蒲盧歇或是蒲亞利，與蒲壽庚海商集團有無關聯，至今尚不得而知。但，有意思的是，1972年汶萊博物館人員在汶萊市愛丁堡橋頭路旁一座馬來人墳山發現了一塊誌明宋代的中文墓碑。1973年，馬來亞大學的傅吾康和陳鐵凡發表一篇重要學術論文：《最近汶萊發現的公元1264年中文墓碑的初步報告》(A Chinese Tomb Inscription ofA.D. 1264, Discovered Recently in Brunei: A Preliminary Report)，首次將這塊墓碑披露於世，震撼學界，公認這是至今發見，全東南亞年代最早的一塊中文碑石。
Sasar Lipis sebagai UNESCO Global Geopark menjelang 2026-MB Pahang
KUALA LIPIS - Kerajaan Pahang menyasarkan Lipis yang dimasyhurkan sebagai Geopark Kebangsaan hari ini mendapat pengiktirafan Pertubuhan Pendidikan, Kebudayaan dan Saintifik Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (UNESCO) Global Geopark (UGGp) menjelang 2026.
Menteri Besarnya, Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail berkata, pengiktirafan sebagai Geopark Kebangsaan yang ke-11 negara itu berkuat kuasa pada 9 November lepas, iaitu setahun selepas kerajaan Pahang memulakan usaha untuk mendapatkan pengiktirafan tersebut.
Pengiktirafan itu menjadikan Lipis Geopark yang berkeluasan 5,408 kilometer persegi iaitu meliputi keseluruhan daerah Lipis, sebagai Geopark Kebangsaan termuda dan terbesar di Malaysia buat masa ini.
"Pelaksanaan Lipis Geopark adalah selari dengan draf perancangan Blueprint Pahang Destinasi Warisan Dunia 2024-2028, untuk menjadikan Pahang destinasi bertaraf dunia bagi pengiktirafan tapak berjenama UNESCO di bawah kategori Tapak Warisan Dunia (WHS), program Manusia dan Biosfera (MAB) dan UGGp," katanya.
Wan Rosdy berkata demikian semasa berucap pada Majlis Pemasyhuran Lipis sebagai Geopark Kebangsaan di Taman Negara Sungai Relau di sini hari ini, yang turut dihadiri Timbalan Menteri Sumber Asli dan Kelestarian Alam, Datuk Seri Huang Tiong Sii.
Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah berkenan mencemar duli menyempurnakan pemasyhuran itu.
Selain itu, Wan Rosdy berkata, antara kawasan yang diangkat sebagai tapak Geopark Kebangsaan itu ialah Galeri Aspirasi Lipis Geopark, Geotapak Bernilai Kebangsaan dan Geotapak Bernilai Geopelancongan, dengan setiap satunya mempunyai sejarah yang boleh diceritakan kepada pelancong.
"Saya diberitahu terdapat bukti perlanggaran dua benua kecil iaitu Malaya Barat dan Malaya Timur di daerah ini lebih kurang 200 juta tahun lepas yang membentuk Semenanjung Malaysia seperti hari ini.
Al-Sultan Abdullah berkenan mendengar penerangan daripada Pengarah Bahagian Reakreasi Alam Semulajadi, Perhilitan Semenanjung Malaysia, Haidar Khan Makbol Hassan (kanan) ketika mencemar duli berjalan melalui Treetop Walk, Taman Negara Pahang, Sungai Relau selepas menyempurnakan Majlis Pemasyhuran Lipis sebagai Geopark Kebangsaan di Taman Negara Sungai Relau di sini hari ini. Foto Bernama
The Sakon Hed festival illustrates how a dispersed network of creatives can come together and build creative capital through active collaborations and connections. This network is unique, in that it is still very much grounded by a commitment to the place and its tradition, and shows that the creative life of a place doesn’t necessarily need to be permanently situated to bring about a rich creative milieu. While there is an increasing number of creatives – particularly fashion designers – returning to open new indigo-related businesses in the city, there are also many more returning creatives who use the Sakon Hed festival as an opportunity to draw inspiration and bring new ideas back into the creative life of Sakon Nakhon.
The festival is an example of a collaborative creative endeavour sustained by Sakon Nakhon’s creative diaspora.
Importance of Family Bonds and Networks
Family bonds and family-like networks have been key to the revival of indigo-dyed products, and continue to sustain the creative ecosystem of Sakon Nakhon. Generational businesses such as Mae Teeta or Kram Thong and Mann Craft highlight the importance of not just drawing on traditional craft knowledge, but also joint family resources to support the development of new ideas.
The Sakon Hed network is very much established and reliant on blood ties and family-like bonds. For example, Teeta Janpengpen (of Mae Teeta) is the grandmother of Gypsy Janpengpen, a key member of the network. Gypsy Coffee Drip is located next to the Mae Teeta shop in Dong Mafai village. Other members of Sakon Hed may not be related to each other but have nonetheless developed family-like bonds through years of childhood friendship. External visitors such as Chamroen Studio from Bangkok are connected through Mr Gypsy, who consider him as a ‘brother’. These family-like bonds explain the ability of the network to attract many external organisations to participate, calling on goodwill that only family-like relationships can rely on. Diversifying a Creative Ecosystem
The indigo dyeing and weaving industry have been the dominant driver of Sakon Nakhon’s creative ecosystem. Prolonged investment and support from various government initiatives has undoubtedly helped revive it and contributed to its success.
However, we have seen evidence of other creative activities emerging in the past few years that have diversified and strengthened Sakon Nakhon’s creative ecosystem. New creative businesses ranging from indigo-related products to sustainable agriculture and farm produce have illustrated how a creative district can continue to grow and evolve even without significant government support. Sakon Nakhon’s example shows how a creative district can build and extend on existing resources to achieve a more diversified and self-sustaining creative ecosystem
(Source: Creative and Cultural Districts in Thailand; May 2020; britishcouncil.or.th)
These contributions have been perceived as top-down and less flexible than local, self-organised efforts to nurture the creative community. A study by Chanorn identified OTOP as successful in stimulating local entrepreneurship, but also reported how local artisans felt it introduced divisiveness and promoted business models that were antagonistic to the cooperative nature of many community groups.
Educational institutions provide considerable links to resources and opportunities outside Sakon Nakhon. Kasetsart University Chalermphrakiat Sakon Nakhon Province Campus and Sakon Nakhon Rajabhat University have supported many projects that connect to public and private sectors, such as the example provided earlier where NSTDA commissioned Rajabhat University to develop the local dyeing and weaving industry.
Other examples include talks provided by experts during the Sakon Hed festival, such as Assistant Professor Tips Srisakunchaiyaruk (ผู้ศ์.ธิป์ ศ์รีสกุลไชียรัก) from Arsom Silp Institute of the Arts, on community development, and Ms Sirikun Lolpaikun (ดร.ศ์ิริกุล เลากัยกุล) from Brand Being, who shared her vision on branding community products. Sakon Hed talks were supported by the British Council Thailand, which also provided funding for online media production during the festival
Key Characteristics of Sakon Nakhon as a Creative District Nature as a Driver of Creative Endeavours
Sakon Nakhon’s creativity draws upon the abundance of natural resources, attested by the indigo-dyeing and textile handweaving industry. Villages spread out in the Isan region cultivate this traditional craft. Many have made significant efforts to preserve the ancient craft, such as Mae Teeta, which rescued the seeds of two different varieties of indigo and grows them both to ensure their continuation. The revival of this craft in the 1990s, driven by renewed interest in organic and sustainable products worldwide, has also expanded the creative community to engage with agriculture and farming practices. The festival and network have given a platform for these industries in Sakon Nakhon to contribute to the creative and cultural richness of the area. This has expanded the scope of the cultural assets of the province to the forefront of contemporary life.
Sustaining and Developing the Dyeing and Weaving Craft Indigo-dyed products have recently started to make their way into Sakon Nakhon city centre, where shops are catering directly to collectors and consumers. Support from local universities with technical know-how has been crucial in introducing innovation to this labour intensive craft.
Opportunities to sell indigo-dyed textile products on a national and international scale is also emerging, sustained by efforts to establish quality standards and develop new modes of production, aided by branding, manufacturing and marketing support by various government initiatives. Newer indigo brands may communicate the indigo craft as a traditional practice as part of their message, but some, such as Mann Craft, focus on (re) discovering ways to extract pigments from different plants, creating new textile patterns produced artistically by weaving communities.
However, natural dyes and textile weaving are labour intensive, which justifies the high price of the more elaborate items. As the market becomes increasingly competitive, the sector must find ways to preserve its authenticity without impacting on product prices and, therefore, labour retribution.
Close relationships and collaborations are key drivers of creative activity in Sakon Nakhon and are evident within the various communities in the province. Stemming from strong, intimate bonds, the indigo craft bridges different age groups and social identities. Skills are passed on between family members, and specific weaving patterns and dye recipes are developed within villages, which have an intimate relationship with the surrounding land, rivers, wetlands and mountains.
Age-old bonds are seen in contemporary indigo brands such as Mae Teeta, Kram Thong and Mann Craft, discussed earlier. These family businesses have transformed indigo textiles from everyday, traditional products, bridging an emerging class of creatives looking to develop business in their hometown to reach a global market.
The Sakon Hed network offers the strongest example of family-like bonds that build bridging links. Sharing the same passion for returning home to reconnect, the founding members described their team as brothers, sisters and friends. The festival is an opportunity to expand the network and ‘make more friends’, turning strong bonds into bridging opportunities with other creative communities outside the province (see p. 111).
Collaboration is based on respecting differences in taste and expertise, while carefully mediating and reaching consensus. Since Sakon Hed organisers do not conduct business together, there are no conflicts of interest or competition between them. Instead the focus is on creating a welcoming environment for the growing number of visitors.
The network has not relied on government funds or external influential partners to enable its growth. The success of the network and festival lies in this focus on collaborations and friendships, rather than just economic revenue. The organisers described the latter as a ‘social lubricant’, but not the main goal of Sakon Hed. What started as a family-like gathering has now become the largest independent festival in the province, where dispersed creative communities that live and work in bigger cities such as Chiang Mai or Bangkok come to meet, eat, drink and enjoy sustainable and creative activities.
The power of the Sakon Hed network to connect with a diversity of creative groups is remarkable. The festival draws talents to Sakon Nakhon temporarily to reconnect with fellow creatives, while also inviting friends from other provinces such as Surin (จังหวัดสุรินท่ร์) and Phrae (จังหวัดแพัร่) to share and potentially collaborate. This maintains bridging relationships among mobile groups of creatives from different provinces and regions. Siaw Sakon, also known as the Friends of Sakon, is an extended network of friends involved in the organisation of the Sakon Hed festival. They travel from other regions in Thailand to join the festival as exhibitors and organisers. For example, Phrae Craft (แพัร่คราฟ้ท่์), a creative network from Phrae province in the north of Thailand, are also members of Sial Sakon and exhibit traditional craft products at the event. This is an exchange, as the Sakon Hed network also joined Phrae Craft’s creative festival from 6 to 8 December 2019.
Many other groups, such as Folkcharm from Loei Province (จังหวัดเลย), and Charm-Learn Studio (ชีามเริญิ สต้ดิโอ) and Ruenrom Organic Living from Surin Province, participate at these events to share organic products, new soil-dyed cotton, ceramics and award- winning bento designs.
As a geographically dispersed creative district, networks and community groups play an important role in Sakon Nakhon. The Sakon Hed network consists of locally born creative producers and innovators that come together once a year. The 18 founding members grew up locally but moved away to other cities. They reconnected four years ago with the idea of creating a platform for local creatives and craftspeople to come together, and this resulted in the Sakon Hed festival, held annually since 2016. In recent years, the Sakon Hed network has increased awareness of arts, craft and creative enterprises to showcase their work. Their independent status, without affiliation with the government or corporations, allows them autonomy and freedom in curating the festival.
The Young Entrepreneur Chamber of Commerce (YEC) is a nationwide network with a local office in Sakon Nakhon that supports businesses participating in the Sakon Hed festival. YEC is a network of second generation business people who run mostly small businesses in the area. One notable initiative by YEC is an annual fundraising run in December to build and develop children’s centres in Sakon Nakhon.
The annual Sakon Hed festival in 2019 at Farm Hug Annual Festivals Festivals have become important temporary hubs to draw dispersed creatives and artisans to Sakon Nakhon to meet, share and network. Many people featured in this case study are young, returning talents, having studied or worked outside Sakon Nakhon city. The main Sakon Hed festival brings together a unique mix of indigo-dyeing and sustainable farming products across the province.
‘Sakon Hed’ (สกลเฮ็ด) means ‘Sakon Nakhon made’ in the Isan language. The festival has been held every year in December since 2016, to champion community-made, locally sourced products and services. The event offers workshops, talks and networking opportunities for artisans and visitors, attracting exhibitors and tourists from all around the province and the country. The festival is grassroots and volunteer-led, without significant funding support from one entity. Contributions come in different forms, from in-kind support by musicians to sourcing bamboo needed for stall structures. The festival has grown in popularity, attesting to the dedication of the organisers, and moved to a larger location for 2019. It coincides with Christmas to take advantage of the festive seasonal holiday, when many people are travelling back home.
Throughout the year, other cultural and religious festivities take place. Communities from around Sakon Nakhon Province construct large models of Buddhist temples out of beeswax. These impressive constructions are loaded onto trailers and driven through the city during the annual Wax Castle parade that concludes the Wax Castle Festival (เท่ศ์กาลแห่เท่ียนพัรรษ์า), taking place every year in October at the end of Buddhist lent. The Wax Castle parade is the biggest event of the year and it is supported by the local government, temples and other organisations.
Building Social Capital in Sakon Nakhon
Sakon Nakhon’s social capital owes much to the family-like bonds between groups and friends, underpinned by a strong sense of community.
While geographically dispersed, the creative and cultural ecosystem of Sakon Nakhon is held together by shared values of respect for traditional wisdom, nature and sustainable development.
Key actors such as the Sakon Hed network, creative indigo producers and sustainable farmers were identified with characteristics such as being dedicated, generous, collaborative, innovative, experimental, heartfelt, flexible, a good listener, team worker, open minded, kind, good advisor, good at problem solving, hardworking and able to say sorry.
Cha Ya Ta is an experimental studio that combines eco-printmaking with local hand dyeing and weaving. Cha Ya Ta Incha (คุณชีญิตว์ อินท่ร์ชีา) is an art educator at the School of Education, Roi Et Rajabhat University, and an expert in eco-printing. Her gelatin-printing techniques, which are sustainable and ecological, are taught through regular workshops at her studio.
