250px, Saphan Han Saphan Han (, ) is a small bridge over the Khlong Rop Krung (Rop Krung canal; lit: ''around the city canal''), also known as

Khlong Ong Ang Khlong Ong Ang (, ) is a canal (khlong) that forms part of the outer moat (Khlong Rop Krung) and marks the eastern edge of Rattanakosin Island in Bangkok. In 2020, the canal was restored by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to feature ...

(Ong Ang canal; lit: ''canal of jars and pots'') in the areas of

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

's Chakkrawat sub-district,

Samphanthawong Samphanthawong (, )) is one of the 50 districts (khet) of Bangkok, Thailand. Regarded as Bangkok's Chinatown, it is the smallest district by area in Thailand. Neighbouring districts are (from north clockwise) Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Bang Rak, ...

district and Wang Burapha Phirom sub-district, Phra Nakhon district. It is also the name of the surrounding area. The bridge was built along with the excavation of the Khlong Rop Krung at the beginning of Rattanakosin (present-day Bangkok) in the reign of King

Phutthayotfa Chulalok Phutthayotfa Chulalok (born Thongduang; 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), also known by his regnal name Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom (now Thailand) and the first King of Siam from the reigning Chakri dynasty. He asce ...

(Rama I). At that time Saphan Han was a bridge made of a single plank for people crossing between outer city and inner city. On side was firmly fixed while the other side laid across the opposite side without fixing which could be turned for the boat to pass. Hence the name "Saphan Han", which means "turning bridge" or "swing bridge". In the

Ayutthaya period The Ayutthaya Kingdom or the Empire of Ayutthaya was a Thai people, Thai kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (city), Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. Europe ...

, it was noted that there were similar bridges at Khlong Takhian (Takhian canal; lit: ''

Hopea odorata ''Hopea odorata'' is a species of tree in the plant family Dipterocarpaceae. It is found in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Description ''H. odorata'' is a large tree reaching up to in hei ...

canal'') and Khlong Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon ( Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon's canal). This type of bridge can be found high and low in Bangkok and other provinces in the olden days. left, 250px, Saphan Han in Chulalongkorn's reign. Later in the reign of King

Phutthaloetla Naphalai Phutthaloetla Naphalai (born Chim; 24 February 1767 or 1768 – 21 July 1824), also known by his regnal name Rama II, was the second King of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, ruling from 1809 to 1824. In 1809, Itsarasunthon succeeded his father ...

(Rama II), when Saphan Han was in poor shape. It had been rebuilt with two planks and can't turn the same again. In the reign of

King Mongkut Mongkut (18 October 18041 October 1868) was the fourth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama IV. He reigned from 1851 until his death in 1868. The reign of Mongkut was marked by significant modernization initiatives and diplomat ...

(Rama IV), the

steel frame Steel frame is a building technique with a "skeleton frame" of vertical steel columns and horizontal I-beams, constructed in a rectangular grid to support the floors, roof and walls of a building which are all attached to the frame. The develop ...

was added to the bridge and its floor was still movable with the aid pulley to open for the boat to pass through. During the reign of

King Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn (20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910), posthumously honoured as King Chulalongkorn the Great, was the fifth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama V. Chulalongkorn's reign from 1868 until his death in 1910 was cha ...

(Rama V) it was rebuilt as a corridor wooden bridge with a width of about , the interior was also divided into small rooms for sale. Modeled from the

Rialto bridge The Rialto Bridge (; ) is the oldest of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. Connecting the ' (districts) of San Marco and San Polo, it has been rebuilt several times since its first construction as a pontoon bridge in 1 ...

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

and the

Ponte Vecchio The Ponte Vecchio (; "Old Bridge") is a medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno, in Florence, Italy. The only bridge in Florence spared from destruction during World War II, it is noted for the shops built along it; ...

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, both of which were historic bridges in Italy. Including there were also walkways and small

shophouse A shophouse is a building type serving both as a residence and a commercial business. It is defined in the dictionary as a building type found in Southeast Asia that is "a shop opening on to the pavement and also used as the owner's residence ...

s on each side of the canal, to be a center of trade as well. It was also one of the most photographed bridges in Bangkok. For the current Saphan Han is a reinforced concrete bridge built in 1962, but the name of the bridge remains the same as a memorial to commemorate the first bridge that was constructed. During the reigns of King Mongkut and King Chulalongkorn, Saphan Han was considered one of the most important and bustling shopping district of Bangkok. Since it was in the end of

Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...

