Hot and tired after a long walk along Charoenkrung Road, our walking adventure ended at Sol Heng Tai Mansion, a 19th-century Chinese-style family mansion on the edge of Bangkok's Chinatown.
The mansion, a multi-building compound built around a courtyard, was built by a wealthy Hokkien Chinese bird's nest farmer. Bird's nest soup is a delicacy in China and amongst the Chinese-Thai population for its supposed health benefits. I'm not overly keen on it.
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| entering the front gates of the mansion with my walking group |
Today the mansion is still owned by the family; it's owned currently by the 7th and 8th generation descendants of the original owner!
To help support the family and preserve the mansion, the entrepreneurial family has converted the property for a variety of ingenious uses. It's primarily a coffee shop, with plenty of atmospheric spots to sit and enjoy your iced mocha in the shade, but not long ago the family installed a large pool. Now, it's one of the premier diving schools in Bangkok.
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| the mansion is a historical site, coffee shop, and diving school |
Wouldn't this be a super cool place to learn to scuba?
I've been wanting to get my scuba certification, but just haven't gotten around to it. I can't think of a better place to learn diving than in the courtyard of a centuries-old Chinese mansion underneath the bright blue Bangkok sky.
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| probably one of the coolest places to learn scuba |
While my companions sat down to cool off with their coffee, I took a few minutes to explore a bit of the mansion.
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| cool old doors |
While a bit run down, the sprawling complex does reflect the wealth and power of the old merchant family. The Chinese-Thais are a very wealthy and influential demographic. Although fully Thai in language, nationality, religion, and custom, the Chinese-Thai population in Bangkok tend to have some unique aspects of their culture which has carried in to the present day.
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| inside the mansion's main hall |
A small family shrine displayed a number of old photographs along with a portrait of King Rama I, the founder of the current Chakri Dynasty and the monarch who established Bangkok as the capital of Siam in the late 18th century.
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| a family shrine |
The home reflects a fascinating blend of Chinese and Thai culture. It's also a perfect place to enjoy an iced coffee after a productive morning of exploring the city with friends.
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| the front doors to the mansion |
You might also like:
https://michaeldesrosiers.blogspot.com/2019/08/seh-tek-tong-cheah-kongsi-clanhouse.html - an old Chinese clanhouse in Penang, Malaysia
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