colonial buildings through "adaptive use" approaches.

"Unlike Thailand, Myanmar has far more colonial buildings that still stand to this day. They were built by the government. In our country, many colonial-style buildings were built by the elite. Just look at the palaces," he says.

He laments the fact that conservation is a foreign concept to the Thais but hopes that this award will help inspire more conservation efforts.

"Conservation is not part of our nature and culture. It's an idea imported from the West. To some people, conservation is about demolishing an old building and replacing it with a new one. In the past, we demolished and rebuilt religious structures, but then most of our monks were blue-blooded aristocrats who had architectural knowledge and taste.

"That's why buildings that were constructed during the Fifth Reign still look amazing. But these days anyone can join the monkhood and they may have neither knowledge nor taste. That's why some monks see historic buildings as old and unwanted," he says, referring to a controversy involving the abbot of Wat Kalayanamitr who replaced a century-old building in the temple grounds with a new and ugly one.

He also laments that some of the notable buildings awarded by the ASA such as the Supreme Court building near Sanam Luang have been torn down.

"With the Thai residence winning the conservation award, the ASA might need to reset the award's criteria to make it more accommodating to overseas nominations. That way other Thai embassies can nominate some of their majestic old buildings," he says.

Source: The Nation

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