Yaowarat Yaowarat Road (, , ; ) in Samphanthawong District is the main artery of Bangkok's Chinatown. 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 si ...

was the main artery and opposite to

Little India Little India (also known as Indian Street, India Bazaar, or India Town) is an Indian people, Indian or South Asian sociocultural environment outside India or the Indian subcontinent. It especially refers to an area with a significant concentra ...

Phahurat Phahurat or Pahurat (, , lit. "gold upper arm bracelet"), sometimes described 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 ...

neighbourhood, the residence of the Indians in Thailand. In those days, it was full of business and commerce, such as fruits from abroad,

canned food Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container ( jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although unde ...

chewing tobacco Chewing tobacco is a type of smokeless tobacco, smokeless tobacco product that is placed between the cheek and lower Gums, gum to draw out its flavor. It consists of coarsely chopped aged tobacco that is flavored and often sweetened; it is not gr ...

s and

herbs Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnish (food), garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typi ...

, as well as businesses that were illegal and prone to immorals, such as gambling houses, opium dens and

brothel A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...

s. In addition, it was also close to many commercial districts, such as

Saphan Lek 250px, Saphan Lek or Damrong Sathit Bridge in 2014 Saphan Lek (, , ) is the name of a bridge and a now-extinct makeshift market near the bridge in Bangkok. Now officially known as Damrong Sathit Bridge (, ), the bridge was originally built to carr ...

Wang Burapha Wang Burapha (, ) is a historic neighbourhood in Bangkok, regarded as the first commercial and entertainment district in contemporary Thailand (after 1932 revolution). It is surrounded by Charoen Krung, Maha Chai, Phahurat, Tri Phet and Burapha ...

Thieves' Market 250px, The gate of the Woeng Nakhon Khasem on Charoen Krung side in 2016. Woeng Nakhon Khasem (, ) is a market in the Samphanthawong District, Bangkok, Thailand. It is popularly known as the "Thieves Market" as formerly mostly stolen goods were so ...

or known locally as Woeng Nakhon Khasem, etc. Today, Saphan Han remains an important and bustling shopping district, as in the past. It is full of shops in the form of a shophouse. There're many kinds of goods sold, such as clothing, fresh and dried food, fruits, kitchenwares, kid toys, cosmetics, buttons, fabrics, textiles, and mostly ladies' items. It is considered to be the end of

Sampheng Sampheng (, ) 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 surrounding areas. The original ...

or officially known as Soi Wanit 1, the long narrow lane lined from the center of Yaowarat. Sampeng is divided into three parts: first part starts from Song Sawat road near Song Wat road and separated by Ratchawong road near Ratchawong pier, the second part starts from Ratchawong road and separated by Chakkrawat road near Wat Tuek intersection, and third part begins from Chakkrawat road through Saphan Han as far as terminating at Chak Phet road opposite to Phahurat, where it is referred to as "Trok Hua Med" (ตรอกหัวเม็ด), and although it is only a narrow and busy lane, it is also home to two Chinese shrines, Pung Tao Kong shrine and Chun Sieng Chow Sue shrine. Since October 2015, the Thai government has a policy to improve the scenery of the Khlong Rop Krung and Khlong Ong Ang, include there were also renovate five bridges in a row were Saphan Lek, Bhanubandhu bridge, Saphan Han, Borphitphimuk bridge, and Osathanond bridge, the last at the area of

Phra Pok Klao bridge Phra Pok Klao Bridge (, , ) is a bridge crossing the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand. It serves to connect the two sides of the Chao Phraya River in the Bangkok area, namely Phra Nakhon District's Wang Burapha Phirom and Samphanthawong Di ...

's foot, which cross to

Thonburi __NOTOC__ Thonburi () is an area of modern Bangkok. During the era of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, 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 is ref ...

side. The demolition of various shophouses surrounding it, such as Saphan Lek, or Khlong Thom, Saphan Han was one of them. When the stores next to the canal were demolished, the bridge can be seen clearly after being covered for over 40 years.

References

External links

* * {{coord, 13, 44, 39.04, N, 100, 30, 12.07, E, type:adm3rd_region:TH-10, display=title Shopping districts and streets in Bangkok Neighbourhoods of Bangkok Chinese-Thai culture Samphanthawong district Phra Nakhon district Bridges in Bangkok

See also

References

External links