COOL CHINA
Once considered the epitome of unhip, Chinese culture and traditions are experiencing a revival in the city
Some 20 or 30 years ago, the fact that Somchai Kwangtonpanich spoke Chinese or carried out Chinese traditions in his daily life was looked down upon.
“People believed that my lifestyle was ludicrous,” says the born- and-bred Yaowarat man, a third-generation son of rope merchants in the Chinese neighbourhood of Sampheng, now well into his 50s.
Still, Somchai didn’t let go of his cultural heritage and, over the years, became known as a “Chinatown guru”, an amateur historian giving lectures and TedTalks, offering advice to museums, and the go-to person for everything related to Sino-Thai history in Bangkok.
These days, Chinese traditions and culture, once thought as boring and old-fashioned, have been made to look more modern and cool. Think Lhong 1919, the new riverside heritage attraction which has become every hipster’s new hotspot where all things Chinese are chic and fashionable. In Somchai’s mind, this change of perception is due to the rapid modernisation of mainland China in the past few decades. Suddenly, it wasn’t outdated to be Chinese anymore, he adds.
Standing among a crowd of students in a traditional Yaowarat restaurant he calls his “co-working space”, Somchai is nonetheless taken aback by emerging Chinese heritage trends. The “hip” Chinese-themed bars, galleries and cafés that have popped up all over Charoen Krung and in the quaint Talad Noi district are a different take on the Sino-Thai culture, miles away from Somchai’s customary approach.
And besides Lhong 1919, FooJohn restaurant or Ba Hao café in Charoen Krung — all of which opened last year — are
just the latest examples of Bangkok’s current obsession with Chinese- inspired, retro spots. The reason behind this craze? “The Wong Kar-Wai effect”, as Wasana Wongsurawat calls it. A historian focusing on modern China and the Chinese diaspora, Wasana places the Hong Kong filmmaker at the forefront of a nostalgia movement that began in the late 1990s, when the island was handed over to China.
At the time, many Hong Kong residents had doubts about what the handover would bring and felt wistful when evoking an ideal of “colonial modernity”, she says. This nostalgia for a bygone cosmopolitan elegance was propagated through Wong Kar-Wai’s period films among other media. As recreating “old Hong Kong” for his movie In The Mood
For Love was impossible on the island, a large part of the film’s shooting took place in Bangkok, in the dark alleys and rundown shophouses of Charoen Krung Road.
As such, many of the recent hotspots in Bangkok’s Chinese quarters mimic the film’s lighting, deep colour palette and mood in their decoration, as a way of appealing to the collective imaginary.
“This fascination for colonial modernity goes beyond Hong Kong,” Wasana adds. It extends to pre-war cosmopolitan cities such as Shanghai, bringing to mind images of jazz clubs, tobacco smoke and opium dens. In Bangkok, present locations referencing this era include the Shanghai Mansion hotel on Yaowarat Road and Maggie Choo’s bar, both of which were precursors to the current retro-Chinese wave.
Although Thailand was never formally a colony, Wasana notes that the Thai leadership during King Chulalongkorn’s reign deeply transformed the country in accordance with a Western idea of what modernity should be, which has in turn left a lasting influence on Thai elites and middle classes.
Ironically, this long-overlooked Chinese heritage in Bangkok resurfaces at a time of a massive — and oft-decried — influx of Chinese tourists in Thailand.
“Perhaps this is the way through which Thai-Chinese descendants distinguish themselves from these tourist groups,” Wasana adds. “This revival of a rich cultural heritage stands in stark contrast with the image of the Chinese nouveau riche.”
But apart from a few examples — namely Lhong 1919 or Ba Hao — which place emphasis on their owners’ Chinese roots, other similar business managers deny they’re riding the “cool China” wave.
Romain Dupuy, who runs FooJohn as well as Soul Bar and Cho Why in the Charoen Krung neighbourhood, says he fell in love with the derelict shophouses he proceeded to turn into successful ventures.
“These places have a clear history and identity which I liked,” Dupuy says. At a time when brands and businesses must have distinct character and a unique story to tell, Bangkok’s old quarters abound with niche locations and a rich cultural heritage.
But why is it that Chinese-style shophouses are more popular than, let’s say, traditional wooden Thai houses?
The late American architect Jim Thompson did try and succeeded to a large extent to revive the Thai-style house in the Cold War context.
However, according to Wasana, the Chinese culture is more international, thanks to a large Chinese diaspora.
“When foreign visitors see the Charoen Krung shophouses, they think of other similar sights they’ve seen in Singapore, Shanghai or Penang,” she argues. “This is their idea of what the Orient looks like.”
Renovating shophouses isn’t a new trend, the academic goes on to say. Previous ventures in Penang or Malacca have become successful boutique hotels and restaurants, leading many to flock and purchase unused heritage buildings for a fair price.
With Soul Bar and Cho Why, Dupuy is considered a pioneer of Bangkok’s Charoen Krung scene. As he refurbished the shophouses, he made sure original architectural and decorative elements were conserved — including lighting, window panels or wooden counters.
“It warms my heart when old Charoen Krung inhabitants see the place and recognise the furniture I kept,” he says.
Over the past years, many sought to replicate Dupuy’s success — including descendants of Thai-Chinese families who had previously left the shophouses to go live elsewhere.
For Dupuy, it’s a good sign that original Chinese families feel invested in their cultural heritage. However, as rents rise in the Charoen Krung area, the gentrification process is well on its way.
Original Charoen Krung residents either close up their shops due to old age or move out to cheaper neighbourhoods. While the area is designated to become a “creative district” by the government-run Thailand Creative Design Centre (TCDC), many — including Somchai or even Dupuy — fear it will lose its authenticity.
“Many businesses in Charoen Krung today have a retro look but nothing to do with the original culture of the neighbourhood,” Somchai says. “I’m not against rebranding the area into a creative district but one mustn’t erase the past.”
On the other hand, Dupuy has a pragmatic outlook and works on finding solutions to revive Charoen Krung’s original spirit.
The conservation and refurbishing of old shophouses — emptied of their original inhabitants — will only create empty shells, he says.
“We should instead focus on ways to make the community and their practices relevant in today’s economic context.”
Dupuy confides he has approached ageing business owners with offers of collaboration, but has been turned down. However, he believes that’s the direction to take.