Phukarm (ภ้คราม) is known for working with communities in the Phu Phan mountains to create hand-made textiles and embroidered floral patterns. Ms Pilan Thaisuang (คุณป์ิลันธน์ ไท่ยสรวง) is a returning resident who worked as a community historian in Bangkok. Since 2016, she has trained and worked with ageing local women weavers to enable their traditional designs to become contemporary products for different markets.
Institutional Collaborations and Policy Instruments
Thai central government has supported the indigo-dyeing sector through various entrepreneurial-based development strategies since 2001, during Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s first period in office. The Ministry of Industry established ‘entrepreneur development units’ to activate business, while the project One Tambon One Product (OTOP) aimed to stimulate entrepreneurial development in rural areas. In 2004, the Sakon Nakhon provincial governor designated indigo-dyed textiles as the official symbol of the province.
The SUPPORT Arts and Crafts International Centre of Thailand (SACICT) was established by royal decree in 2003 to ‘promote and support the integration of vocations leading to the creation of folk arts and crafts’.18 It has introduced quality standards and supports local craftspeople and entrepreneurs with training, branding, marketing, internationalisation, intellectual property and blending technological development with traditional practices. These measures were put in place at a time when the market for indigo products was saturated and many entrepreneurs were pushed out of business by competition.19
As a 18 result indigo entrepreneurs began developing distinct brands that communicated authenticity and the careful design of their products.20 In 2008, Kenan Institute Asia (K.I.Asia) introduced community capability development programmes to resource indigo textile production in Sakon Nakhon, supported by BEDO. Since 2011, the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in the textile industry – grouped under the name of Cloth Industry Cluster of Sakon Nakhon (CIC-Sakon, โครงการพััฒินากลุ ่มสิ ่งท่อผู้ายอม ครามจังหวัดสกลนคร) – has been supported by the Department of Industrial Promotion. The project is hosted by Kasetsart University. Since 2012, BEDO and K.I.Asia have collaborated with CIC- Sakon enterprises, implementing the Developing Indigo-Dyed Textile Industry Corporation Project within the indigo-dyed textile industry cluster, covering the full supply chain from indigo and cotton farming to marketing.21 In 2017, with the support of Sakon Nakhon’s Chamber of Commerce, the local campuses of Rajabhat and Rajamangala universities, Silpakorn University and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Handicraft Promotion and Development Association (AHPADA), Sakon Nakhon successfully applied to be nominated as a Craft City by the World Craft Council.
(pg 55) Alongside the indigo craft communities, there are new groups of returning creative entrepreneurs that are heavily influenced by sustainable living, and are actively contributing to the creative and cultural buzz of Sakon Nakhon. Many of these businesses are reconnecting with their strong cultural roots and illustrate the increasing diversity of Sakon Nakhon’s creative life.
URANFARM (อุฬารฟ้าร์ม) produces organic cacao, orchids, salad and palm oil. It is owned by Mr Narongdech Urankun (ณรงค์เดชี อุฬารกุล), a local politician and farmer who is considered a pioneer of modern organic farming, introducing new crops and utilising different marketing and sales strategies by exporting to other regions. Mr Narongdech is a key member of the Sakon Hed
Case Study Sakon Nakhon
buffalo grazing – Ms Saisunee Chiyahongsa (คุณสุนี ไชียหงษ์า) and Mr Sakai Chiyahongsa (คุณสะไก ไชียหงษ์า), leaders of the Baan Na Chuk Organic network, which hosts the annual Sakon Hed festival. Gypsy Coffee Drip and Gypsy Camp are owned by Mr Gypsy Janpengpen (ยิป์ซี จันท่ร์เพั็งเพั็ญิ), another key member of the Sakon Hed network. Recognising an opportunity to service tourists interested in indigo products, he opened his cafe in 2014 next to the Mae Teeta shop. It is akin to a creative hub where local art and craft practitioners meet, including the Sakon Hed network. Like many others featured in this case study, Mr Gypsy returned after working as a researcher at Kasetsart University in Bangkok and witnessing the devastating 2011 floods.17 Na Come Home (นาคำาหอม) is a brand of organic food including rice, fruit, vegetables and herbs.
It is owned by Ms Ratikorn Tongsiri (รติกร ตงศ์ิริ), another returnee who left behind a job in Bangkok’s media industry in 2011. Concerned with environmental issues and aiming to promote healthy living, she became an organic rice and vegetable farmer. Ms Ratikorn expanded her farm and opened an organic cafe, Come Home Sakon, at the end of 2011. The cafe sells desserts, drinks and locally sourced goods as well as showcasing local indigo products. Come Home Sakon is popular with locals, visitors and a network of young entrepreneurs that gather here. Profits from Na Come Home and the cafe are donated to local childcare centres and schools, reflecting other initiatives that are giving back to the community. Kor Fai (ก็ฝั่้าย) produces natural cotton products and promotes community tourism in Baan Na Chok. Community tourism enables local residents to share resources with visitors for the sustainable benefit of both the community and the natural environment. As a plateau and drought area of Sakon Nakhon Province, Baan Na Chok is used for Dyeing Group, have used locally available resources such as buffalo manure creatively, to experiment with organic dyeing processes. They have developed both agricultural and community tourism, creating a successful complementary experience alongside their Kor Fai cotton products.
Hoop Thame (ฮ้ป์แตม) specialises in Isan graphic design, prints, craft and book-making. Mr umnart Sunaprom (คุณอำานาจ สุนาพัรม), a graphic design lecturer at Sakon Nakhon Rajabhat University, experiments with natural materials such as indigo dyeing on banana leaves, and offers hand-dyed textiles and hand-bound book-making workshops.
Mae Teeta (แม่ฑีตา) was the first indigo-dyed product brand in Sakon Nakhon, set up in 1992 by Ms Praphaiphan Deangchai. The brand paved the way for the resurgence of indigo craft in the province. ‘Mae’ is a respectful term meaning ‘mother’, named after the founder’s mother, Ms Teeta Janpengpen (ฑีตา จันท่ร์เพั็งเพั็ญิ). Mae Teeta is a family-run business involving the founder, her sister, her daughter and her nephew in the production of indigo-dyed textiles and clothes.
Ms Teeta and her daughter were pioneers in reviving indigo farming in Sakon Nakhon, by introducing indigo seeds harvested from the surrounding forests into cultivation. A family-like relationship extends to the producers who plant and spin cotton with traditional spinners. Clients are also included in this extended family. Mae Teeta has a loyal base of returning customers that trust the brand and recommend its products to
others. The younger generations of Mae Teeta’s family are fashion graduates who are developing clothing lines for younger customers and introducing the brand to an international market.
Contemporary Indigo-Related Products and Shops
A new generation of makers and producers are evolving indigo craft through a combination of experimental techniques, new marketing strategies and the creation of contemporary designs, as demonstrated by Mae Teeta’s example. Branding has become a key practice in the transformation of indigo-dyed textiles from objects
of everyday, personal use to commodities available for local, national and international trade.15 KramSakon is an umbrella brand for all the indigo merchandise produced by the indigo-dyed textile industry cluster.
It is made up of 20 community enterprises and four SMEs. Members of KramSakon were among the first to establish the Phra Kram street market to sell their products through a dedicated store. One of the stores, Kram
Hug, was started by a long established clothing producer, taking advantage of renewed interest in indigo products. It creates contemporary clothes, household items and accessories designed to appeal to a younger audience. Dominating a busy crossroads with large windows and outdoor plants, Kram Thong (ครามท่อง) and Mann Craft are owned by the same family and share premises. The stores are a key stopping point for important visitors such as the Thai fashion designer Princess Sirivannavari.
The store displays traditional looms, books and signs explaining the process of indigo production.
Indigo Communities and Traditions The recipes for indigo dye and the patterns and motifs created through weaving can vary from one community to the other. Weaving communities grow indigo plants using traditional methods11 and make use of locally grown and spun cotton and silk yarns. A system of shared facilities keeps costs down, promotes collaboration and the circulation of resources and knowledge between communities. The weaving process is equally demanding and heavily reliant on the labour of women.
Girls are socialised from a very young age, starting with cotton spinning and picking. Women learn to work together, where the younger and less experienced weavers can observe the proficient ones, learn their patterns and practise under supervision, with knowledge passed on from older women to younger girls.12 This practice means the indigo-dyeing and weaving industry is managed 90 per cent by women. For example, in the Ban Cherng Doi cotton community enterprise group (วิสาหกิจชีุมชีนท่อผู้าฝั่้ายยอมครามธรรมชีาติบานเชีิงดอย), men are in charge of growing indigo and making dye, while women weave cotton into traditional patterns and invent new ones. Men may also deal with matters outside the home, or even occupy positions of power in the public sector that enable them to support the dyeing and weaving industry through policy decisions.13
Pioneers of Indigo Production and Community Enterprise Groups
To an untrained eye, indigo products may all look the same, but the expertise is embodied in the production process, the history of the practice, different techniques and additives used, and the quality of the woven materials. Some long established groups are distinct in the way they make, manage and develop their products. Nakhon Tumtao Agricultural Housewives Group (บานนครถำ าเต่า) was established in 2008 as a community-managed production network consisting of 372 indigo weavers from different villages, each member taking care of a specific part of the production process. The group is led by Ms Somkid Promchak (คุณสมคิด พัรมจักร) (known as Mae Soom: แม่สุ ่ม), who left to be educated elsewhere and returned in 1998. The group has collaborated with Kasetsart University and other agencies to research natural dyes and has developed its own recipe using lotus plants as an additive to the indigo dye.14
Ban Kamkha Indigo Weavers Group (บานคำาข่า) has been running since 1994 as a community enterprise producing hand-printed cotton. Ms Pira Prasertkantong (คุณพัิระ ป์ระเสริฐกานตง) is the local craft expert and instructor in a government- initiated project for local craft promotion (SUPPORT Arts and Crafts International Centre of Thailand – SACICT) and continues to innovate by introducing new patterns. The group’s goal is to grow its own cotton and create special recipe dyes incorporating mud and husks. Taking a different route to market, the Ban Oondong Nong Chaiyawal Indigo Community Enterprise (กลุ ่มวิสา- หกิจชีุมชีนท่อผู้ายอมครามบานอ้นดง-หนองไชียวาลย์) distributes its unique weaved patterns from indigo-dyed, hand-spun cotton threads through an online channel. Led by indigo expert Ms SuneePromkomol (คุณสุนีย์ พัรอมโกมล), it is supported by the Biodiversity-Based Economy Development Office (BEDO) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to develop sustainable natural products.
Many indigenous groups live in Sakon Nakhon Province. These communities have an enduring tradition of weaving and dyeing cloth, and each group has devised specific techniques, patterns and styles that are regarded as a form of indigenous art and taught through the generations.5 Mud mee (มัดหมี ), or ikat, is a technique of resist-dyeing to pattern textiles, such as tying or stitching. Weaving is traditionally considered a duty for Phu Tai women in the community.6 In the past, textiles were woven for household products, such as clothes and bedding, as well as for important events and ceremonies such as weddings or Buddhist festivities. Dyeing and weaving industries rely on proximity to natural resources, so they are distributed throughout Sakon Nakhon Province. The map (pp. 98-99, fig. 1) shows traditional communities and pioneer revivalist groups located outside of Sakon Nakhon city.
More recently, shops selling indigo textiles and products have started opening closer to the city centre. Every afternoon on weekends and public holidays, Rop Mueang Road (ถนนรอบเมือง) in front of Wat Phra That Choeng Chum is transformed into Thanon Pha Kram market (ถนนผู้าคราม), taking advantage of a new commercial space that opened in 2016. Vendors sell raw indigo materials and end products such as clothes or accessories, so all generations of indigo enthusiasts can sell, buy and network. The market was an initiative of Kasetsart University, with support from local government, the Department of Creative Industry Development and the Department of Industry Promotion. Named as a ‘northeastern style flea market’, indigo-dyeing workshops are also held here. Others have opened permanent shops next to the market, such as Thainiyom Kramsuay (ไท่ยนิยมครามสวย), which occupies a 70-year- old, two-storey wooden house.
Educational Institutions
Two universities in the city – Kasetsart University (มหาวิท่ยาลัยเกษ์ตรศ์าสตร์) and Sakon Nakhon Rajabhat University (มหาวิท่ยาลัยราชีภัฎ สกลนคร) – have been instrumental in reviving indigo-dyeing practices, bridging indigenous wisdom with modern science and technology.7 Local schools provide indigo workshops for students, while the Indigo Centre at the Research and Development Institute of Sakon Nakhon Rajabhat University was set up to support people from the surrounding communities in developing their craft practices. Sakon Nakhon Rajabhat University was commissioned by the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) - (สำานัก งานพััฒินาวิท่ยาศ์าสตร์และเท่คโนโลยีแห่งชีาติ), owing to government policy introduced in 2000, to assist a community initiative in indigo craft revival.
Researchers worked closely with villagers to understand and catalogue the traditional practices – traditions surrounding the craft include the belief that dye vats are inhabited by spirits that can favour the dyeing process8 – and chemical processes of dyeing. What was once small scale and labour intensive with varying quality has transformed to meet an increasing demand for indigo textiles on the national and international market.9 This new knowledge supported some of the indigo revival pioneers, such as the development of a database system of Sakon Nakhon’s indigenous fabric stripes and patterns, which in turn contributed to the expansion of local craft knowledge.10
Transportation Hubs
Sakon Nakhon has a domestic airport with a daily bus service to Bangkok. A planned upgrade by Airports of Thailand (AOT) to create an international airport hub in the coming years will undoubtedly improve connectivity to the district. There are also two bus stations servicing routes to nearby cities such as Udon Thani and Nakhon Phanom. (pg. 103)
Indigo plants are widely grown in the area surrounding the Songkhram River, the very name of the river meaning ‘indigo forest’. The locals have found many uses for indigo over the centuries, calling it the ‘king of dyes’. It is most famous as a natural pigment yielding a distinctive, deep blue colour. However, other uses are common, such as a repellent for rice pests and a culture starter for edible mushrooms.
3 Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (2015). National parks in Thailand. 4Tjahja, C. (2020). Reorienting and sustaining design and social innovation: Insights from Asia-Pacificpractices [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Northumbria University.
