Old Phuket Town dates back to the tin mining
days of a century ago, when Chinese immigrants sought to make their
fortunes from this precious ore.
For millions of international visitors, Phuket is
an island paradise, wrapping sun, sand and sea into a glamorous package
that attracts them back again and again. However, 150 or so years ago,
the island attracted visitors of a different sort – Chinese migrants
seeking to make their fortunes from Phuket’s lucrative tin mining
industry.
Many were from the Fujian area of China, bringing
with them their Hokkien culture and language; others were from nearby
Penang, as well as traders from Malaysia, India and the Straits
Settlements. Together they forged Phuket Town, channelling tin, goods
and money through the port in Tongkah Bay in ever growing amounts.
Some gained mine concessions, making fortunes and
establishing family dynasties on the island. They built huge mansions,
similar to the colonial properties in Penang, and wore European clothes.
Others set up trading companies and shops-cum-homes along Thalang Road,
Old Phuket’s main commercial centre, and adjacent streets.
Today, tin mining has virtually ceased due to low
tin prices and high extraction costs. In its place, the descendents of
the tin pioneers have, like alchemists of old, transmuted cheap metal
into gold – tourism gold. Degraded tin mines have been turned into
lucrative attractions – the luxury resorts of Phuket Laguna, Blue Canyon
Golf Club, Phuket Country Club and Phuket Boat Lagoon have all been
built on top of mined-out land.
And the shophouses and mansions that line the
roads of Old Phuket Town have become a fascinating tableau of discovery
for travellers wanting to learn more about the heritage and culture of
the early tin pioneers.
Preservation Push
Local interest in the heritage of the
old town came to a head in 1992, when the government passed the new
Environment Act that designated Old Phuket as a conservation area,
covering 8 roads – Deebuk, Thalang, Phangnga, Phuket, Rasada, Ranong,
Yaowarat, and Krabi – and two lanes – Soi Romanee and Soi Soon Uthit.
The act set limits on building work, and encouraged restoration and
local participation in promoting this heritage area.
Good cooperation between the local government and
residents helped launch the Old Phuket Town Festival in 1998,
highlighting the renaissance of Thalang Road and showcasing the baba
lifestyle (see: Who are the Babas?), costume, food and
architecture. The growth of this annual festival plus the recent move of
the Tourism Authority of Thailand Region 4 into brand new offices on
Thalang Road, inspiringly designed as a Sino-Colonial mansion in a
bright orange coat, gives the TAT new ammunition to encourage tourists
to discover the cultural allure of Old Phuket.
Old Town Preservation
Please click to view
Image © Serendipity Designs Co., Ltd. |
The Old Town Trail
Surprisingly, no travel agency yet offers walking tours of the Old
Town, particularly as there are so many interesting places to admire,
shop and eat.
Don’t be discouraged! Art & Culture magazine’s Phuket Town Treasure Map
provides a walking trail of the Old Town, identifying historic
buildings, shops, restaurants and other interesting places for a
do-it-yourself tour of discovery. It’s just a two-kilometre walk to
cover all the roads of the Old Town, according to the map, which offers
snippets of insightful information about what makes Old Phuket such a
fascinating place to visit. Get a copy at the TAT Phuket Office and ask
for directions. |
Where to Begin?
Old Chartered Bank building
Image© TAT |
The map’s walking trail begins at the corner
of Phangnga and Phuket Roads in front of the police station with its
clock tower. Opposite is the old Chartered Bank building, the first
foreign bank to open in Phuket in the early 1900s. With the tin industry
in its heyday, the bank expected to handle large amounts of
international currency and insisted on having a police station nearby
for security. As the bank building is no longer used, the Thai Treasury
Department has donated it to the Phuket Municipality for the creation of
a museum celebrating the culture of old Phuket. |
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Thavorn Hotel
Images © TAT |
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Follow the trail round into Rasada Road, and
before going any further, make a detour into the old Thavorn Hotel. It
was built in the early 1960s by tin magnate Tilok Thavornwongwongse, who
was encouraged by the then prime minister, Field Marshal Sarit
Thanarat, to diversify from tin into tourism. Unfortunately for Tilok,
his timing was off. It was so difficult to get to the island in those
days that tourists were few and far between. According to a note Tilok
framed in the lobby, the hotel suffered severe losses for more than ten
years. The only bright spot was the elevator, the first of its kind in
Phuket, attracting visitors from around the island for their first ever
ride up and down the floors. The elevator is still in service, as well
as a magnificent staircase. There are also loads of old photographs and
memorabilia of bygone ages in a wonderful small museum in the lobby
(entrance 30 baht). |
Thalang Road
If you have time to see everything, follow the map
route, stopping to enjoy the distinctive architecture, sample some
tasty food, make merit at a Chinese shrine or whatever else takes your
fancy. Alternatively, decide what you would like to see and go straight
there.
