Authentic Chinese experiences in the city you probably didn't know about

The Thai capital is home to numerous cultural centers where foreign nations promote their culture and traditions. You have France’s Alliance FranÇaise, Germany’s Goethe and UK’s British Council, for instance. China, a country whose culture has greatly influenced modern Thai society, has one too—and we’re not talking some converted shophouse structure along Yaowarat. Nestled in Ratchada (nicknamed the new Chinatown) close to the Embassy of China, the China Cultural Center was erected in 2012, following a bilateral friendship agreement between Thailand and The Red Dragon. The building boasts awe-inspiring architecture influenced by an ancient Chinese wood-interlocking construction Modern Chinese architecture that bridges the past and the present technique called dougong, but fused with Thai aesthetics. The first of its kind in Southeast Asia, the 7,900-square-meter center houses an exhibition hall, a theater, a library—and classrooms where you can learn the Chinese language (B3,600/30hrs), guzheng (Chinese plucked string instrument, B4,800/12 classes), Chinese brush painting (B2,000/12 classes), Chinese food cooking (B1,500/10 classes), Chinese folk dance (B1,500/10 classes), tai chi (B1,500/12 classes) and kung fu (B200/hr). The establishment also hosts free movie screenings and cultural activities. Check out its Facebook page for details.

18 Tiam Ruam Mitr Road, Huai Kwang, 0 2246 1666/2834. Open Tue-Sat 8:00-17:00. Facebook.com/cccbk

On the 1st of January 1950, the first issue of Sing Sian Yer Bao, Thailand’s longest-running Chinese-language newspaper, landed in the market. The force behind it was Aw Boon Haw, a Burmese-born Chinese who’s best known as the founder of world-renowned medicinal brand Tiger Balm. (Tiger Balm originally launched in Burma, but later relocated to Singapore due to political instability in 1926, and has been headquartered there ever since.) It was one of his marketing tools for selling the balm in Thailand, the same way he did with three other newspapers in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Sing Sian Yer Bao remains a household name despite being in a country where Chinese isn’t the major language and even for those who don’t read Chinese. It’s now readable in print, online and on Facebook. Its Bangkok headquarters sits in a beautifully-preserved neoclassical building on S.A.B. Intersection in the old quarter of Bangkok.

www.singsianyerpao.com

You’re probably been to many of Bangkok’s famous shrines, but you most likely haven’t visited this small Hakka Chinese shrine in Talad Noi, one of Bangkok’s oldest Chinese communities. According to locals, the Hakka community was renowned for their steelworks, and one of their famed products was horseshoes (kuek ma) in Thai. When there were still horses promenading down Charoenkrung, riders would come to this alley to get their steeds fitted with shoes. The shrine, situated at the end of the alley, was established during the reign of King Rama V and houses the statue of Han Gao Zu, the first emperor of China’s Han dynasty.

No one would ever describe Yaowarat, Bangkok’s Chinatown, as quiet. From day till night, the road is frequented by commuters and visitors on the hunt for inexpensive goods and amazing food. But if you’re after a more peaceful Chinatown experience, venture further down the river to Songwat. Oftentimes called the area’s backstreet, Songwat was a former happening hub for the Chinese community in Bangkok, mainly because it sits close to the Chao Phraya River, the main transportation channel in the old days. Hidden within and behind the charming Songwat shophouses are old-school eateries, hostels, goldsmiths and Pei Ing, one of Thailand’s longestrunning Chinese-language schools. Established in 1920 by a group of Teochew Chinese merchants, it has survived wars and political instability, producing an impressive list of alumni that includes some of the wealthiest Thai-Chinese businessmen in the country. Though the school isn’t a tourist attraction, one part of the structure is dedicated to the sacred Lao Pun Thao Kong Shrine, where people can come and offer a prayer to a 200-year-old statue of Lao Pun Thao Kong,the god of prosperity.