Public Spaces
Public spaces are often a rare commodity in Thailand,4 and can act as important hubs to enable civic, cultural and creative activities to happen. Lotus Park and the surrounding two parks located next to Nong Han Lake are considered the heart of Sakon Nakhon culture, supporting the recreational and cultural life of the residents. Nong Han Chaloem Phrakiat Lotus Park (อุท่ยานบัวเฉลิมพัระเกียรติ) was created in 2009 by Kasetsart University Chalermphrakiat Sakon Nakhon Province Campus as part of a research project looking into the benefits of the royal lotus plant. Opened to the public in 2010, the park now features more than 100 varieties of lotuses and water flowers from around the world, with indoor and outdoor exhibition areas.
Suan Somdet Phrasinakarin and Suan Somdet Galyani Vadhana Parks (สวนสมเด็จพัระศ์รีนครินท่ร์และ
สวนสมเด็จเจาฟ้้ากัลยาณิวัฒินา กรมหลวงสงขลานครินท่ร์ หรือ สวนแม่สวนล้ก) are located next to Nong Han
Lake. Often described as the ‘lungs of the city’, they are the only large pedestrianised areas in Sakon Nakhon, kept cool by the large lake and the tall trees at the edge of the parks. They are prominent meeting points, hubs for recreational activities and places to gather for many public events.
Religous Structures
Given the fact that there are more than 400 Buddhist temples, only the most significant have been noted here. Built around the first century, Wat Phra That Choeng Chum (วัดพัระธาตุเชีิงชีุม) is one of the most important city temples of Sakon Nakhon. It was known as Phra That Nong Han (พัระธาตุหนองหาร) during the time of the Lan Xang Kingdom. Wat Phra That Choeng Chum represents Lan Xang influences in Sakon Nakhon culture and traditions. Located next to Nong Han Lake, it is a popular destination among locals and tourists, who
often visit to pay respect. Taking advantage of its popularity, local entrepreneurs have set up stalls selling indigo products around the entrance of the temple grounds. In front of Wat Phra That Choeng Chum is a walking street, hosting a creative weekend market called Thanon Pha Kram (ถนนผู้าคราม).
The Archangel Michael Cathedral, located in the subdistrict of Tha Rae (ท่่าแร่), serves the largest Catholic community in Thailand. Its original structure was built by a community of Vietnamese descendants who settled in this province more than 130 years ago after fleeing persecution. The cathedral serves as a reminder of the rich cultural influences of the province. (pg 101)
Without women to transmit or inherit the skills of dyeing and weaving, traditional indigo textile production gradually disappeared.The communities’ close relationship with rich, fertile land and natural resources, and the valuing of local wisdom and indigenous knowledge, extend to sustainable agricultural practices in rice and beef. Small, family-run organic farms, such as Farm Hug, have increased in number in recent years, where traditional crafts and organic food production are brought together. This confluence of craft, culture and food makes Sakon Nakhon a unique creative district in Thailand.
Typology of Sakon Nakhon’s Creative and Cultural District Hard Infrastructures
Sakon Nakhon is characterised by the relative remoteness of the region, its natural resources and its close proximity with other national borders and cultures. Lying on a flat plain on the bank of Nong Han Lake, the city is surrounded by extensive farmland and national parks. North of Sakon Nakhon are the provinces of Bueng Kan (บ่งกาฬ) and Nong Khai (หนองคาย), while Udon Thani (อุดรธานี), the prominent city of the Isan region and Isan Buddhism, is to the west. The south of Sakon Nakhon is connected to the provinces of Kalasin (กาฬสินธุ ์) and Mukdahan (มุกดาหาร), and the nearest province is Nakhon Phanom (นครพันม), which is only 93km away. The region is close to the Laos border, where Vientiane is only 236km over the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge (สะพัานมิตรภาพัไท่ยลาว). Lying on a flat plain on the bank of Nong Han Lake, the city is surrounded by extensive farmland and national parks.
Natural Resources
The abundance of water sources is an important natural infrastructure for the province because other surrounding provinces in northeast Thailand (such as Udon Thani) are dry regions. Sakon Nakhon Province is dominated by large bodies of water and mountains. Nong Han Lake (ท่ะเลสาบหนองหาร) is Thailand’s largest freshwater lake and the surrounding wetlands are important
conservation areas. Nong Han Lake is fed by the Nam Pung River (ลำานำ าพัุง) originating from the Phu Phan mountain region (เท่ือกเขาภ้พัาน), and draining through the Huai Nam Kan River (หวยนำ ากำ า) into the Mekong River (แม่นำ าโขง). Other sources of water come from the Himalayas, where the Mekong River springs and flows through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam before flowing into the South China Sea. During its course, the Mekong River feeds the Songkhram River (แม่นำ าสงคราม) flowing through the northeast of Thailand, causing it to flood an area of more than 100 square kilometres every rainy season. This phenomenon sustains an aquatic and terrestrial ecology of countless wetlands; their biodiversity has high cultural and economic value in sustaining the communities for centuries.
Phu Phan National Park (อุท่ยานแห่งชีาติภ้พัาน) is one of the important natural resources in Sakon Nakhon. Located in the Phu Phan mountains, a range of hills dividing the Isan region into two basins, the park was established in 1972 to protect the flora and fauna of the area,3 including the prized Siamese rosewood (ตนพัะย้ง). The indigofera tinctoria, known as the indigo plant or kram (คราม) in Thai, originates from the Phu Phan mountains. (pg 100)
Famous Buddhist forest monasteries include Wat Pa Sutthawas (วัดป์่าสุท่ธาวาส), the temple of Buddhist master Mon (หลวงป์้ ่มั น), and Wat Pa Udomsompone (วัดป์่าอุดมสมพัร), where the relic of Fun (หลวงป์้ ่ฝั่ั น) is kept. There are well-known annual Buddhist events supported by local government, such as the Wax Castle Festival (ป์ระเพัณีป์ราสาท่ผู้่ ง) and the Boat Race (ป์ระเพัณีแข่งเรือ) at the end of Buddhist Lent Day (วันออกพัรรษ์า). All of these events involve local artisans – for example, to create the beeswax castles and decorations on boats, and perform traditional dance and parades.
The current population of Sakon Nakhon Province is around 1.1 million, and there are approximately 113,000 residents in the city centre. People here speak Isan, which is a Thai-Lao mixed language used around northeast Thailand. There are six different tribes in Sakon Nakhon – Saiyor (ไท่รญิอ), Taiyoy (ไท่โยย), Taiso (ไท่โส), Taikaleang (ไท่กะเลิง), Tai-Loa Isan (ไท่ลาวอีสาน) and Phutai (ภ้ไท่), the last one being the largest and oldest tribe in the area. These tribes have their own dialects of Isan language and have been engaged in traditional weaving practices of both silk and cotton for generations. These traditions have very much shaped the creative and cultural fabric of the region. 1Chanorn, C. (2016). Self-transformation strategies of development: The emergence of indigo dyed textile entrepreneurs in Sakon Nakhon, Thailand. Thammasat Review, 19(2), 1–21.
Sakon Nakhon is famous for indigo dyeing and textile weaving. Due to the abundance of the indigo plant along the Songkhram River (แม่นำ าสงคราม), which flows through the province, villagers have developed local wisdom and know-how to produce indigo-dyed textiles in a variety of patterns and styles. Indigo-dyed textile production declined in the Isan region during the mid-19th century due to synthetic dyes and industrialisation.1 Farmers switched from growing indigo to more economically viable plantations such as rice, rubber, tapioca, cotton or sugar cane. Villagers, including women, started migrating to cities, reducing the number of agricultural labourers and weavers while swelling the ranks of factory workers. Without women to transmit or inherit the skills of dyeing and weaving, traditional indigo textile production gradually disappeared.2
Without women to transmit or inherit the skills of dyeing and weaving, traditional indigo textile production gradually disappeared.
Indigo-dyeing products on display at Mann Craft However, since the 1990s the indigo industry has experienced a revival. During and after the economic crisis of 1997, various initiatives were introduced by the government to stimulate job creation in the rural sector and incentivise workers to return to their hometowns. In this period, the idea of ‘local wisdom’ emerged as a central concept for the revitalisation of many artisan sectors, including agriculture, food, traditional medicine and crafts. Many of the pioneers of the indigo craft revival discussed in the case study started operating in this decade, initiating a new era of indigo production that brings together tradition and innovation. Owing to this revival, the processes of planting, harvesting, fermenting, dyeing and weaving have been passed on over the centuries, and indigo has become the key cultural identity of Sakon Nakhon. Indigo products embody traditional craft knowledge and practices, enabling relationships between different groups to be sustained – local community weavers and designers educated outside of the province, producers with a wealth of traditional knowledge and new consumers.
This age-old craft, developed in close relationship with the land, was transmitted through the generations until modern production technologies of industrialisation overshadowed traditional practices. Thanks to a small number of pioneers, however, the craft was revived during the 1990s and has evolved since into a vibrant creative scene combining local wisdom with modern design influences. The renewed interest in traditional techniques, indigenous knowledge and environmental sustainability has instilled new energy into other sectors, such as agricultural production and sustainable farming.
In the past ten years, Sakon Nakhon has been developed on the basis of its agricultural resources. There has been a continuous increase in creative activities and businesses developed by citizens who moved back after working in other cities and regions. Since 2016, there has been rapid growth in creative networking and businesses around Sakon Nakhon and surrounding areas. Sakon Hed started out as a network of creative entrepreneurs involved in developing locally branded products that are modern, natural and sustainable. The network hosts the annual Sakon Hed festival (เท่ศ์กาลสกลเฮ็ด),
which has now become the biggest creative event in Sakon Nakhon. The festival aims to promote local wisdom, products, services and brands as well as raise awareness of the growing creative activities in this region.
The uniqueness of Sakon Nakhon’s creative scene is in the somewhat disperse nature of its members.
Traditional weaving communities are distributed across the province, while a growing base of returning talent gathers every year at the Sakon Hed festival, driven by an interest in crafts as well as a commitment to Sakon Nakhon and its traditions. Close relationships such as familial bonds and friendships are the drivers of fruitful collaborations: families and community groups can rely on shared resources to sustain their businesses, while a network of friends and volunteers can mobilise enough resources to create a yearly gathering during which ideas are exchanged and collaborations are arranged. As Sakon Nakhon gains prominence as a creative district in Thailand, the focus is on balancing environmental, economic and social sustainability.
Sakon Nakhon is famous for indigo dyeing and textile weaving. Sakon Nakhon is one of the largest provinces in northeast Thailand, at 9,600 square kilometres. Its history can be traced back more than 2,000 years through fossil and archaeological records. During the tenth century, Sakon Nakhon was called Muang Nonghan Luang (เมืองหนองหารหลวง) and was a major city of the Khmer Empire, until a long drought led to its depopulation. It then became part of the Lan Xang Kingdom อาณาจักรลานชีาง) from the 14th century and had a close relationship with the city of Vientiane in Laos. During the time, Sakon Nakhon was known as Chiang Mai Nonghan ( เชีียงใหม่หนองหาร) and was influenced by Lao cultures and traditions. During the Rattanakosin period, King Rama I (who ruled from 1782 to 1809) renamed the city Sakon Tawapi (สกลท่วาป์ี), which later changed to Sakon Nakhon (สกลนคร), meaning the City of Sakon.
[pg94] Sakon Nakhon is known as a cultural and religious city. There are more than 400 Buddhist temples.Many of them are Dhammayuttika Nikaya (นิกายธรรมยุต) or Buddhist forest monasteries (วัดป์่า), which focus only on scriptural study of the earliest existing Buddhist texts and meditation practices.
The CEA‘s mission to model Charoen Krung as its flagship creative district, to learn from and develop other cities around Thailand, provides strong motivation. The CEA is playing a key role in linking public and private sectors such as the district offices, Thailand Tourism Authority, local businesses and communities, so the district can headline major festivals such as Bangkok Design Week to engage with a broader national and international creative network. This is undoubtedly succeeding in boosting creative activities in the district, in turn attracting a diversity of talents, start-ups, business ventures and tourism – and generating further cultural, social and economic capital.
Building on Deep and Diverse Cultural Roots
Charoen Krung has one of the oldest communities, having multigenerational settlements for more than 200 years. Family-like bonds within communities are further anchored by established educational, religious and cultural institutions, housed within heritage buildings that have etched various architectural and ethnic influences over the decades. These places maintain the community fabric by continuing to be spaces for gathering, learning, sharing and celebrating traditions, identity and knowledge that enable creative practices such as Islamic art, calligraphy and dragon dance to be passed on. These cultural assets are inspiring a new generation of creatives to set up events and businesses in restored heritage buildings, allowing them to enjoy the markets, participate in festivals, attend exhibitions or socialise in cafes, bars and restaurants. Peppered along narrow streets, these cultural pockets are a rare find in contrast to the congested and densely developed urban environment.
Sustaining Trade Centres
Charoen Krung Road continues its 19th century heritage as a centre of international trading. The area is adjacent to major business centres served by vital arteries such as the Chao Phraya River, Silom Road and Sathorn Road, where time honoured establishments can be found – such as the Siam Commercial Bank, the Bangkok Bank, the Jewelery Trade Centre and new business districts containing law firms, insurance companies, banks, fine dining restaurants, luxury hotels, spas andhealthcare centres. While some businesses may have moved their headquarters elsewhere due to lack of space and parking issues, many still see importance in maintaining a presence in the area.
With excellent transportation links and proximity to many different types of businesses alongside its growing creative credentials, Charoen Krung is an attractive place for start-ups and design studios to operate from.
Executive Summary Sakon Nakhon
Located in Isan (อีสาน), Thailand’s largest region, and surrounded by lakes, rivers, wetlands, mountains and extensive farmland, the province of Sakon Nakhon (สกลนคร) is famous for its indigo-dyeing and textile-weaving production. Its capital city, also called Sakon Nakhon, was awarded the title of Craft City from the World Craft Council in 2017, and is gaining international recognition for its naturally dyed textiles.（pg.88）
The CEA is arguably the main driver of creative activities, with a mission to boost the creative economy and activities in Charoen Krung. It plays a vertical, linking role in channelling resources and people to encourage collaborations and investments from within and outside the district.
This can be observed in the successful renovation of Warehouse 30, noted as a key creative hub earlier, and hosting Bangkok Design Week by working closely with a number of local businesses in the area as well as external organisations to set up events and activities. The CEA does well in bringing groups of artists and design students, freelancers, studios and start-ups from outside Charoen Krung to showcase their work in noted creative spaces such as O.P. Place, River City Bangkok and House No. 1. The CEA’s multi-sector links, including private businesses, universities and public sectors such as Thailand Tourism and district offices, make it an important and powerful agent. Such observations allow this study to affirm that policy and central government initiatives through the CEA are largely responsible for Charoen Krung’s development as a creative district, in contrast to other districts studied – where development is attributed to local, existing and emerging cultural and creative assets.