Whatever your choice, make sure you walk along
Thalang Road, the centerpiece of the Old Town with its Sino-European
facades and arched walkway along both sides of the vibrant thoroughfare.
Three types of shophouse have been identified –
Chinese, neo classic and art deco, all in various stages of aging
(occasionally, read delapidation). Admire those that have been lovingly
renovated, such as the House of Beautiful Images on the corner of Soi
Romanee or the China Inn Cafe.
On your journey, sample sticky pancakes at Aroon’s
or sweetmeats at Wilai’s. Check out the richly coloured batiks of the
Indian merchants. Breathe in the heady aromatic aroma of Chinese herbs
at Nguan Choon Tong, the city’s oldest herbal shop. Outside an official
sign classifies a neo classic arch with doric columns. Enquire about
prices at the friendly Thalang Guesthouse, or browse around Sin &
Lee, the first supermarket in Phuket opened over 50 years ago for
wealthy miners to buy imported food and other products. If you have
money to spend, visit Sin Yoo Chang, one of the best names in Phuket for
old jewellery.
| Nguan Choon Tong |
Sin & Lee |
Sin Yoo Chang |
| Images © TAT |
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Browse and learn, stop and buy; you are guaranteed an interesting walk along Thalang Road.
Interesting Public Buildings
Phuket’s provincial and municipal
authorities are playing their parts in the Old Town conservation efforts
by renovating and utilizing old public buildings.
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Phuket Philatelic Museum
Phuket’s first post office on the corner of Montri and Thalang
Roads has been renovated and turned into the Phuket Philatelic Museum,
providing interesting displays of old Thai stamps, old postal equipment,
including phones, and even old letter sorting boxes. Open 9.30 am to
5.30 pm, Tuesdays to Saturdays, closed on holidays. |
| Image © TAT |
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Thai Hua Museum
The oldest Chinese school in Phuket, Thai Hua School was built in
1911 on Thalang Road and has now become the Thai Hua Museum, serving as a
community and exhibition centre for baba arts and culture. |
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Phuket Provincial Hall
The Phuket Provincial Hall dates back to the beginning of the 20th
century, and its remarkable architecture earned it a preservation order
from the Fine Arts Department. This beautiful building on Narisorn Road
served as the American Embassy in the Oscar-winning movie The Killing Fields, which was filmed almost entirely in Thailand in the early 1980s. |
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The Chartered Bank building
The old Chartered Bank building on the corner of Phangnga and
Phuket Roads has been donated to Phuket Municipality by the Thai
Treasury Department for future conversion into a museum highlighting the
Old Phuket heritage |
| Images © TAT |
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No. 63 Thalang Road
Phuket Municipality has acquired shophouse No. 63 Thalang Road,
which will be completely restored along old architectural guidelines and
décor from Dr Yongtanit Pimonsathean, a lecturer in urban planning at
Thammasat University. It will become a showcase of how people lived a
century ago, and be open to visitors as a living museum. |
Mansion Houses
Images © TAT
Chinpracha House on Krabi Road
Of the grand mansions that once graced Phuket, only Chinpracha House
on Krabi Road is open to the public. Built in 1903 by Tan Ma Siang, also
known as Phra Pitak Chinpracha, it was modeled on the Sino-Portuguese
style homes of Penang, where he had business connections. Most of the
furniture came from his ancestors in Fujian, while the floor tiles were
imported from Italy, and other items from Europe. His descendent Pracha
Tandavanitj loved to collect old things and tell visitors about the
house, which he ran like a private museum until his death in 2006.
His wife Jaroonrat (Khun Daeng) continues to show
visitors around, pointing out the beautiful mother of pearl inlaid
furniture, old photographs and memorabilia, a delightful fishpond near
the entrance and the huge kitchen with its stone cooking area. (Call in
advance to ensure Khun Daeng is available.)
Chinpracha House
Tel: 076 211167, 211281
Images © TAT
Phra Pitak Chinpracha Mansion
Phra Pitak Chinpracha Mansion, another fine mansion right next door to
Chinpracha House, was built by the same person during the Second World
War. Unfortunately, it is not open to the public, although the grounds
are occasionally used for functions and the front-on view is quite
stunning.
