In 1850, a port was built on the Thonburi banks of the Chaophraya River to accommodate merchant ships sailing in from British Malaya and Hong Kong.
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| The "Giant Twins", representing the historic relationship between China and Thailand |
A wealthy Chinese Thai merchant built a family manor at the port, and a thriving community built up around it. Today, the manor sits on the western (Thonburi) banks of the Chaophraya River, across from the city's historic Old Town.
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| red lanterns at Lhong 1919 |
In 2017 the old manor home was sold off to another wealthy Thai family who renovated it and opened it into an open-air community mall and historical landmark called "Lhong 1919".
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| a mural at Lhong 1919 |
Lhong 1919 is dedicated to preserving Chinese Thai culture, and the restored courtyard manor is one of the city's best examples of this type of architecture. Today, it's a sort of community mall with cafes, coworking spaces, art exhibits, and shops. The crumbling walls are adorned in modern murals depicting traditional Chinese life. It's a very cool way to reuse an old historic space and give it new life.
It reminded me a lot of the Sol Heng Tai Mansion across the river, which is now a coffee shop and diving school! Instead of a diving school, though, Lhong 1919 is more focused on art, and holds frequent exhibitions. In fact, when we were visiting, it was hosting a number of installations for the ongoing Bangkok Art Biennale.
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| Lhong 1919 is part museum and part cultural center |
I was especially impressed with the street art adorning the old concrete walls of the compound, though. They reminded me a lot of some of the art that I saw last year in Penang, Malaysia. I love how they've blended old-style Chinese motifs with modern urban street art. Super cool!
The centerpiece at Lhong 1919 is the Mazu Shrine, a 19th century temple around which the entire old manor home was built. The Chinese-Thai family that originally built the compound were followers of the Chinese goddess Mazu, and constructed a shrine to her, as well as a small family shrine for their ancestor worship.
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| Lhong 1919 is centered around the historic Mazu Shrine If the name "Mazu" sounds familiar, that's because the goddess is the namesake for one of the world's great cities! When the Portuguese first landed in southeastern China, they arrived on the shores in front of an ancient temple. When asking the name of the place, they misunderstood the answer that the locals gave. |
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| looking down on the central shrine with a Chinese pagoda in the background |
The Portuguese misunderstood the name of the goddess "Mazu" to be the name of the territory. Through poor understanding and mistranslation, her name got twisted into the word "Macau".
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| looking towards the Mazu Shrine |
Mazu is the Chinese goddess of the sea, and is popular amongst merchants and those who live along the coast. A powerful trading family, it made sense for the original owners of Lhong 1919 to construct a family shrine in her honor.
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| visitors praying at the shrine |
Even though the area is now a community mall, the nearly 200 year-old shrine is still an active one. In the midst of the art and shopping, visitors stopped to pray and light incense at the altar to Mazu.
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| an imperial Chinese robe at the shrine |
Bangkok is a modern city, but there are plenty of ancient treasures to find. One thing I really love about this city is the way that it so easily blends the ancient and the modern together. In Thailand, there's no conflict between the old and the new, and the city is constantly finding new ways to synthesize tradition with modern life.
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| interior of the shrine hall |
Lhong 1919 is one of the newer attractions along the river, but it's far from the only one of its kind. The night market at Asiatique, built upon a dock and utilizing some old abandoned warehouses, is another location that reflects this synthesis. In a city that is growing and modernizing as fast as Bangkok, I think it's really important to preserve the architectural heritage.
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| shrine to the Chinese goddess Mazu |
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| the Chinese territory of Macau gets its name from a Portuguese mistranslation of "Mazu" |
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