Yet as discussed in the previous section, the CEA may need to play a stronger bridging role to connect horizontally between local businesses and communities by capitalising on their effectiveness in organising events. While businesses are more likely to connect vertically with public sectors such as the CEA, Thailand Tourism and district offices, they will need more assistance to connect with local communities and build on opportunities to work together to avoid potential divisions and inequality in access, wealth and knowledge – as seen in fragmented communities globally.8 The Co-create Charoenkrung project, initiated by the TCDC, was a welcome example of bridging constructively.
The TCDC organised various listening and co-design sessions with the community to learn what residents wanted to improve in their neighbourhood. This resulted in prototypes and models of some of the ideas that the residents came up with, such as providing signage to allow easier navigation through the neighbourhood, creating green pocket spaces, connecting alleys, rejuvenating and repurposing old buildings and redeveloping the riverfront.9
Key Characteristics of Charoen Krung ’s Creative District
Examining Charoen Krung through multiple dynamic layers and assets allows this study to arrive at the following assessment of the role of this particular creative and cultural district. A Govenment-Designed Creative District Investment, resourcing and strategic planning by the Thai government are central to Charoen Krung’s public recognition as a creative district.
Bonding relationships are strongly evident in various older communities in Charoen Krung. Like a family, these bonds and relationships are important in maintaining a sense of trust and belonging. Participants from both the Haroon Mosque and the Talad Noi communities shared how they cherish community knowledge, culture and history.
Most members of the Haroon Mosque
community are blood-related with extensive kinship ties. The leader of the Haroon Mosque community is considered a father, a senior brother and an uncle to those in the community. He is also a key connector to organisations such as the Bang Rak District Office and universities. His son teaches Arabic calligraphy at the Haroon Mosque as a way to pass on the knowledge and techniques of Islamic art. Similarly, Talad Noi is a close-knit Chinese community with a 200-year history in the area. The majority who live here have Hokkien roots and their bonding relationships also reflect their lineage.
The leaders of the Talad Noi community collaborate with public sectors and organise creative events such as the Awakening Bangkok festival of light, as discussed earlier. Bonding relationships can be a double-edged sword if they are insular and inward-facing, relying entirely on family networks. This has been identified as a barrier in developing new relationships with others, preventing new information and resources to be exchanged.6
Similarly, this study has observed how the bridging relationships between the leaders of the two communities is tenuous, even though there may be informal and serendipitous mingling amongst the rest of the community through markets and festivals. Respective leaders of each community had never met each other until a workshop was conducted by the researchers, revealing how little they knew about one another.
They reasoned that they had no formal ways to connect or collaborate. Their communities are located in different districts – the Haroon Mosque community is in the Bang Rak district while the Talad Noi community is in the Samphanthawong district. It appears that such district divisions have not been conducive to working together, even when they are involved in organising festivals. Such siloed structures of bureaucracy are well-known barriers for collaboration and creative innovation.7
This lack of bridging relationships may further explain a lack of connection between the old Muslim, Chinese and local communities and the new creative groups who are starting to establish themselves in the area. The workshops revealed how local businesses and communities were not connected well horizontally, indicating a need and opportunity for local government and the CEA to broker such links more effectively in the future.
There are many activities all year round in Charoen Krung that bring local residents and visitors together. Markets, events and festivals are a chance to see the diversity of cultures, experience a range of foods and learn about crafts, beliefs and lifestyles. These activities can be grouped into
cultural and creative events.
Cultural events include community walking tours, the Vegetarian Festival (เท่ศ์กาลกินเจ), the Ancestor Worship Festival (เท่ศ์กาลสารท่จีน), the Lantern Festival and Chinese New Year (เท่ศ์กาลหยวนเซียว), which have mostly been organised and led by local communities. These events are important opportunities that draw the community together, strengthen relationships between different generations and pass on traditions from the older to the younger. For example, the Chow Sue Kong shrine regularly has many events and festivals, beautifully decorated during such occasions to perform rituals and dragon dance. Regular fresh markets also serve different communities.
Prominent creative events include Bangkok Design Week, TEDxCharoenkrung, art and design exhibitions and the Awakening Bangkok festival of light. These are notable for making Talad Noi an attractive area for visitors, and in turn, what was just a residential Chinese neighbourhood has now become a prominent cultural tourist spot in Bangkok. Most creative events are supported by
governmental organisations such as the CEA and Thailand Tourism. Bangkok Design Week5 is
significant to the development and sustainment of the creative district. It generates a lasting and
memorable impact and also brings market opportunities to the creative businesses. Events such as this are part of a creative economy development plan by the CEA. These public events take place in prominent locations introduced under hard infrastructures, such as the Grand Postal Building (headquarters of the CEA), Warehouse 30 and also in other venues such as the River City Bangkok shopping centre, O.P. Place and O.P. Garden
Enduring and Sustaining Various Cultural Communities
Charoen Krung has one of the oldest communities in Thailand, based on a solid relationship built over more than 150 years. These enduring communities represent the largest groups of people who live together, take care of each other and share similar beliefs and practices. As noted already, cultural and creative events become important mechanisms to transfer local wisdom from generation to generation. Retaining a strong sense of community is unique in an ever expanding megacity such as Bangkok, which in turn is vital in regenerating rich social capital. This is expanded upon in the next section.
Building Social Capital in Charoen Krung
As an urban neighbourhood in Bangkok, there is a large and complex ecosystem with many actors
involved. Characteristics that were identified in these actors that enabled the sustainment of this
ecosystem includes acting as a connector and introducer, being collaborative, relatable, genuine,
local, trustful, sustainable and contributing to the organisation of events. The workshop with its
residents identified a complex social network of individuals, communities, businesses, educational
institutions, public and private sectors that form Charoen Krung (p. 86, fig.2). From this, two key
features of social capital stand out in shaping the ecosystem of the creative district.
Charoen Krung Road is the main artery through the district, connecting Yaowarat and Rattanakosin Island (เกาะรัตนโกสินท่ร์). The Charoen Krung area is walkable, allowing visitors to explore tourist landmarks, cafes and galleries. From the Grand Postal Building where the CEA is located, it is only around a one-kilometre walk to the Saphan Taksin BTS station (สถานีสะพัานตากสิน), situated at a prime location on the riverside, adjacent to Surasak station (สถานีสุรศ์ักดิ), Chong Nonsi station (สถานีชี่องนนท่รี) and Sala Daeng station (สถานีศ์าลาแดง), where the main business areas are located. Saphan Taksin station is Charoen Krung’s main transportation hub and the most crowded skytrain station in Bangkok, with more than 27,000 commuters. It was built in 1999 as the terminal station on the Silom Line, though now that line extends to the Thonburi area (ฝั่ั งธนบุรี) and terminates at Bang Wa station (สถานีบางหวา). The congestion and increased demand have led to plans to expand and reconstruct Saphan Taksin station.
(Street art around Talad Noi neigbourhood)
Charoen Krung has other access points, across Taksin Bridge and Taksin Bridge Pier. Built in 1980, Taksin Bridge, also known as Sathorn Bridge (สะพัานสาธร), crosses the Chao Phraya River connecting Bangkok and Thonburi, providing the shortest route to reach the busy areas of Sathorn and Silom Road. Commuters using the Chao Phraya Express Boats (เรือด่วนเจาพัระยา) travel to
Charoen Krung, Sathorn and Silom using Taksin Bridge Pier.
Soft Infrastructures
As one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Bangkok, Charoen Krung has a rich, diverse mix of cultures, communities and languages, shaped by various waves of migration. Grounded and nourished by strong and stable community groups, new creative businesses and communities are increasing in
number since Charoen Krung’s designation as a creative district. The area is experiencing the
benefits and challenges of this influx of new people, including tourism, accelerated by the
creative opportunities provided by the area.
The TCDC and CEA
The Thailand Creative and Design Center (TCDC) was founded in 2004 as part of the Office of Knowledge Management and Development, reporting to the Office of the Prime Minister (สำานักนายกรัฐมนตรี) and originally located at the Emporium shopping centre in the Phrom Phong
area (ย่านพัรอมพังศ์์) on Sukhumvit Road (ถนนสุขุมวิท่).
The TCDC is a public-facing organisation to raise awareness about the value of design, and support creative activities and businesses. It is active in organising events to connect designers, suppliers and clients, with seminars that encourage creative development and showcase the latest design trends. It acts as a key connector in the creative ecosystem, providing services such as a design library, material library, exhibition spaces, designer network and database. Its relocation to Charoen Krung in 2017 aimed to drive the urban renewal of the area and develop it as Bangkok’s first creative district. In 2018, the TCDC expanded into a larger organisation with the new task of encouraging the creative economy, and was renamed the Creative Economy Agency (CEA).
It is the first house number in this district, with a unique blend of Thai-Western neoclassical design, making it a landmark venue for hire. Contemporary landmarks are also noteworthy – for example, standing tall behind the Grand Postal Building is CAT Tower, where the Communications Authority of Thailand and Silpakorn University (มหาวิท่ยาลัยศ์ิลป์ากร) are located. Many design and digital media students mingle here with other workers that use it as offices. Some unusual places have also become tourist attractions.
Sathorn Unique Tower (สาท่รย้นีคท่าวเวอร์) was planned as a luxury apartment complex but was abandoned in the 1997 financial crisis and became home to itinerant squatters. Urban myths sprung up that it was a haunted building and it has since become an unusual tourist destination.
Tourism is a key driver of Charoen Krung’s creative economy. While the area has historically attracted affluent visitors and foreign travellers, its emergence as a creative district has attracted more cultural tourists to the area.
Its riverside is populated with luxury hotels, such as Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, the first hotel here, with a 150-year history and famous for its hospitality service training in Thailand. Other well-known hotels within the vicinity include Shangri-La Bangkok, Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel and Lebua. Most riverside hotels have their own private piers in order to shuttle their guests between the east and west bank of the Chao Phraya River.
Religious and Educational Structures The diverse cultures are reflected in various clusters of schools, churches, temples, shrines and mosques that exist side by side, reflecting Charoen Krung’s historical settlement. Religion has always been an important aspect of life here so it’s no surprise that schools are strongly linked to religious organisations. These infrastructures serve people with different beliefs, mainly Christians, Muslims and Chinese. Assumption College and Assumption Convent, both located on Charoen Krung Road, are Catholic schools next to Assumption Cathedral (โบสถ์อัสสัมชีัญิ บางรัก) – a key landmark in the area.
These schools provide education to the Christian communities that live nearby. Other schools include the Bangkok Christian College (โรงเรียนกรุงเท่พั คริสเตียนวิท่ยาลัย), Sajja Pittaya School (โรงเรียนสัจจพัิท่ยา)– which is a Chinese (Cantonese) school built in 1919 – and Buddhist schools such as Satree Wat Mahaprutharam Girls’ School (โรงเรียนสตรี วัดมหาพัฤฒิาราม) and Wat Mahunnopparam School ( โรงเรียนวัดมหาพัฤฒิาราม), which is reported to be the first public school in Thailand.
Talad Noi (ตลาดนอย) in the north has a mix of Chinese, Catholic and Vietnamese buildings. The Holy Rosary Church (โบสถ์กาลหว่าร์ หรือ วัดแม่พัระล้กป์ระคำา) was built for the Portuguese Catholic community, the Vietnamese Temple (วัดญิวนตลาดนอย) there celebrates Mahayana Buddhism, and the Chow Sue Kong shrine (ศ์าลเจาโจซือกง) is one of the oldest Hokkien shrines in Thailand.
Other buildings include Hong Wong Kun (ศ์าลเจาโรงเกือก หรือ ศ์าลฮอนหว่องกุง) for Hakka descendants, the Muang Kae temple (วัดม่วงแค) for local Thai Buddhists, and the Haroon Mosque (มัสยิดฮาร้ณ) for its strong Muslim community.
These religious institutions are also important places to learn traditional arts, such as Arabic calligraphy, which are taught to children in the community at the Haroon Mosque. Famous for its Islamic art, it also provides classes to the public.
Nearby the pier, O.P. Place on Charoen Krung Road Soi 38 has been a commercial building for more than 100 years, and it won the Association of Siamese Architects’ Best Architectural Conservation Award in 2008.
Currently it has more than 58 stores, mostly selling luxury furniture, art, antiques and homeware,
and is now one of the best places for buying art in the area.3
Next to O.P. Place is O.P. Garden, which was built in the 19th century and is located on Charoen Krung Road Soi 36. In 1936, it was turned into the first polyclinic in Thailand, where Dr Boonsong Lekagul (นายแพัท่ย์บุญิส่ง เลขะกุล) worked as a medical practitioner. 4 O.P. Garden was also the private residence of Dr Boonsong, who later became a pioneer of wildlife conservation in Thailand. In
2009 it was renovated by TCC Capital Land and became a shopping arcade with a focus on art,
design and craft.
River City Bangkok is another art and craft shopping centre in Charoen Krung. It was built in 1985 by the Italian-Thai Development Public Company (กลุ่มบริษ์ัท่อิตาเลียนไท่ย) and the Mandarin Oriental Group (กลุ่มกิจการแมนดารินโอเรียนเต็ล). River City Bangkok was the first commercial mall on the riverside in Thailand and it has more than 120 creative stores and contemporary galleries inside with collections from Asia and around the world.
It is also an art and antique trading centre holding RCB auctions. Since its opening there have been
more than 90,000 antiques sold in the RCB forum, a magnet for collectors and traders from around
the world. Iconic Landmarks
Many iconic buildings are situated along the river next to well-known tourist attractions. Several of
these are heritage and conservation listed, being more than 100 years old, representing early modern, Western-influenced architecture in Thailand. For example, the Portuguese Embassy was marked out as an important creative landmark due to its cultural significance, architectural heritage and contemporary street art on the front wall. Its presence indicates the long relationship with Portugal, as many Portuguese have settled here since the 1760s.
The colonial-style building, which was designed in 1860 using local materials, welcomes visitors and provides tours. Another landmark is Custom House, built in 1886 in a neoclassical style, which was used as a customs office and hosted royal events in its banquet hall until 1959. It later became Bang Rak fire station (สถานีดับเพัลิงบางรัก) and then remained empty until 2019, when the owner, the Treasury Department of Thailand (กรมธนารักษ์์), began work with the Fine Arts Department of Thailand (กรมศ์ิลป์ากร) to restore the building, which will continue until 2025.
