Shrines
Kwong Siew Foundation
As with the other foundations and medical centres in the area, this charity also has an impressive shrine known as the Guang Dong Shrine à¸à¸¹à¸à¸à¸µà¸¢à¸ªà¸à¸²à¸à¸¡à¸à¸à¸¥à¸à¸§à¸²à¸à¸à¸¸à¹à¸. This 130-year old shrine was built in a traditional Chinese architectural style and used to be a meeting place of overseas Chinese from the Guangdong region in China. It has been built mostly with construction materials and Buddha images from their homeland.
Poh Teck Tung Foundation
This charity organisation has been established by dr. Utain Techapaiboon more than 100 years ago for arranging funerals for unidentified corpses, such as accident victims. Between the foundation and the Li Thi Miew Shrine are plenty of funerary paraphernalia stores. Most interesting is the Da Feng Zu Shrine inside. It is a very lively shrine with many Thai-Chinese coming over to worship the Da Feng Zu God, make a merit and get rid of their bad fortune. Many satin banners and paper offerings such as fake money are burned to ensure that the spirit of the deceased has lots of good things in the afterlife.
Thien Fa Foundation
This is the oldest charitable society of Bangkok, founded in 1902 by Chinese immigrants in Thailand. The local clinics at the site provide free medical treatment for the poor using traditional Chinese as well as modern practices. Most interesting for foreign visitors is the courtyard which boasts the Guan Yin Shrine à¸à¸¹à¸à¸à¸µà¸¢à¸ªà¸à¸²à¸à¹à¸à¹à¸²à¹à¸¡à¹à¸à¸§à¸à¸à¸´à¸¡, commonly known as the "Shrine for the Goddess of Mercy". Local visitors of the shrine follow the Mahayana school of Buddhism, which is different from the Theravada school that is dominant elsewhere in Thailand. The statue of the goddess Ming, to whom the shrine is dedicated, is the highlight of the temple. The statue was carved out from a single piece of solid teakwood and shows Ming in the attitude of giving blessings. It was carved in China in Tang Dynasty art style and is believed to be around 800 years old. The statue has been in possession of the foundation since 1958, when it was taken out of China and placed inside the temple. The exterior's architecture is typically Chinese with an impressive roof and beautiful teak wood motif carving of dragons and other Chinese symbols. It is particularly lively during Chinese New Year.
Leng Buai Ia Shrine
This shrine, housed in a traditionally Chinese architectural style-building is considered to be the oldest Chinese shrine in Thailand. This claim is based on the plaque inside with a Chinese inscription that states that the shrine was built in 1658. That year corresponds to the Ayutthaya period, far before Bangkok became the capital of the country. During all these years, Chinese businessmen in the area came to the shrine for refuge and to improve the prosperity of their businesses. The roof is made of glazed coloured tiles with two ceramic-clad dragons on top. The two main columns beside the entrance also both feature a ceramic-clad dragon. Inside there is a shrine dedicated to Leng Buai Ia and his wife in the centre, a shrine dedicated to the deity Going-Wu on the left and a shrine dedicated to the Queen of Heaven on the right.
Li Thi Miew Shrine
One of the larger and more open Chinese shrines in Bangkok, the Li Thi Miew Shrine is not a sight where you'll find many tourists. This Taoist temple has a large roof housing plenty of smaller shrines. As typical in Chinese shrines, the roof features two dragons that play with a pearl. The building next to the temple features a large shrine, which just like the Thien Fa Foundation, is dedicated to Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy.
San Jao Sieng Kong
In one of the small sois and particularly hard to find, with 200 years this riverbank shrine is actually one of the oldest Chinese shrines in the city. It is guarded by a playful rooftop terracotta dragon. One of the former owners of the shrine made money by collecting taxes on bird-nest delicacies. It particularly gets lively during the Vegetarian Festival in October, when Chinese operas and fairground games are staged. It is in the middle of the Sieng Kong Zone, a car spare parts market named after the shrine, and thus could be combined with a visit to it.
Temples
Wat Chai Chana Songkhram
This third class Royal Temple dates from 1848, the reign of King Rama III. The temple was the project of chief commander Chao Phraya Bodindecha, who lead Siam to victory in the wars against Vietnam and Cambodia. He designated his house and the surrounding land as a site for a new temple, which he called the War Victory Temple as a commemoration to his victories. It is a relatively large temple complex with an enshrined Buddha inside the main building.
Guru Tawan Sikh Temple
Established in 1932, this Sikh temple is the most iconic landmark of Phahurat. It is a white six-storey building with a large golden dome on top, and is the second-largest Sikh temple outside India. This temple is very important for daily life as most Indians in this neighbourhood are Sikhs. It is possible for non-Sikhs to enter, but they need to take off their shoes and cover their head with an orange cloth. The Sikh community gathers in large numbers on Sundays and during religious festivals. They serve free Indian vegetarian food in the community kitchen on these occasions.
European-style buildings
Holy Rosary Church
Portuguese descendants of the early traders in Ayutthaya first settled at the other bank of the river in Thonburi at the site of the Santa Cruz Church, but gradually moved towards the other bank of the river. As the Portuguese were one of the most important trading nations in Siam, this church was built with a land grant from King Rama I in 1786, about four years after Bangkok was established as Siam's capital. As Portugal's influence overseas diminished, the Portuguese community was dispersed and the church fell into disuse. Due to the Indochina Wars of the mid-20th-century, many catholic Vietnamese and Cambodians fled to Bangkok and adopted this church as their main house of worship. Throughout its history, it has been rebuilt twice, with the present church dating from the 1890s. The cream-coloured church has a towering spire, an interesting set of European-style stained-glass windows, as well as a statue of Christ that is carried through the streets during Easter.
Bangkok Bank Building
Right opposite to the Tang To Kang gold shop, and actually quite similar to it, the Bangkok Bank Building is one of Bangkok's oldest commercial buildings. The exterior is an example of classic early Rattanakosin-style with clear European influences. The interior is heavy with hardwood panelling.
Siam Commercial Bank Building Talat Noi Branch
Instead of trying to find this building while walking, this Art Deco-style building is actually best seen from the Chao Phraya Express Boat. It is the first commercial bank of Thailand run by Thais. It was designed by the Italian architect Annibale Rigotti and completed in 1904 in typical 19th century European style. Each gable is unique with delicate patterns of stucco.
Song Wat Road
A century ago, this road was the centre of a rice trading industry. A stroll along the road gives a good impression of the old days with tumbled down nineteenth century-style warehouses and business houses.
Tang To Kang Gold Shop
Chinatown is one of Bangkok's oldest districts and about 14% of the buildings have been designated as historical landmarks. Tang To Kang is one of them, an interesting colonial style building and actually the oldest gold shop of Bangkok which is hard to believe now with so many gold shops scattered over the district. If you want to see their gold museum, you have to make an appointment two days ahead.
Sights abound around Yaowarat and Phahurat, but if you're looking for "must-sees", you might want to visit Rattanakosin first. While enjoying a relaxed walk through this district, you should at least incorporatea visit to Wat Mangkon Kamalawat and Wat Traimit. Other sights could be considered optional or more interesting for adventurous travellers.
Chinese shop houses
Rows of stuccoed yellow Chinese shop houses are to be found here in a very serene environment. As they are very photogenic and typical for the area, a picture of these shop houses shouldn't be missed.