Images © TAT
Baan Klung Jinda on Yaowarat Road
The mansion known as Baan Klung Jinda on Yaowarat Road was built
approximately 100 years ago by the son of a Chinese military man who
came to Phuket to help solve a mining crisis. Eventually it became the
property of the local government in payment of tax debts, and was turned
into the residence of the provincial treasurer. More recently it was
leased to businessman Kitti Phatanachinda, who spent millions converting
the house into a fine dining restaurant serving Old Siam Cuisine. Today
it looks stunning, much of it decorated in old Chinese style complete
with antiques, with a beautiful lobby and exclusive wine cellar. Those
who stop by for lunch or dinner can also enjoy a brief tour of this
superb property.
Baan Klung Jinda
Tel: 076 221777
Chinese Shrines
Thanks to its strong Chinese heritage, Phuket has a number of Chinese
shrines dedicated to various gods. Three interesting ones can be found
in the Old Town.
They all get a great deal of attention when the
renowned vegetarian festival takes place during October, none more so
than the Jui Tui Shrine.
Images © TAT
Jui Tui Shrine
Dedicated to vegetarian god Kiew Ong and home of the hiew hoey
(holy fire), Jui Tui Shrine at the corner of Ranong Road and Soi
Phutorn, hosts the blessings and ceremonies to initiate the vegetarian
festival. In the courtyard are the sedan chair and chariots to convey
the deity during the procession through the streets of Old Phuket and
then down to the shrine at Saphan Hin.
Images © TAT
Phud Jaw Shrine, adjacent to Jui Tui Shrine
Phud Jaw Shrine is dedicated to Kuan In, Goddess of Mercy. The oldest
shrine in Phuket, Phud Jaw was built over 200 years ago, housing
numerous images of the goddess and her followers.
Images © TAT
Shrine of the Serene Light
One of the more delightful – and quieter – places to visit is the
Shrine of the Serene Light, located in a sheltered courtyard behind
Phangnga Road, accessed via a tiny passage way next to the On On Hotel.
Dedicated to the spirit of Ong Soun Tai Sai, renowned as a Chinese
Hercules for his strength and fighting skills, the shrine’s walls are
covered with murals depicting Ong Soun Tai Sai’s exploits. Dedicated
renovation work means this 110 year old shrine is most picturesque.
Fortune seekers can use the numbered sticks to discover what the future
holds — as long as they can read Chinese or Thai!
Old Town Cuisine
Babas love to eat, says Prof Pranee, and there are plenty of
restaurants and eateries in Old Phuket offering the unique baba mix of
Hokkien and spicy Thai dishes.
Phuketians starts each day with a bowl of Chinese noodles (kanom jeen) or baskets of steamed Chinese delicacies (kanom jeeb). The most popular restaurants are usually simple yet packed. Wait a moment, a table will quickly become free.
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Ba Mai
Try Ba Mai, a tiny shop next to Chin Pracha House on Krabi Road for tasty kanom jeen topped with nam ya or a spicy Phuket curry, served with loads of vegetables. |
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Image © TAT |
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Images © TAT |
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Boonyarat
Boonyarat, behind the Royal Phuket City Hotel on Phangnga Road,
makes some of the freshest kanom jeeb delicacies – steamed buns with
pork, siu mai, har kao, and many other favourites.
Boonyarat
Tel: 076 210897 |
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Images © TAT |
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Raya
For lunch, Khun Rose’s Raya restaurant is located in an antique
house (80 years old) full of memorabilia and sepia photos of Old Phuket.
The house used to be at the quiet end of Deebuk Road, next to Bang Yai
canal, until the municipality extended the road, opening it up to
traffic. Enjoy some excellent Old Phuket food, such as the spicy shrimp
dip (nam prik koong siap), eaten with fresh vegetables including cashew leaves, yellow curry (kaeng lueang), crispy fried fish in garlic (pla khow tort gratiem), crab meat curry with white Phuket noodles (kaeng neua poo kab mee khao) and the icy oh-aew dessert made from banana flour and soft jelly.
Raya
Tel: 076 218155, 232236 |
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Images © TAT |
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Aroon
Underlining the cultural mix on Thalang Road, Aroon restaurant
has been serving tasty halal food for the past 10 years as well as some
mouth-watering pancakes (roti) – don’t miss the banana roti! High on the popularity list is khao yam pattani, served with a giant bowl of fresh vegetables.