Charoen Krung Road Soi 30 (ซอยเจริญิกรุง 30) or Captain Bush Lane (ตรอกกัป์ตันบุชี) is an important
historical area of this district that housed early Western settlement. The name hails from John
Bush, a British sailor who lived on this lane and worked as the head of the Marine Department of
Thailand at the end of the 19th century. Captain Bush Lane connects to the main Charoen Krung
Road where House No. 1 (บานเลขท่ี 1) is located.
As an area continuously developing since the 1700s through successive waves of migration, settlements and royal initiatives, Charoen Krung’s hard and soft infrastructures are layered with various historical, cultural and commercial influences
Hard Infrastructures
Another unmistakable place for gathering is the Grand Postal Building (ไป์รษ์ณีย์กลางบางรัก), which Long established hard infrastructures such as major arteries and buildings have been developed further through increased investment since Charoen Krung’s designation as a creative district in 2015. New BTS and MRT train extensions make it a major transportation hub, while the river that made it conducive to early trade gives this area a unique advantage for businesses to continue to prosper. As with many old districts, the long, narrow streets and small shops have discouraged large-scale urban development, keeping its underlying historical character intact.
Creative Spaces for Gathering There are a growing number and variety of art spaces and galleries around Charoen Krung.
Warehouse 30 is the most prominent. Located amongst abandoned warehouses behind the Portuguese Embassy, Warehouse 30 became a บ landmark when Mr Duangrit Bunnag (ดวงฤท่ธิ นนาค), a famous Thai architect and a key player in this district, renovated the warehouses into an art and design hub and market in 2016. His previous project, the Jam Factory, was very successful in turning another abandoned warehouse in Klongsan into an attractive art space. Warehouse 30 is home to a cafe, co-working space, art spaces, design shops and furniture store P. Tendercool, and it regularly provides public talks, events and exhibitions. It has become a creative hub for designers, artists and craftspeople to showcase and market their work. Another unmistakable place for gathering is the Grand Postal Building (ไป์รษ์ณีย์กลางบางรัก), which was the British Consulate during the 1850s before that moved to Phloen Chit Road (ถนนเพัลินจิต) in 1940. Thereafter it was renovated and used as the headquarters of Thailand Post, marking the birthplace of Thailands’ postal service.2 In 2017, the TCDC moved its main office here with a mission to develop it as a creative district, making it a hive of creative activities and events. The CEA also plans to use abandoned spaces in Charoen Krung for art and design exhibitions – for example, Marine Police Lodging (บานพัักตำารวจนำา) and the Custom House (โรงภาษ์ีรอยชีักสาม).
Aside from the landmarks mentioned above, there are three other prominent art centres – O.P. Place, O.P. Garden and the River City Bangkok Shopping Centre, near Si Phraya Pier (ท่่าเรือสี พัระยา). The pier, the largest in Charoen Krung, is next to a bus terminal. Si Phraya Pier is also located near luxury hotels as well as connecting to ICONSIAM, the largest shopping centre in Thailand, across the river.
作者 | 卡爾·奧韋·克瑙斯高（Karl Ove Knausgård）1968年生於挪威奧斯陸。1998年以首部小說《出離世界》（Ute av verden）獲得挪威文學評論獎，2004年第二部小說《萬物皆有時》（En tid for alt）又獲得北歐文學獎。2009年至2011年間，克瑙斯高出版了六卷本自傳小說《我的奮斗》（Min Kamp），獲得挪威最高文學獎項布拉哥文學獎。在挪威，每十個人就有一人讀過《我的奮斗》。知名作家莉迪亞·戴維斯、扎迪·史密斯、傑弗里·尤金尼德斯、喬納森·勒瑟姆等也表示讀《我的奮斗》成癮，迫不及待地一本接一本讀下去。2015年9月，克瑙斯高獲得德國《世界報》文學獎（Welt-Literaturpreis，2014年得主是村上春樹）。2015年—2016年，陸續出版隨筆集四部曲《在秋天》《在冬天》《在春天》《在夏天》。2020年10月，最新小說《晨星》（Morgenstjernen）系列出版。
黑格爾在美學中所說的「一般的世界情況」（the general state of the world）是指時代整體的情況，黑格爾或稱之為「藝術中有生命的個別人物所藉以出現的一般背景」，黑格爾有時稱之為「有實體性的東西」，亦是指「精神現實的世界情況」，黑格爾有時稱之為「神性的東西」或「世界精神」。無論稱之為「實體性」或「神性」都表達了精神的普遍性和主宰性，精神的普遍性在世界中展現自己，因此就有了時間（時代）性的歷程發展，此稱為時代精神，古典時期的時代精神不同於文藝復興的時代精神；文藝復興的時代精神不同於啟蒙時期的時代精神。如果從精神現象方面來考察，精神本身也歷經一個從抽象到具體的發展過程：主觀（主體）精神、客觀精神和絕對精神。丹納在他的藝術哲學中所謂的「時代」所要表達的內涵其實是帶有黑格爾「時代精神」的印記，或者可以稱之為「時代氣息」或「時代風尚」。
Paris En mémoire
晴朗李寒《山中》
我走累了。坐到一塊粗糙的石頭上。
群山擁圍過來，山谷的縫隙
瀉下一縷陽光，照亮了
一隻灰喜鵲扇動的翅膀。
松風輕拂，鳥鳴悅耳。
我坐在一塊石頭上，
清涼從我的臀部傳遍全身，
躁動的靈魂，溫馴地蜷縮進肉體。
我一個人，低於一叢灌木，
小於一塊石頭，
在群山茂林之間，我放下了做人的榮耀，
忘記了自己是一個人。
如果再有一陣裹挾了花香的微風吹來，
我就會慢慢融化，如果再有一聲
浸潤了露水的鳥鳴響起，
我就會倏然破碎……
2015.06.08晨草稿
晴朗李寒《一半》—給小芹
櫥櫃裏的衣服，有一半不用穿了，
一天天大半的時光
我們都是在家中度過。
偌大的飯桌，一半就夠了。孩子兩周回家一次。
冰箱減去魚肉， 飯桌減去杯盤，
一天兩餐， 我們活得足夠輕鬆。
話說到一半，我們彼此
就心領神會了，一起生活了十七年，
我們交談，早已不再單靠語言。
雙人床，一半就夠了，睡眠與歡愛，
夢境和鼾聲，此消彼長。
許多該放下的，都放下了。
房間的一半都留給書籍，我們每日
側身其間，變得比紙張還平靜，
比文字還安然。
過了這麽多年，我們越發覺出
自己的殘缺，我是一撇，你是一捺，
只有相互支撐，才能成為一個「人」。
太陽俯臨頭頂，人生已至中年，
我們要省下一半的力氣，
用來對付後半輩子的生活。
2015.06.10晨草稿
May 21, 2022
Paris En mémoire
晴朗李寒《上帝的奶羊》
這是位母親！她被行刑者再一次
帶到了廣場上。
人群在此處匯集，眼神中滿含饑渴。
她的乳房被暴露出來，眾目睽睽之下，
飽滿的雙乳，被那老家夥的手
反復揉搓，擠壓……
直到潔白的乳汁噴射出來，直到
注滿一隻只白色的小桶，
空氣中蕩漾著新鮮的母親的清香。
她不年輕了，必定有自己的孩子，
並且不止一個。但是，在黃昏，
她再次被押解到了廣場之上。
人們早已等在了這裏，這也是些母親，
她們拿著杯子，瓶子，水壺，
排隊從另一位母親身上取走奶水。
那老家夥微笑著招攬生意，都是老主顧，
他用接過錢的手，又去擠壓乳頭，
他們都愛這新鮮的，泛起泡沫的乳汁。
光線暗淡下來，而她身體中擠出的奶，
還是那樣白。她仿佛一座長著四足的奶罐，
鮮奶可以源源不斷地流出。
這是位母親，她站在狹小的三輪車上，
站在人群中間，嘴巴蠕動，不是說話，
是在反芻，茫然的視線不知投向哪裏……
2015.06.03早晨草稿
晴朗李寒《突至的暴雨洗凈了石頭……》
突至的暴雨洗凈了石頭。然後把一條彩虹
丟在了河谷的上空，
天藍得仿佛一隻驚飛的小鳥，
就會把它撞碎。
這個人不知為什麽，忽然遠離了人群，
試探著走下河灘，要穿越
高高低低的卵石，他的身體並不比石頭
大多少，當然更談不上硬度。
但是，他好像執意已決。河對岸是叢林，
一層層漫上山去，飛鳥消失在那裏，
白雲飄過向山後，究竟是什麽
誘惑著他，讓他和一灘的大石頭較量？
汛期還沒到來，河水還懸停在上遊。
現在河套裏流動的只有風。
但是，隨著這個人腳步的移動，跳躍，
空氣緊張了起來，卵石也繃得更為堅硬。
這個人，這個遠離了眾人的人，
瞬間變得那樣單薄，渺小。他
像是在卵石間沖浪，
時而被石頭顛起，時而又被石頭淹沒。
為什麽他要和那麽多那麽大的石頭
較勁兒？沒人能把他叫回來。
同行者望著他的背影被卵石蓋住，搖搖頭，嘆息一聲，
沿著盤山公路繼續向上前行……
2015.06.04-05草稿
May 22, 2022
Paris En mémoire
晴朗李寒《初夏的細雨最先淋濕了石頭……》
初夏的細雨最先淋濕了石頭，然後
才是花香與鳥鳴。
晨風被雨絲層層過濾，我的肉身
也輕易被靜謐的時光淘洗。
雨中舞劍的人，樹下揮拳的人，
他們都還有虛空的對手。
我，垂下雙肩，只剩下
茫然四顧。
四十五年，我不斷被生活修正，
終於修煉成了一名合格的
看客，嘴巴上打了三層的鉛封。
有些家夥可以放心了——
如今我只剩下了漫步，賞花，望氣，
匆匆暴走的人，翩翩起舞的人，
誰也不會再聽到
一個孤寂的靈魂的叫喊。
走得越遠，丟下的東西越多，
除了時間，已沒有可以讓我屈服的敵人，
我也並不奢望
包裹骨肉的這具皮囊存世太久。
像眼前斜風細雨中滌蕩的
樹木，花草，盛開罷，就安然凋零，
我會平靜而緘默，
