No ranking system has yet been proposed to evaluate the world’s China Towns. There are no statistics to show which of these ethnic business districts preserves its Chinese cultural heritage most perfectly, or has the liveliest round-the-clock street life, or offers the widest and most tempting range of Chinese foods. Bangkok’s China Town, extending from its centre on Yawarat to New Road, Ratchawong Road, Sampheng Market, and Songwaat Road must certainly number among the world’s top five.

With a history stretching back more than 200 years, it is older than the famous Chinese districts in cities in Europe and the Americas. Historical records show that when King Rama I moved the new capital across the Chao Phraya River to Bangkok in 1782, its centre was located at the present site of the Grand Palace. But before the palace could be built the Chinese community occupying the area had to be moved outside of the city to what is now China Town. With time, the city spread out to encompass it.

One source of information on the early days of Bangkok’s China Town can be found in the works of the classic Thai poet Sunthon Phu, who portrayed Sampheng Market as it appeared from a boat on the Chao Phraya River. He described it as a large community with many boats and houseboats moored along the bank. The lanes that ran through it were dense with both people and buildings, and the sound of music in the distance kept him from dozing off. Since that poem is believed to have been written in 1807, it confirms that there was already a bustling community in the Sampheng area 198 years ago.

During Bangkok’s first years, Thailand was highly developed as a commercial centre, and the community most active in buying and selling was Chinese. The country also opened its doors to a constant flow of immigrants from China. There were a number of factors that caused them to leave their home country, ranging from natural disasters to social catastrophes and internal wars.

These immigrants came from many different language groups. When they left China, they settled into expatriate communities where their native language was spoken. In Thailand, the largest of these groups are speakers of the Tae Chieu and Hainanese dialects. But there are also communities of Chinese who speak Cantonese, Khae, and other dialects. Hokkien speakers generally preferred to continue on to the South, where they settled in Songkhla, on the Malaysian island of Penang, and in Singapore, although there is also a community in Bangkok.

This separation according to linguistic group can also be seen in Bangkok. The largest group, Tae Chieu speakers, have settled along Yawarat, New Road, and Ratchawong Road in China Town.

Talat Noi, the ‘Little Market’ in the same area, is inhabited primarily by Cantonese and Khae speakers. Hainanese speakers live in a different part of the city, along Sukhothai Road in Bang Pho and Bang Chon. Many Hainanese and Khae Chinese have settled in the North, especially in Lampang province.

Since the Chinese population of the centre of Bangkok’s China Town is primarily Tae Chieu, most of the food sold there is cooked Tae Chieu style. In the early days it consisted mostly of simple dishes – noodles like kui teow and ba mee, the rice soup called khao tom, and fragrantly-seasoned sweet-salty dishes collectively called phalo. Steamed fish as well as pork and duck dishes were favourites, and they were sold at small shops.

These little restaurants proliferated until they could be found on every corner of the neighbourhood. In their kitchens, the traditional Tae Chieu cuisine developed and new kinds of dishes appeared.

Cooks who prepare Cantonese food are extremely fastidious about their kitchen methods. They select only fresh, high-quality ingredients to produce dishes that show the high level of artistry involved in their preparation. Cantonese chefs are especially skilled at dishes like roast pork, roast duck, the sweet sausages called kunchieng, and dim sum, as well as noodle dishes such as rice noodles with red roast pork , and a repertoire of stir-fried dishes. Cantonese Chinese food is the kind usually served in restaurants.

The Hainanese are especially good at making a famous chicken and rice dish. Neutered cockerels are boiled and served together with specially prepared rice called khao man to make khao man kai. The rice is cooked in water that is used to boil the chicken and is seasoned with garlic and salt.

Another Hainanese favourite is the noodle dish called khanom jeen Hailam. Hainanese food is available in China Town, but only very little of it. It is much more prevalent in the districts where the Hainanese population is larger.

There is a huge array of different foods available in China Town, but most of it is sold in small shops and from pushcarts. Only a few of these carts provide sidewalk tables and chairs. Food stalls and restaurants are open practically around the clock. Some operate only during the day, others from dusk until the early hours of the morning.

A CONNOISSEUR’S GUIDE TO CHINA TOWN’S FOOD STREETS
From Odeon Circle to Ratchawong Intersection
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YAOWARAT DELIGHT — RESTAURANT LISTINGS
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Suthon Sukphisit
A former staff member of the Bangkok Post Outlook section, Suthon Sukphisit has written articles on Thailand’s art and culture and on topics related to Thai society, history, archaeology, architecture, environment and education. He now spends his leisure time pursuing another topic in which he is well-versed: food and cuisine.