Yaowarat Road ( th, ถนนเยาวราช, ; ) in

Samphanthawong District Samphanthawong ( th, สัมพันธวงศ์, ) is one of the 50 districts (khet) of Bangkok, Thailand. Regarded as Bangkok's Chinatown, it is the smallest district in area but has the highest population density of Bangkok's districts. ...

is the main artery of

Bangkok's Chinatown Bangkok's Chinatown is one of the largest Chinatowns in the world. It was founded in 1782 when the city was established as the capital of the Rattanakosin Kingdom, and served as the home of the mainly Teochew immigrant Chinese population, who ...

. Modern Chinatown now covers a large area around Yaowarat and Charoen Krung Road. It has been the main centre for trading by the Chinese community since they moved from their old site some 200 years ago to make way for the construction of

Wat Phra Kaew Wat Phra Kaew ( th, วัดพระแก้ว, , ), commonly known in English as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and officially as Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram, is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. The complex c ...

, the Grand Palace. Nearby is the

Phahurat Phahurat or Pahurat ( th, พาหุรัด), often known as Thailand's Little India, is an ethnic neighborhood surrounding Phahurat Road in Wang Burapha Phirom Subdistrict, Phra Nakhon District, Bangkok. The area that would become Phahur ...

Little India Little India or India Town (less commonly known as Indian Street or India Bazaar) is an Indian or Desi (South Asian) sociocultural environment outside India or the subcontinent. It especially refers to an area with Indian residences and a dive ...

. The area is bordered by the Chao Phraya River to the south. Yaowarat Road is well known for its variety of foodstuffs, and at night turns into a large "food street" that draws tourists and locals from all over the city.

History

Chinatown is in one of the oldest areas of Bangkok. It is the result of the resettlement of Chinese on the west bank of Chao Phraya River after King

Rama I Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok Maharaj (, 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), personal name Thongduang (), also known as Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom and the first monarch of the reigning Chakri dynasty of Siam (now T ...

moved the capital of the kingdom from

Thonburi __NOTOC__ Thonburi ( th, ธนบุรี) is an area of modern Bangkok. During the era of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, its location on the right (west) bank at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River had made it an important garrison town, which i ...

to Rattanakosin. From there Chinese traders operated maritime junk trade between (

Siam Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

) and China throughout the Rattanakosin period. By the end of 1891, King

Rama V Chulalongkorn ( th, จุฬาลงกรณ์, 20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, titled Rama V. He was known to the Siamese of his time as ''Phra Phuttha Chao Luang'' (พร� ...

had ordered the construction of many roads, including Yaowarat Road. Chinatown does not consist of only Yaowarat Road, but also includes others such as Charoen Krung Road, Mangkon Road, Songwat Road, Songsawat Road,

Ratchawong Road Ratchawong Road ( th, ถนนราชวงศ์, ; lit: ''dynasty road'') is a road in Bangkok, Thailand. It is located in the area of Bangkok's Chinatown, or popularly known in Thai as Yaowarat. History The road was constructed by King Ch ...

, and

Chakkrawat Road 250px, '' Prang'' (pagoda in Khmer-style) of Wat Chakkrawat, the origin of the area's name. Chakkrawat ( th, จักรวรรดิ, ) is a ''khwaeng'' (subdistrict) of Samphanthawong district, Bangkok. History In the year 1915, correspondi ...

. Yaowarat's

Sampheng Sampheng ( th, สำเพ็ง, ) is a historic neighbourhood and market in Bangkok's Chinatown, in Samphanthawong District. It was settled during the establishment of Bangkok in 1782 by Teochew Chinese, and eventually grew into the surroundi ...

Market is the center of the area. The path of the road is said to resemble a dragon's curvy body, making it an auspicious location for business. Since it was built to avoid the existing cluster of houses of the people according the king's policy. Yaowarat is a road with a length of about 1.5 km (0.93 mi), 20 m (65 ft) wide and takes 8 years to build (1892–1900). There are many shops selling

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

garments Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...

, textiles,

stationery Stationery refers to commercially manufactured writing materials, including cut paper, envelopes, writing implements, continuous form paper, and other office supplies. Stationery includes materials to be written on by hand (e.g., letter pape ...