帶走許多不為人知的隱秘。
2015.05.29晨散記
晴朗李寒《到芒種還剩下七天……》
到芒種還剩下七天——
這條林蔭大道把麥田分成了
南北兩片，南面的麥子黃了，北邊的麥子
比它黃得
一點兒也不遜色。
這條大道，晴天裏還是塵土飛揚，
雨天滿是車轍與泥濘。
白楊樹的枝葉在空中相連，
東頭是宋村，西側是成片的樓群。
離芒種還有七天時間了——
風雨之後，壟邊路畔的野草長了起來，
掃帚苗，大葉莧，艾蒿，灰灰菜……
鳥雀叫得也顯得歡實。
我習慣了在這條大道上漫步，看看
莊稼的長勢，聽聽雞鳴犬吠從村巷裏傳來。
然後，重又回到鋼筋水泥的樓上，
侍弄自己散漫荒蕪的文字。
2015.05.31早晨漫步散記
May 22, 2022
Paris En mémoire
晴朗李寒《良晨》
我走累了，坐於叢林之畔歇息，
沒有什麽事，值得我
在這樣一個美好的清晨
憂慮和奔忙。
黎明的爽風攜來花草的清香，
楸樹結出如絲的豆莢，松樹加深著
濃密的綠意。
鳶尾花停止了歌唱，那又怎麽樣？
一大清早，我就遇見了
成群的月季、蜀葵、波斯菊和鼠尾草，
它們燦然的笑臉，讓我忘記了
自己是一個：人。
(我似乎天生喜歡掉隊，
總會忘記趕路，而輕易沈迷於
路邊繁花的顏色與芬芳。)
一早上啊，我就被這麽多
喜鵲、戴勝、斑鳩、灰雀的鳴叫聲
包圍，甚至它們
在枝葉間的爭吵都悅耳動聽。
如今還有什麽想不開的？ 太陽已經照臨
生命的右肩，你只需盡享
人世這短暫的自由。
光影在身邊流轉，時間放慢了速度，
仿佛有大把的時光容你虛擲。
走吧，時候不早了！
且慢，一隻小小的細腰蜂
忽然落上了右手的無名指上，我擔心一起身，
眼前的良辰美景，
便會紛然破碎……
2015.05.28晨散記於東環公園。
May 23, 2022
Paris En mémoire
晴朗李寒《生活小區》
清晨，叫醒我的，是對面窗口籠中
那一對白色的斑鳩；
黃昏時，從臨街的那間小門診裏，
常常會飄出煎熬中草藥的苦香。
隔壁有個孩子，每逢周末
都會練習鋼琴，開始磕磕絆絆，
現在已能流暢地彈奏《長江之歌》。
小區裏孩子那麽多，
我至今不知道，她是哪一個。
從外面歸來，在一家的窗子下，
我總會停留片刻，有隻小貓
喜歡蹲坐在那裏，
瞪著憂郁的眼睛朝外張望，我每次
都要和它打個招呼。
看到單元門口堆滿了雜物，聽到
錘子和電鋸陣陣響起，我知道，
又走了一家舊戶，搬來了新的鄰居。
今天，這家門口停了長排迎親的喜車，
明天，那家門前擺滿了
花圈挽帳，響起哀樂。
來來去去，我都沒認清他們是誰。
時常啊，我會被樓下
小女孩兒的哭啼吵醒，還聽到她的媽媽
有時是勸慰，有時是呵斥。
偶爾樓上傳來那對仇人般夫妻的吵罵，
和乒乒乓乓的摔打，
間或夜半時分也能聽到床榻吱嘎，女子呻吟……
而我和妻子，每日書堆間吃飯，睡眠，
在自己狹小的王國裏，勞動，做夢，
生活平淡，清靜而自足。
黃昏時，我們到樓下散步，說話，
汽車已經填滿了樓間的縫隙，
我們不得不側身走過。
2015.05.27晨草稿
May 23, 2022
Paris En mémoire
晴朗李寒《初 夏》
二月蘭都熄滅了，現在林間空地上，
盛開的是
石竹，蒲公英，石榴，苦苣，酢漿草，刺兒菜。
今天，還看到了第一朵
綻放的萱草，金黃耀眼。
平生第一次看到了開花的七葉樹，
在樹杪之上，像玲瓏的花塔。
紫荊結了豆莢，核桃，杏子
還是綠皮的，像青澀的二楞子。
那一大片蛇莓熟透了，點點紅艷地
誘人，我偷偷摘下，品嘗了三枚，
酸甜，入口融化，牙齒間只留下
咯吱咯吱的籽粒。
這片林子是一群灰喜鵲的領地，
作為一個陌生的闖入者，我讓它們
感到緊張不安，它們在我頭頂的樹枝上，
拍打著翅膀，嘶啞地鳴叫，
噴射出糞便，
我聽得出，那叫聲中充滿恐懼與憤怒。
每次從這裏走過，我總是加快腳步，
直到把我趕到林地邊緣，
它們才會罷休。我曾在心裏向它們保證，
對任何人，都不會泄露
這片林子的所在。
2015.05.25散記
May 23, 2022
Paris En mémoire
晴朗李寒《麥芒泛黃，芒種將至……》
麥芒泛黃，芒種將至。一年
又快過去了一半。
鄉村很近，但是故鄉遠了。
什麽叫芒刺在背？一年年空度時光，
看見田園，農人，
我總會為自己失敗的人生，
感到羞愧。我是農民的兒子，
但是，我種了多年的文字，
有什麽用！？有幾個人能讀到它，
它能否讓人透過淚水微笑，
能否讓他心中漸熄的火，重新燃起。
甚至我的技藝，無法比喻出
那些田野間的小鳥，它們的鳴叫聲，
花樣翻新，聽來讓人
心中充滿歡喜。
人群使我緊張，在人的叢林中，
多少人變成了野獸！而只有
在空曠的原野上，
我感覺自己
才更像一個人。
2015.05.21晨散記。
晴朗李寒《華北平原》——致敬姚爺
1
黎明的平原上沒有風。小滿剛過，
正是麥子灌漿的季節。
我看見，遼闊的原野上，只有一個農人
彎腰在麥田裏，
用鐵鍬平整著壟溝，在他的身後，
機井裏抽出的水，沿著溝渠
正清亮地向著這邊流來。
再澆上一遍水，麥子就該熟了。
2
麥芒又黃了些，一片片，從遠處看，
仿佛被晨光照亮。
麥田上空，是燕子翻飛，麻雀爭鳴，
喜鵲拍打著翅膀，間或是遠處村莊傳來的
一兩聲犬吠雞鳴。
這麽多的聲響交織在平原上，
加深了它的寂靜。
3
這個時節，如果你蹲在地頭，
眼看著，麥粒就會一點點兒漲滿，
麥芒子炸開，像等候臨產的孕婦，
讓人有些激動，又有些焦灼。
不過，你稍微一走神兒，
整片麥子刷拉拉就會變得金黃，
到那時節，從洋溢著芳香的麥子地裏，
飛出雲雀的歌唱……
2015.05.24草稿
May 23, 2022
Paris En mémoire
晴朗李寒《低頭走自己的路……》
低頭走自己的路，這麽多年，
我撿到過閃閃發光的釘子，也撿到過
銹跡斑斑的。我能輕易
分辨出哪些是被錘子敲打過，哪些
深入過木頭，墻壁，哪些
還保留著處子之身。
當然，我並不否認，我也用同樣的眼神兒
觀察過
從我身邊掠過的每一個人。
我撿到過一張白紙，更多的是
寫滿了模糊的字跡——
情意綿綿的書信，義正詞嚴的
公文，責權分明的協議……
看一看，我會輕鬆地再次讓它們
嘗試被拋棄的命運。
我曾撿到過一個
少了手臂的布娃娃，她的小臟裙子，
空洞的眼神兒，
讓我久久羞於直視。自從做了
一個女孩的父親，我的內心越來越脆弱，
聽不了病痛的呻吟，看不了
傷心的眼淚。
我還撿到過更多無用的東西——
一個個空瓶子，它們裝過
善變的液體：水，酒，油，毒藥，
有些清淡，有些
濃烈。如今它們空下來，
像我一樣，清高而頹廢，
肚子裏裝滿風聲，側身用一隻眼睛
不安地打量著這個世界。
2015.05.20草稿
晴朗李寒《陽光被細密的枝葉……》
陽光被細密的枝葉
又過濾了一遍，斑駁的光影
讓穿過林間的小徑
像繡上了明暗閃爍的花紋。
地上這些謙卑的花草，開了，謝了，
才不在乎有沒有人欣賞。
我的腳步，在晨風中乾淨，輕盈，
那林外的車流喧嘩，
和我有什麽關係？
速朽與永恒，不過如此。
仇恨與迷戀，不過如此。
誰能說得清，生是短暫的清醒，
死，是漫長的昏寐？
晨風吹過樹林，吹透了我
虛長了四十多年的肉體，
也沒有忽略任何一片葉子。
在廣闊的塵世，我的愛與恨，
顯得多麽偏狹和幼稚！
2015.05.20草稿
May 23, 2022
Paris En mémoire
晴朗李寒《一件事，一個人……》
一件事，一個人，突然想不起來了。
想不起來了，就算了吧，
以後這樣的時刻會越來越多。
要學會平靜地接受，慢慢地
習慣。就像
老年這塊巨大的石頭壓下來，
要一點點塌下腰身，
用力撐住，
而不是讓它猝然降落。
2015.05.08草稿
晴朗李寒《晨風沖蕩著楊樹林……》
晨風沖蕩著楊樹林，新葉的喧嘩
模仿著大海的波浪。
初夏細碎的陽光，刺透激動不安的
葉子，照臨地上的花草。
那些沖著虛空舒展拳腳的老人，那些
以背撞樹的老人，那些以清水
在石板上書寫詩句的老人，
我無法知道
他們是否已經
與世界達成了和解？
而我行走在林間，從容地
走過他們身邊，葉子的喧嘩充滿耳廓，
面對塵世，我還有那麽多的不甘。
2015.05.18
晴朗李寒《抖空竹的老者》
他創造了自己的小宇宙——
這個白發的老頭子，在林間
讓一隻空竹，隨手臂的舞動，上下翻飛，
以他為圓心，嗡鳴，旋轉，
一條細線，近於虛無，
但它牢牢地扯住了那個飛旋的輪子。
這老頭子多麽從容，淡定，
他只需要抖動手中的小棍，面對
這片林子，像指揮家，
操控著龐大的樂隊，這小小的宇宙
就環繞著他這顆恒星，
不停地旋轉，與腳下的地球，初升的
太陽，保持了相同的軌道。
2015.05.18
May 23, 2022
Paris En mémoire
馬來西亞沙巴州沙巴博物館
（沙巴博物館民俗村一角·劉富威攝）
沙巴州博物館於 1985 年建立啟用，座落在殖民地時期政府官邸的舊址，也是當年立法議會召開的地點沙巴博物館，是由數個建築體組合而成，沙巴早期由於缺少正式的官方歷史文件紀錄，早期的歷史比較模糊，也只能由一些國外的紀錄及考古學家所發現的考古證據來考證，沙巴博物館是了解沙巴豐富的歷史與文化背景的管道之一，此館收藏了可反映沙巴多元住民文化和自然歷史演進的原始工具、武器及工藝品，其中有一些甚至被考古學家發現具有兩萬八千年的歷史。
主體建築是採用長屋造型設計建築，屋頂的梁柱傾斜到屋簷邊伸展與地平線平行，最引人註目的是這裡展示了沙巴六大族群的傳統屋子，其形狀大小和真正的屋子是一模一樣。
展覽廳包括沙巴原住民服飾、樂器、原始工具、武器及手工製品的歷史文物，銅器遺物收藏量豐富，在史前展廊有一座實景典型石灰岩洞，布置得相當生動，嚴如盛產養生勝品的燕窩穴。
科學與教育中心—原始竹材房屋造型，是此棟建築外貌的特徵。
裡頭有「蜆」標石油公司的永久展廊，引導訪客對沙巴岸外採
集石油氣的活動，對馬來西亞經濟貢獻巨大的認知。
文化村是一個栽種許多果樹和草藥花園作物，天然的典型村莊環境，訪客可以體驗走過一座搖晃的吊橋，進入仿建的原住民住屋裡頭參觀的心境。這些屋子群中，有過去是獵頭族人頭部落的毛律族人居所、婆羅洲北部龍古斯族群的長屋、擔布南縣嘉達山杜順族群的竹屋、斗亞蘭社順羅曎族群，以及巴夭、伊拉嫩和汶淶馬來原住民的村舍，還有一間客家華人的農居。沙巴畫廊設立在科學及教育中心的同一棟建築物內，展覽各種本地藝術家畫作。
（《新加坡博物館群及馬來西亞沙巴客家會館觀摩考察報告》（pdf）/ 機關：行政院客家委員會臺灣客家文化中心籌備處 / 作者：梁惠珠(籌備處典藏組組員) ；塗美芳(籌備處聘用副研究員) ；
劉振臺(籌備處聘用助理研究員) / 考察期間：98 年 12 月 14 日至 12 月 18 日）
Jul 24, 2022
Paris En mémoire
安煥然·遙望東馬，懷想渤泥
對西馬人來說，東馬來西亞一直是一個雖不陌生，卻又很生疏的地方。
遙望東馬，從矇曨的歷史中尋找神話和傳說，以及翻閱古代文獻，遙想著有一個叫做渤泥的王國。這個國家與中國的因緣，至少千年。
在Dusun人的傳說裡，有說他們是華人的後裔，據說這與京那峇魯山的神龍傳說有關。相傳有中國人叫寶公的，劫了神龍寶石。又依據蘇祿王室家譜記載，元朝末年有個叫黃昇平（黃總兵）的中國人，受元朝皇帝之命，前來尋找京那峇魯山頂上神寶之寶，後來黃昇平不歸，以其女嫁汶萊蘇丹，其後代即為今汶萊王家之始祖。
翻查中國史籍，渤泥國很早就被記載。馮承鈞《中國南洋交通史》指說，「渤泥」首見於唐末樊綽《蠻書》。《宋史》則寫成勃泥，《諸蕃志》作渤泥，一作佛泥，均是Borneo之譯音。當年渤泥的轄地，當包括今之汶萊以及東馬砂拉越和沙巴。
中國文獻記載，渤泥國有兩次朝貢宋代中國的記錄。一次是太平興國二年(977年)；另一次是元豐五年(1082年)。渤泥國第一次遣使進貢中國，曾遞交國書給宋朝皇帝，《宋史》卷489〈外國傳〉收載了經譯官譯成「華言」的國書全文。該份國書提及，渤泥國之所以得以朝貢中國，是因先前有位叫蒲盧歇的航海貿易商人駕船到來渤泥。蒲盧歇自稱是從中國來的，原本欲到爪哇（闍婆國），不料遇風吹襲，船破，不得去，被迫停靠渤泥的港口。渤泥國人聞有海商船隻「自中國來，國人皆大喜，即造舶船」，並令商人蒲盧歇當响導，來到中國朝貢。這則歷史實錄應是渤泥國正式與中國建交之始。
南宋趙汝适《諸蕃志》也記載了這則史實，但其所記的渤泥國使節不是蒲盧歇，而是蒲亞利。
不論是蒲盧歇還是蒲亞利，我在〈尋找阿都拉的表親〉一文討論過，唐宋元之中國蒲姓族人，實是當年一批波斯或阿拉伯穆斯林商人經商到來中國，留居中土的僑民後裔，華化後的「土生蕃客」。宋元時期，著名的蒲壽庚家族是擁有雄厚資本的跨國海商集團。福建泉州則是他們的大本營，在財勢上具有舉足輕重的地位，宋元交鋒之際，雙方都想拉攏他。
蒲盧歇或是蒲亞利，與蒲壽庚海商集團有無關聯，至今尚不得而知。但，有意思的是，1972年汶萊博物館人員在汶萊市愛丁堡橋頭路旁一座馬來人墳山發現了一塊誌明宋代的中文墓碑。1973年，馬來亞大學的傅吾康和陳鐵凡發表一篇重要學術論文：《最近汶萊發現的公元1264年中文墓碑的初步報告》(A Chinese Tomb Inscription ofA.D. 1264, Discovered Recently in Brunei: A Preliminary Report)，首次將這塊墓碑披露於世，震撼學界，公認這是至今發見，全東南亞年代最早的一塊中文碑石。
該墓碑碑文全文是：「有宋泉州判院蒲公之墓，景定甲子男應甲立」。從碑文看，碑主是泉州一位姓蒲官員，生前當過泉州判院的官，死後葬於汶萊。立碑時間「景定甲子」是南宋理宗景定五年，亦即公元1264年。立碑人是他兒子蒲應甲或蒲應、蒲甲兄弟二人。
「蒲公」是誰？尚有爭議。但可以確定的是，今之汶萊，昔之渤泥，至少在宋代就已與中國往來，波斯、阿拉伯穆斯林華化後裔因海洋貿易的關係，確實流寓於此。
千年神話，千年史話。魔幻流寓：中國人、華人、阿拉伯商人、穆斯林、蒲公、Abu和Ali的故事，婆羅洲雨林書寫，太多傳奇。