Aroon
Tel 076 212187 |
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Images © TAT |
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China Inn Café & Restaurant
Take a look at the marvel that is China Inn Café &
Restaurant on Thalang Road. Owner Supat (Noi) Promchan and her husband
spent over two years renovating a run-down shophouse into a captivating
example of Sino-Portuguese architecture, complete with gilded front door
and pedestrian archway. At front is a Burmese antique shop, while the
restaurant at the back next to a small garden serves a mix of southern
and Phuket food geared to western tastes. Supat admits not many people
can afford to spend so much time and money on renovating their
properties, but the superb results of her endeavours attracts many
foreign visitors. Even the King of Sweden, on a private visit to Phuket,
stopped at China Inn to enjoy the atmosphere.
China Inn Café
Tel: 076 356239 |
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Images © TAT |
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Kra Jok See on Takuapa Road
For dinner, it can only be Kra Jok See on Takuapa Road, even
though there is no sign outside announcing this small yet fabled
restaurant. Serving Thai cuisine suited for western palates on tables
covered with newspapers, the restaurant sheds its inhibitions at 10pm
when the tables are pushed back and hostesses pull guests onto the floor
for dancing. Guaranteed for heaps of fun. Tables are booked in advance
as Kra Jok See doesn’t normally accept walk-in guests.
Kra Jok See
Tel: 076 217903 |
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Images © TAT |
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Anna’s Cafés
The first Phuket branch of the Bangkok restaurant consortium,
Anna’s Café has created a stylish upmarket restaurant occupying two
floors on Rasada Road, just opposite The Taste guesthouse. It offers
Thai and international favourites, plus delicious slices of its famous
cakes. Another popular restaurant serving twin cuisines is the Dibuk
Restaurant on Dibuk Road, with its two menus – one for Thai and one for
French dishes.
Anna’s Café
Tel: 076 210535-6
Dibuk
Tel: 076 258148 |
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| Images © TAT |
Kopi de Phuket on Phuket Road
Starting life as a coffee shop, Kopi de Phuket on Phuket Road has
graduated into delicious baba cuisine, courtesy of young owners Jakkapan
Jitsomboon (Noom) and Nannapas Nimpitakpong (Ji). Actually Noom’s
mother home-cooks many of the dishes for authenticity, ensuring
everything has a mild Hokkien taste. Best suggestions are Phuket noodles
with fish tofu & black sesame (mee sua tauhupla ngadam), deep-fried pork in crispy flour (kian tort), and sticky rice stuffed with chestnuts, pork sausage and salted egg (sa sien bajang). Finish off with toasted bread dipped in sweet bean curd (kanom pang sankaya) with strong sweet old style coffee (gafae boran)
or baba tea (a home-made mix of Indian, Chinese and Malay teas). Need
more, then grab some traditional baba sweets nestling in giant glass
jars on the counter. Upstairs there are Hokkien lessons for babas who
want to stay in touch with their heritage. In addition to its Phuket
Road restaurant, Kopi de Phuket has a coffee corner at the On-On Hotel,
doubling as an internet café and information centre.
Kopi de Phuket
Tel: 076 212225 |
Accommodation
There is plenty of good hotel
accommodation in Phuket City for those who intend to spend more time
shopping and exploring the Old Town Trail. To experience living in the
Old Town, the following are interesting suggestions:
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Images © TAT |
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On-On Hotel, Phangnga Road, Tel: 076 211154
The oldest hotel in town, opened in 1929, has grown into a
rambling maze of inexpensive rooms (170-400 baht a night, no service
charge). Still a popular meeting place for budget travellers. In 2000,
it featured in the movie The Beach, purportedly as a guesthouse in Bangkok’s Khao San Road. |
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Thalang Guesthouse, Thalang Road
Friendly, family-run guesthouse with 13 rooms in an old
shophouse along Thalang Road. More rooms are available in a nearby
house. Prices range from 350-450 baht for rooms, inclusive of breakfast.
Air-conditioning is available for an additional 100 baht.
Web site: www.thalangguesthouse.com |
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Phuket Backpacker Hostel, Ranong Road
Inexpensive, fairly new hostel located directly opposite the Thai
Airways offices and next to the Old Town’s fresh market. It is clean,
comfortable and friendly with 12 small rooms plus dormitory beds. Prices
range from 180 baht to 800 baht for a single room with
air-conditioning, inclusive of tea and toast in the morning. A communal
lounge offers free television, videos and internet, with a small garden
at back to relax.