, souvenirs, second-hand parts and equipment, electric goods, computer parts, antiques, imported musical instruments and local delicacies. Based on 2002 data, there are 132 gold shops (including nearby), which is considered the area with the most gold shops in the world. Therefore, it was dubbed as "Golden Road" in tandem "Dragon Road". Land prices around Yaowarat Road have always been among the most expensive in Bangkok and Thailand due to limited land which is mostly owned by prominent Thai-Chinese families. This road was originally named "Yuppharat Road" and later changed to "Yaowarat Road", which means "young king", in honour to Prince

Vajirunhis Maha Vajirunhis, Crown Prince of Siam ( th, มหาวชิรุณหิศ; ; 27 June 1878 – 4 January 1895) was the first Crown Prince of the Chakri dynasty. He was the first son of King Chulalongkorn and Queen Savang Vadhana together, ...

, the first

crown prince of Thailand The Crown Prince of Thailand (or Siam; th, สยามมกุฎราชกุมาร; ; lit. the royal son of Siam) is a title held by the heir apparent to the Thai throne. First created by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) in 1886, for his so ...

, who was the first son of King Rama V. Before it was a road it was just rice fields and

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...

s. In 1894, an electric tram car service passed through Charoen Krung and Yaowarat Roads, this service only ceased in 1968. Prior

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, regarded as the busiest area in Bangkok, it was the first road where the country's tallest buildings where situated, called seven-storeyed and nine-storeyed buildings on both sides of the road. There were many famous Chinese restaurants, Chaloem Buri Cinema the most modern one in that decade, many reliable gold shops as well as hundred of shops selling both fresh and preserved merchandised used for Chinese food cooking. At present, Yaowarat's significance is not fading. It is still one of the country's most busting commercial and delicious food district. Bkkthyaowarat060928a

On 3 June 1946, King

Rama VIII Ananda Mahidol ( th, พระบาทสมเด็จพระปรเมนทรมหาอานันทมหิดล; ; 20 September 1925 – 9 June 1946), posthumous reigning title Phra Athamaramathibodin ( th, พระอั� ...

and his younger brother, Prince

Bhumibol Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; (Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great ...

(later King Rama IX), visited Yaowarat and Sampheng by walking from morning until noon. This event is considered a milestone of Yaowarat and causing conflicts between Thais and Thais of Chinese descent, including overseas Chinese who live in Thailand to end. Nowadays, every Chinese New Year festival Yaowarat Road will become a venue for great celebrations. The road will be closed to completely turn into a

pedestrian street Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian-only use and in whi ...

. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has always presided over the opening ceremony, and since December 15, 2019 on every Sunday, this road from 07:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. will be completely closed to become a pedestrian street (only section Chaloem Buri to Ratchawong Intersections).

Characteristics

Yaowarat is a road with a total length of 1,532 m (about 5,026 ft) with traffic management as one-way running in opposite directions to the parallel, Charoen Krung Road. Starting from the

Odeon Circle Odeon Circle and Chinese gate., 300px Odeon Circle or Wongwian Odeon ( th, วงเวียนโอเดียน, ; zh, 崇聖牌樓; pinyin: ''Chóng shèng páilóu'') is a roundabout in Bangkok. It is the intersection of Yaowarat, Charoen ...

near Wat Traimit, or Temple of Golden Buddha, and spans canal

Khlong Ong Ang Rattanakosin Island ( th, เกาะรัตนโกสินทร์, , ) is a historic area in the Phra Nakhon District in the city of Bangkok, Thailand. It is bordered by the Chao Phraya River to the west and various canals to the east t ...

to end at Wang Burapha Intersection in front of

Wang Burapha Wang Burapha ( th, วังบูรพา, ) is a historic neighbourhood in Bangkok, regarded as the first commercial and entertainment district in contemporary Thailand (after 1932 revolution). It is situated between Charoen Krung, Maha Chai, ...

area in Phra Nakhon District.

Transportation

Yaowarat Road is served by the BMTA and affiliated's bus lines: 1, 4, 7 (only section Ratchawong to Chakkrawat Roads) 21, 25, 40, 53, 73, 73ก, 507, 529, 542, and there are four bus stops: Thian Fah Foundation Hospital, Chaloem Buri, Talat Kao (Old Market) and Wat Tuek. The road also served by the Wat Mangkon Station of the MRT Subway, whose Blue Line runs under the nearby Charoen Krung Road.

References

External links

* {{Osmway , 462532630 Chinese-Thai culture Neighbourhoods of Bangkok Samphanthawong district Shopping districts and streets in Thailand Streets in Bangkok