2004年8月，應南方學院東馬學生的盛情邀清，携同家人第一次到沙巴州，純粹旅遊。在首府亞庇，東馬生充當導遊，知道我的興致，第一站就帶我們到沙巴州博物館。博物館不大，珍藏竟讓人驚嘆連連，尤其是中國陶瓷和瓦甕專櫃特區，唐、宋、元、明、清，歷代中國外銷陶瓷器皿系譜，無聲而傲然地陳列著。
（原刊《古代馬中文化交流史論集》，新山：南方學院出版社，2010，作者授權轉載，特此鳴謝。）
作者簡介：
安煥然，馬來西亞南方大學學院中文系教授，華人族群與文化研究所所長，原副校長。廈門大學歷史學博士，台灣成功大學歷史語言研究所碩士。《星洲日報》專欄作者。著作有《小國崛起：滿剌加與明代朝貢體制》（2019）、《文化新山：華人社會文化研究》（2017）、《古代馬中文化交流史論集》（2010）、《本土與中國學術論文集》（2003）等。
Sep 21, 2022
Paris En mémoire
何幸真〈明代的建文朝歷史記憶〉
靖難戰爭後，明成祖掌握了歷史的解釋權，嘗試將「過去」形塑為能支持其政權
合法性的樣貌。但日後相關記憶的發展走向，卻使其成為政治力量操控集體記憶的一個失敗例證。這不僅是因為儒家忠君思想在明代被以空前的力度強調，當時政治、社會與文化等層面，也都存在支持原有記憶存續，甚至創造新記憶的機制。
明代的建文朝歷史記憶主要是由官方論述和民間記憶，在彼此競爭又相互影響的
互動中形成，其發展又涉及靖難戰後朝廷的相關寬赦、弛禁與崇陞。文人群體──特別是南方文人──掌握了許多延續該段歷史記憶之媒介的生產與運作，使相關記憶在形塑過程中，有不少與文人文化結合的情況。建文諸臣的忠烈事蹟、建文帝的出亡傳說，是此類記憶中最受矚目且最豐富的。
前者發展的動力，主要來自諸臣原鄉標榜故裏人物的需求，以及士人激發忠義、裨益世教的願望；後者則反映了明人面對殘酷的歷史發展和不完全的政治弛禁，渴望替建文帝討回公道的心態。然而永樂一系政權的合法性問題，以及明人對成祖的尊崇，又與懷念建文政權、認同建文君臣的記憶與情感有所衝突。為了消除此類衝突、撫平歷史傷痕和促進政治弛禁，調和成祖與建文君臣的論述也應運而生，構成明代建文朝歷史記憶最重要的特色。(何幸真，31Mar2020，殤魂何歸: 明代的建文朝歷史記憶，秀威出版, 原題：明代的建文朝歷史記憶，國立臺灣師範大學歷史研究所碩士班學位論文，本段摘自原論文摘要。）
Oct 17, 2022
Paris En mémoire
桃花源體驗
俠之一字，昔以之加意氣，今以之加揮霍。只在氣魄、氣骨之分。（《小窗自紀》[明]吳從先著）
［述論］
豪俠的俠字，在過去來說，人們需要它，就是要增加自己的意氣，從而使自己的氣質和骨格得到錘煉，做人做得有骨氣；現在的人需要俠氣，無非是要增加自己的揮霍氣魄而已，做事講究排場和闊氣。
這古人與今人的區別，就在於氣魄和氣骨之上。一個是要對自己做人有好處，一個是做出來讓別人看的，有著本質的區別。
從歷史發展的角度來說，人的私心是越來越多，虛偽處也越來越多。所以，我們一直說文明的特征，就是要人心不古，世風日下。
也可以說，隨著文明的進步與發展，人類的純真也越來越少了。文明的進步，是以純真的喪失作為代價的。所以，從古到現在，人們一直在浩嘆今不如昔。
莊子曾經懷念過「民知母而不知有父」的時代，老子幻想過「小國寡民，雞犬之聲相聞，老死不相往來」的境界，陶淵明設計過「不知有漢，遑論魏晉」的桃花源。他們都是希望能夠重新回到那上古沒有分別的社會裏，叫做返璞歸真。
不管怎麽樣，人需要有一點俠氣，才能走出自己那個狹隘的天地。不過，古人的俠字，帶來的是自我的完善和升華，有利於人的意義的實現。
現在人的俠氣只能浪費自我的財富，而求得一些虛名而已。名利之所以難保，就在於一旦有了富貴，人們往往會忘乎所以，所做的一切，也就是炫貴鬥富。
如此以來，自己的財富被揮霍一空，自己的權勢被人所覬覦，自然難免會被他人所取代。就如當年項羽看見秦始皇巡遊時的情況，便說道：「彼可取而代之。」
所以便興兵伐秦，終於滅掉了秦國的天下。
還如《西遊記》中有一個寇員外，特別喜歡招待僧人。結果遇到了唐僧師徒，便喜不自勝地吹吹打打，花天酒地，竟然惹來了一群強盜。
正如古人所說：「德潤身，富潤屋。」古人講究俠氣，是要培養自己的美德；現在人講究俠氣，是要給自己設下陷井。
外在的東西總是身外之物，生不帶來，死不帶去，而且很容易失去，難以保證長久地擁有。而自身內在的俠氣傲骨，卻是誰也不會奪走的，那才是自己的真正本質。
所以，人要俠氣，還是要學習古人的俠，不要貪圖虛名。
（《小窗自紀》[明]吳從先著，李安綱&趙曉鵬述論，中國社會出版社，1997）
Jan 17, 2023
Paris En mémoire
這一類就地取材，以及反映「在地」民俗、生活情態與文化現象的詩作，可以說是許雲樵「以詩誌史」的另一種獨特表現。因此這些「地方性」的特質，連接著特殊的地方際遇和記憶，在許雲樵的詩裏，疊映出只有新馬才會出現的現象，它也承載詩語中「地方」意象與豐富的知識體系。
許雲樵以「在地經驗」入詩，運用本土空間的風物與人事記述，使得詩中的語言和意象跳脫出唐宋詩詞習用的套語，也自覺地避開中國圖像裏的美典符號，貼地而行，表現出一分「地方感性」的意旨，以去標示「在地」事物和環境語言的特色，進而翻轉古典詩背後的傳統詞匯系統，建構新華古典詩的「在地視域」和主體精神。
此外，許雲樵一些具有風土詠物的詩作，尤其是對地方名果的禮贊，背後自是隱藏著主體意識和存在感知的體驗。這些水果，不論從視覺、味覺和嗅覺等，都構成在地文化空間的各種意指——南洋情懷的想像，以及認同的意識。這些所詠的熱帶水果，自然是生長於熱帶，並成為一種本土身份的象征。
從這方面來看，許雲樵所寫的《南洋名果十首》，無疑更具有地方意識與歸屬的認同，畢竟40年的定居，異鄉也早已成故鄉。因此在他所選擇吟詠的十種名果：榴梿、芒果、檳榔、山竹、紅毛丹、香蕉、黃梨、波羅蜜、椰子與番木瓜等，都存有著各自的熱帶特性和地方象征意義，以及南洋經驗的情感表述。如名果之首的《榴梿》一詩：
披甲狼牙刺怒張，
如蘭似麝滿街香。
炒糖栗子酥難擬，
剝殼雞頭糯異常。
新客乍逢三日嘔，
老饕不厭百回嚐。
朵頤大快流連季，
典盡紗籠不望鄉。
詩中描述的，從榴梿外狀尖刺怒張，到內部果肉的香馥極濃，濃而傳臭，惟果肉酥如奶油，實是炒糖栗子的酥軟也無法比較，甚至與其故鄉蘇州剝殼雞頭完全不同。然而，南來新客初來乍到，聞及味道都會掩鼻而逃，可是居久之後，卻為嗜吃榴梿而流連忘返，成為忘記故鄉的南洋伯。其中更引出馬來人在榴梿季所盛行的俗語：榴梿出，紗籠脫，以彰顯果王的魅力。因此「典盡紗籠不望鄉」，呈現出了一種在地生活感知的風土情趣，以及南洋色彩所獨有的感覺結構。在其他的名果詩裏，如寫《波羅蜜》和《椰子》二首，也有此指涉：
龐然碩果樹腰垂，
膚結瘡痂肌奪胎。
蜜襲波羅名撲朔，
脆逾魁栗沁心脾。
盤珍錯落忝修貢，
棄核盈筐亦療肌。
猴棗羊桃多怪相，
獻筵何必論妍媸。
參天直幹屋邊栽，
喜雨迎風蕉慣陪。
輕割花黃釀旨酒，
任抽葉骨作編材。
靈猴采榨油餘粕，
巧匠雕鏤殼為坯。
借問村翁年幾許，
手指老樹比三回。
在這些詠果詩裏，詩人召喚的是其背後的「地方」經驗結構，因此不論波羅蜜或波羅（黃梨），猴棗或羊桃（楊桃），外狀的奇形怪相，都不重要，只要美味，即為佳品。這是否隱喻南洋的美醜明暗，都具有其獨特的精神面貌？
同樣的，對椰子的描繪，椰花可釀酒，椰葉之骨可編材，椰肉可榨油，椰殼可雕坯等，以及猴子采椰，椰樹喻年歲的風土情趣，呈顯南洋名果之詠背後具有的種地方認同感。這無疑也是許雲樵在詩作中，所展示出的另一類「地方」書寫特色。（摘自：辛金順·本土符號與編碼 ——許雲樵《希夷室詩文集》中的「新加坡」書寫；聯合早報；發布 / 2021年3月26日）
Sep 14, 2023
Paris En mémoire
許雲樵〈炎荒雜詠〉
許雲樵長居新加坡，對赤道氣候和生活作息，以及在地居民的習性與風俗民情都有著細微的觀察，從詩學的感官意識而言，身之所行，目中所視，心中所感，意之所發，成而為詩，都是當下的一種存在發聲，因此對於「在地」的氣候和飲食，風土人情與生活反映等，亦是許雲樵詩中最重要的書寫題材。如他所寫的《炎荒雜詠四首》，正是他在這方面重要的想像與描繪：
四時四夏絕隆多，
十日甘霖五日風。
凍餒無慮人懶散，
纏縵拖屐到龍鐘。
赤日炎炎火傘張，
醍醐灌頂一身涼。
令人最是疑奇處，
扇帽常捐嗜辣姜。
田田荷葉大於袍，
等落榴梿生摘蕉。
肉食奇葩偏馥郁，
參天亙竹自孤高。
甘榜深處有阿峇，
指點歐西稱祖家；
口嚼檳榔涎似血，
聱牙詰屈故矜誇。
無可否認的，在地經驗提供許雲樵書寫如此的地方情態與「在地性」的題材，這與歷來中國詩人書寫南洋詩作的南方想像有所不同。當一些南來詩人還在通過中國經驗與視角，追思著他們的唐宋幽思和中原情懷，或將南洋的情景置換成中國的鄉愁想像書寫時，許雲樵卻以其所具有的地理歷史感知和熟悉各地方掌故，做了新加坡古典詩的另一種「在地感性」的建構，即以當下的地方情境與感覺結合，以去呈現出更具「新華」色彩與特色的詩歌內涵來。
如《炎荒雜詠四首》的第一首，不但寫出所處地方四季如夏的炎熱氣候，常見風雨飄至，同時也寫出在這樣的氣候下形成居民習於穿著紗籠，拖著木屐，過著生活懶散的情態。第二首則是寫出熱帶生活須常沖涼以降暑氣，及在熱天下不撐傘與嗜辣的本土習性；第三首涉及南洋各地植物果樹奇觀，如荷葉大極若盤，可載小孩或榴梿不可采，只能挨其自然熟落，香蕉生砍以待熟食，食人奇花香氣誘人，以及竹子巨至可以做桶等，深刻地呈現在地景觀的奇物異象。
第四首無疑相當形象化地刻劃出土生華人（baba，峇峇）因世代長居於新馬，深受西方教育和馬來生活影響，以至於忘了本來華人的文化屬性。對於這些深居於鄉村內而不識華文，卻只能以馬來語或英語交談的的「阿峇」，許雲樵諷喻其為「忘祖」，生如英殖民奴隸，只認倫敦為祖家，又如馬來人那樣喜歡嚼檳榔，在華人面前，說著詰屈聱牙的英語，表現出高人一等的樣子。除此，詩中也引用本土語言的「甘榜」和「阿峇」，在相當程度上，將詩中的「新華」意識凸顯出來，以與中國古典詩做一區隔。
Sep 14, 2023
Paris En mémoire
新山文化園林：「華僑殉難諸先烈公墓」轉身
新山哥文茶「華僑殉難諸先烈公墓」，改名為「新山文化園林」，不僅僅是名字的更改而已，其意義還在於：擴大與提升了它的功能與利用的價值，而不變的是，自1947年1月17日至今，它一直是一座歷史記憶的豐碑，讓人永遠不能忘記日本軍國主義曾在新山犯下的滔天罪行。
改名的建議及後來的改造，是2001年9月6日，在園中舉行年度秋祭之後發生的事。當天，園中齊集了新山98個華團，拉布條，燒芻像，抗議日本軍國主義者蓄意篡改日本教科書，合理化其侵略罪行。
這是墓園開幕後，54年來，最大型的一場抗日大集會，意義非同凡響。
改名的倡議人與推動者，正是我國著名相聲大師已故姚新光先生。他登高一呼，即刻獲得熱烈響應。
這是新山中華公會轄下的一個單位。不過，在易名之前，除了每年兩場春秋拜祭活動外，沒人來過，加上因欠缺專人管理，致野草叢生。許多老新山都不知道他們居住的地方有這一個墓園。
易名與改造後的文化園林，面貌煥然一新。園中的花樹，重新種植與整修，加添巨石，增設錯落其間的步行道及桌椅，對外開放，成為人們晨早步行及練功的好去處。
同時，配合華族傳統節日，定時在園中舉行名堂各異的活動，如「金秋園林會」、「粽香會」等等。
真要謝謝已故姚老當年的付出與努力。
如今，在新山中華公會園林組管理下，依然呈現其活力。每天開放，晨早時分，總有人在園中進行活動。一年兩場的春秋拜祭，從未中斷，有時也開展一些節日活動，而最為重要的是，作為歷史記憶的所在地，常是追憶及緬懷抗日史的國內外學者、專家、團體、單位，總會到的一個地方。
2009年2月8日，一支來自日本的和平腳車隊曾聯袂到文化園林訪問，並在公墓前致祭，由此可見，日本愛和平者，大有人在。
近日，中國中央電視台，就到園中拍攝以著名抗日領袖陳嘉庚為生平事跡為題材的10集紀錄片《閩南望族》。
（原題：新旧对照：新山文化园林的由来，来源：14.8.2015星洲网·地方）
Jan 18, 2024
Paris En mémoire
Sasar Lipis sebagai UNESCO Global Geopark menjelang 2026-MB Pahang
KUALA LIPIS - Kerajaan Pahang menyasarkan Lipis yang dimasyhurkan sebagai Geopark Kebangsaan hari ini mendapat pengiktirafan Pertubuhan Pendidikan, Kebudayaan dan Saintifik Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (UNESCO) Global Geopark (UGGp) menjelang 2026.
Menteri Besarnya, Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail berkata, pengiktirafan sebagai Geopark Kebangsaan yang ke-11 negara itu berkuat kuasa pada 9 November lepas, iaitu setahun selepas kerajaan Pahang memulakan usaha untuk mendapatkan pengiktirafan tersebut.
Pengiktirafan itu menjadikan Lipis Geopark yang berkeluasan 5,408 kilometer persegi iaitu meliputi keseluruhan daerah Lipis, sebagai Geopark Kebangsaan termuda dan terbesar di Malaysia buat masa ini.