Web site: www.phuketbackpacker.com |
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Images © TAT |
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Sino House Hotel, Montri Road
Charming Chinese-style hotel with an attractive lobby and large
spacious rooms, for travellers and long-stay guests. Located across from
Seng Ho, the oldest bookstore in Phuket. Prices begin at 1,500 baht per
room, inclusive of breakfast delivered in-room. The hotel also operates
a small coffee house and the Raintree Spa.
Web site: www.sinohousephuket.com |
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Images © TAT |
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The Taste, Rasada Road
Formerly known as the XVI, The Taste turned two adjoining
shophouses into an unusual guesthouse with a trendy reputation. There
are 12 rooms, of three types, in an open plan design that makes generous
use of curtains and indirect lighting. Prices start at 1,500 baht plus
breakfast in the green season, rising to 1,700 baht during the high
season. There is a cocktail bar on the ground floor.
Web site: www.thetastephuket.com |
Thalang Road Accommodation and Entertainment Places
Please click to view
OLD PHUKET TOWN FESTIVAL
Phuket’s tribute to its baba heritage will take centre stage with the
holding of the Old Phuket Town Festival, to be organized by the Phuket
Municipality in conjunction with the TAT, the Old Phuket Foundation, and
the baba community.
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Who Are the Babas?
Nyonya (female) and baba
(male) are the terms used for the descendants of mixed marriages
between Chinese immigrants and locals. Malaysians use the Malay word peranakan.
According to renowned Phuket historian Assistant Professor Pranee Sakulpipatana, nyonya is difficult for Thai people to pronounce. “So we began using the word yaya instead. Then we got lazy, and started calling everyone ‘Phuket baba’.”
A Phuket baba herself,
Mayor Somjai Suwansuppana is an ardent supporter of the baba heritage,
wearing the baba costume of batik sarong and brocaded blouse at work and
encouraging female colleagues at the municipal offices to show off the
local style every Friday.
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Although dates and programme have yet to be
finalized, Deputy Mayor Kawee Tansukatanum said the festival will be
organized over three days in conjunction with Chinese New Year, which in
2008 falls on 7 February. Its programme will be similar to the
successful event in 2007, with Thalang Road and Soi Romanee turned into
walking streets for visitors to learn more about the baba culture and
cuisine. There will be exhibitions about Old Phuket, products for sale,
jazz in Soi Romanee, boat rides along Bang Yai canal, light and sound
shows in the grounds of Chinpracha House, and most certainly a
procession of residents in Phuket baba dress culminating at the giant
dragon in Queen Sirikit Park at the beginning of Thalang Road.
A Tribute to Tin
The Na Ranongs have been pioneers in
Phuket for generations. Tin magnate Khaw Sim Bee na Ranong became the
first Hokkien Governor of Phuket at the beginning of the 20th century
and was given the royal title of Phraya Rasada Nupradit. He was
instrumental in bringing about the development of Phuket town, with new
roads, Sino European buildings, and it was he who enticed the Chartered
Bank to open in Phuket.
When the tin industry began to decline,
his descendent Wichit Na Ranong decided to diversify into tourism.
Wichit opened the Pearl Hotel in Phuket Town in 1976. Aware of the
problems faced earlier by the Thavorn Hotel, Wichit and his business
associates formed the Phuket Tourism Association to press the government
and the Tourism Authority of Thailand to promote the island as a new
travel destination.
Their initiative worked. By the 1980s,
the TAT was promoting Phuket internationally as the “Pearl of the
Andaman.” The government expanded the old airport, improved road
infrastructure, established international communication links, and made
the island resort much easier to get to. Phuket never looked back, and
is now considered the premier beach destination in Asia.
Image © Indigo Pearl
Web site: www.indigo-pearl.com |
When the time came to renovate his
Pearl Village Resort at Nai Yang Beach, Wichit admitted to a touch of
nostalgia for memories of the days of tin. After a US$ 22 million
makeover by renowned designer Bill Bensley, the property was reborn
recently as the 5-star Indigo Pearl with a remarkable tin theme (see
www.indigo-pearl.com). Throughout the property, guests are reminded of
Phuket’s tin beginnings with strange machinery, old wooden doors, metal
plates and bolts, quirky iron sculptures, even the cutlery seems to be
made from spanners and screwdrivers. |
As
a finishing touch to the resort, Wichit is overseeing the development
of a small museum, which will pay tribute to Phuket’s old days of tin.
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