"Pelaksanaan Lipis Geopark adalah selari dengan draf perancangan Blueprint Pahang Destinasi Warisan Dunia 2024-2028, untuk menjadikan Pahang destinasi bertaraf dunia bagi pengiktirafan tapak berjenama UNESCO di bawah kategori Tapak Warisan Dunia (WHS), program Manusia dan Biosfera (MAB) dan UGGp," katanya.
Wan Rosdy berkata demikian semasa berucap pada Majlis Pemasyhuran Lipis sebagai Geopark Kebangsaan di Taman Negara Sungai Relau di sini hari ini, yang turut dihadiri Timbalan Menteri Sumber Asli dan Kelestarian Alam, Datuk Seri Huang Tiong Sii.
Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah berkenan mencemar duli menyempurnakan pemasyhuran itu.
Selain itu, Wan Rosdy berkata, antara kawasan yang diangkat sebagai tapak Geopark Kebangsaan itu ialah Galeri Aspirasi Lipis Geopark, Geotapak Bernilai Kebangsaan dan Geotapak Bernilai Geopelancongan, dengan setiap satunya mempunyai sejarah yang boleh diceritakan kepada pelancong.
"Saya diberitahu terdapat bukti perlanggaran dua benua kecil iaitu Malaya Barat dan Malaya Timur di daerah ini lebih kurang 200 juta tahun lepas yang membentuk Semenanjung Malaysia seperti hari ini.
(18 Januari 2024; sinarharian)
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lipisgeopark
Jan 20, 2024
Paris En mémoire
深度融合“科技+旅游”有活力
（續上）隨著智慧旅游企業數量進入快速增長期，以及各類旅游場景數字化轉型需求日趨強烈，越來越多數字技術與傳統旅游場景產生了更緊密的聯系。
此次大會上，主辦方公佈了第一批「5G+智慧旅游」應用試點項目，「5G+文旅數字驛站試點項目」等30個項目入選。提到5G，中國移動近年來發揮技術創新優勢，打造了近2000個文旅融合、虛實結合的「5G+智慧旅游」標桿應用。中國移動通信集團有限公司黨組副書記、總經理董昕表示，科技從旅游體驗、行業管理、宣傳推廣等多方面加速了文旅行業數智化轉型，不僅推動供給側結構性改革、提升行業運轉效率，還為游客帶來了超越期待、倍加精彩的體驗。
「在下李白，從唐朝穿越而來的仿生人……」展示活動現場，仿生人形機器人「李白」與「杜甫」的對話吸引了不少觀眾駐足。遼寧新次元智能科技發展有限公司總裁李博陽介紹，公司於2021年進入文旅行業，並迅速在大連、沈陽、昆明等地落地了相關項目，截至目前，已經定制了超過100款不同形象的仿生人形機器人，應用在各類文旅場景中。
「炫酷的技術不是目的，優質的文化內容才是根本。」在無錫拈花灣文化投資發展有限公司董事長吳國平看來，沉浸式體驗新空間的打造要遵循「內容第一」的原則。「沉浸式體驗要讓游客從『看景』變為『入景』，在此過程中，最重要的就是根據每個項目的文化底蘊，用科技手段服務內容，量身打造沉浸式體驗新空間。近年來，我們先後打造了拈花灣、尼山聖境、金陵小城等精品工程，推出了拈花灣禪行、尼山夜游等新空間。」
以人為本 服務監管提質增效
智慧旅游帶來的不僅是游客體驗的升級，也為旅游監管、服務創造了更加便利的條件。貫穿游前、游中、游後全流程的數字技術，讓智慧博物館、智慧景區、智慧城市更好地服務廣大游客。
今年9月，南京大報恩寺遺址博物館的「大報恩寺智能館長」小程序正式上線。在博物館用手機打開小程序，即可生成數字人，對館內文物進行講解，游客還可以與其進行語音對話。南京文化投資控股集團CTO蔣華晨介紹，集團組建了專業團隊對「大報恩寺智能館長」進行了幾個月的提問訓練和超過10輪的專家評審，不斷擴充其語料知識庫並進行修正。未來，集團將持續建設文博知識庫、升級AI大模型，將這些技術應用於更多文博場館中。
中國數字文化集團有限公司推出的「5G+文旅數字驛站試點項目」大大降低了景區的人工管理和運營成本。集團大數據中心技術主管洪秀娟介紹，5G文旅數字驛站是一個「跟著游客走」的驛站，主要面向景區、度假區、街區等人員聚集的文旅空間，為游客提供信息咨詢、文化體驗等服務，其最大的特點就是移動式、可快速裝配。
蘇州市近年來著力打造以數字化、可視化、沉浸式為特征的旅游新業態、新場景，加快建設智慧旅游城市。蘇州市副市長查穎冬介紹，近年來，蘇州推動數字技術融入旅游全過程。如，在金雞湖景區試點開展自動駕駛出行服務等應用；建立蘇州市文旅指揮中心，打造集數據分析、科學研判、指揮調度等功能於一體的旅游數字「大腦」；打造「君到蘇州」文旅總入口，提供文旅場所預約、信息實時查詢等服務，並建立評價反饋體系助力管理服務升級。
如今，智慧旅游已變得更加實用。針對老年人面臨的「數字鴻溝」，「游雲南」APP長輩版為老年人提供了高頻使用的識花草、旅游咨詢、投訴等功能，並設計了大字體、大圖標界面；江蘇智慧文旅平台應用5G無人機對部分景區重點監測，及時發現並解決堵點問題；「一機游」智慧導游導覽平台解決方案向游客及時傳遞景點擁擠和車輛游船索道運轉信息……數字技術正多方面實實在在地助推旅游業高質量發展。 （原題：邰子君：科技賦能旅游·數智轉型提速；本文作者：中國旅游報記者邰子君；2023年11月28日）
Jan 25, 2024
Paris En mémoire
邰子君：科技賦能旅游·數智轉型提速
由文化和旅游部資源開發司、江蘇省文化和旅游廳主辦的智慧旅游發展大會暨智慧旅游示范展示活動日前在南京舉辦。大會以「智慧旅游：新時代 新動能 新供給」為主題，剖析智慧旅游發展現狀並探討未來發展路徑，其間還展示了一批沉浸式、體驗式、互動式新空間，全景呈現了國內智慧旅游發展成果。
近年來，國內智慧旅游發展的基礎不斷夯實，越來越多數字技術在更廣范圍、更高層次、更多環節、更寬領域與旅游業深度融合發展，智慧旅游逐漸成為促進旅游業高質量發展的新動能。
精心培育 新興業態層出不窮
膽戰心驚地走過懸崖上的木橋，腳下是流淌的岩漿，熱浪撲面而來，而後乘坐竹筏駛入「神都」，濺起的水花、下落時的失重感、繁華的街市……一場奇妙旅程在智慧旅游示范展示活動的現場開啟。
上海沉浸機遇科技開發有限公司董事長胡世輝介紹，該項目是在《風起洛陽》VR全感劇場基礎上提取精華內容，將體驗時長從70分鐘壓縮至20分鐘形成的「智慧旅游版」。《風起洛陽》VR全感劇場自今年2月在上海開啟以來，已接待游客3萬多人次。游客在體驗過程中，可通過視覺、聽覺、嗅覺、味覺、觸覺，全方位感受沉浸式體驗的魅力。
《風起洛陽》VR全感劇場是今年8月文化和旅游部公布的首批24個全國智慧旅游沉浸式體驗新空間培育試點項目之一。此次大會，teamLab無相藝術、蘇州灣數字藝術館等入選項目悉數亮相，吸引眾多觀眾打卡。而這些項目在現實應用中，同樣展現出了吸引力。據統計，今年暑期，這24個項目營收總額超過1億元，消費人次達300萬。
京東方科技集團執行副總裁、京東方藝雲董事長姚項軍說，京東方目前已推出畫屏、裸眼3D屏、異型顯示屏、智慧驛站等一系列創新產品，在旅游景區、文博場館、旅游休閒街區等場景的應用方面積累了實踐經驗。下一步，京東方還將推出「數字文旅創新中心2.0」，打造城市智慧旅游新地標。
文化和旅游部資源開發司有關負責人介紹，游客需求向沉浸式體驗轉變的趨勢，要求深化文旅融合、技術集成，大力發展沉浸式體驗、互動式項目等新產品新業態，以數字技術增強旅游產品的體驗性、互動性。文化和旅游部正在開展新一批智慧旅游沉浸式體驗新空間培育試點項目推薦遴選工作，推動更多城市把本地的智慧旅游沉浸式體驗新空間項目培育好。
中國旅游研究院院長戴斌說，近年來，支撐智慧旅游發展的政策體系不斷優化、信息基礎設施大幅改善、科技企業跨界融合和場景創新不斷升級，科技創新及商業應用創造出了更多場景，游客可體驗的內容也更加豐富。(下續)
Jan 25, 2024
Paris En mémoire
中新社記者：中國和RCEP成員國在經貿文化方面有哪些差異性和互補性？中國文化怎樣才能更好地走向RCEP成員國？如何呈現文化間的「美美與共」？
雷小華：中國與RCEP成員國在政治製度、宗教、意識形態等方面差異性較大。傳播中華文化和文化間「美美與共」，需要各方共同努力。
一是發展更緊密的戰略夥伴關係。在地區形勢日趨複雜、雙邊關係遭到域外國家干涉的情況下，中國應與RCEP國家堅持對話合作的大方向不動搖，以真誠溝通促進理解信任，以求同存異妥善處理分歧爭議；加強高層交流、接觸、政策溝通，擴大各層級互訪，促進治理經驗分享，確保東亞合作的可持續性發展。
二是以更包容的心態看待彼此文化差異。正確看待和尊重彼此文化差異，兼容並蓄，相互欣賞對方的優秀文化；針對不同國家、受眾群體，根據政治體製、文化背景、風俗習慣、宗教信仰等分出多個層次，製定「一國一策」；加強文化產業合作，鼓勵文化產業包容性發展。
三是加強市場調研，開發滿足消費者需求的文化產品。正因有差異性，才要加強市場調研，充分了解各國民族習慣和消費習慣，針對不同國家量身定做出適銷對路的產品，例如用更多本地推廣平臺和代言人進行文化產品的宣傳推廣。
中新社記者：廣西南寧舉行的東博會，是促成中國和東盟文化交往和文化貿易的「南寧渠道」。RCEP生效實施後，東博會服務範圍將向RCEP拓展，未來南寧是否會成為中國和RCEP成員國文化交融的中心？
雷小華：未來，南寧可在中國和RCEP成員國文化交融中發揮重要作用。
一是用好中國—東盟博覽會的平臺功能。推動平臺從服務中國—東盟「10+1」向服務RCEP成員國拓展，開辟服務貿易專題展區，進一步擴大文化貿易規模，提升對文化類基礎設施投資建設的水平。
二是積極實施高層對話平臺提升行動。承辦好中國與RCEP國家建交周年紀念活動，鞏固與RCEP成員國的「朋友圈」，辦好中國—東盟文化論壇、中國—東盟博覽會文化展、中國—東盟博覽會動漫遊戲展等多邊活動，並將其擴展到RCEP成員國，為促進中國與RCEP國家的人文交流發揮積極作用。
三是進一步深化人文交流。繼續舉辦「東盟文化周」、美麗中國等文化交流品牌活動；在鞏固傳統人文交流基礎上，拓展科技合作、公共衛生合作、環保合作、國際減貧合作、數字經濟合作等新領域。
四是提升廣西面向RCEP成員國的國際傳播能力。通過創新傳播方式和內容，努力將中國故事、中國形象經南寧渠道傳播到RCEP國家，讓更多民眾了解全面、立體、生動的中國。（中國自由貿易區服務網/文章來源: 中國新聞網 2022-03-17））
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Feb 6, 2024
Paris En mémoire
雷小華：中國文化在RCEP合作中如何展現「美美與共」？
地緣相近的中國與東盟各國，在日益緊密的交流合作中，雙邊文化相互交融，你中有我，我中有你。風味獨特的東盟美食通過廣西憑祥口岸「飄香」中國各地，預包裝柳州螺螄粉等中國美食亦在東盟備受歡迎。
為順應《區域全面經濟夥伴關係協定》（RCEP）生效實施，中國—東盟博覽會（簡稱「東博會」）的服務範圍將向RCEP成員國拓展，雙方文化交流愈發密切。在中國與RCEP各國經貿合作日漸緊密的背景下，應如何豐富人文交流，展現文化間「美美與共」？廣西社會科學院東南亞研究所副所長、廣西社會科學院東南亞國別研究創新團隊首席專家雷小華近日接受中新社「東西問」獨家專訪，對此進行解析。
現將訪談實錄摘要如下：
中新社記者：中國—東盟自由貿易區的建成對雙方文化交流產生哪些影響？
雷小華：中國—東盟自由貿易區建成十多年來，中國與東盟90%以上的7000多種商品關稅降為零。這對兒童玩具、廣播影視器材、文化節目以及影視劇、電影、動漫等服務貿易的進出口起到促進作用。
當前，中國對東盟的投資方向，正由傳統的基礎設施領域逐步向旅遊景區、旅遊服務平臺、廣播影視等文化類基礎設施轉變，甚至參與文化類節目和產品製作，這在一定程度上提升了東盟國家文化類基礎設施的建設水平，豐富了東盟國家文化產品。
同時，中國與東盟已互為最主要的旅遊目的地之一。特別是在新冠肺炎疫情暴發前的2019年，中國與東盟雙向人員往來創新高，超過6500萬人次，每周往返於中國和東南亞之間的航班近4500架次，中國赴東盟國家遊客3907萬人次。
隨著文化產品貿易擴大、文化類基礎設施建設水平提升以及人員往來規模迅速增長，中國與東盟文化交融的民意基礎日益夯實。
中新社記者：中國—東盟自貿區的建立，給中國人的餐桌帶來哪些變化？
雷小華：中國的經濟發展和強大的內需市場，特別是構建以國內大循環為主體、國內國際雙循環相互促進的新發展格局，給東盟國家帶來巨大出口機遇，特別是農產品和當季水果。如越南已有9種水果可以出口至中國，正在洽談的還有7種。今年春節期間，泰國的榴蓮、山竹，越南的菠蘿蜜、火龍果以及大量水產品經廣西進入中國市場。
東盟國家物美價廉的商品，不僅豐富了中國消費者的餐桌，而且讓早年比較昂貴的水果價格日益親民，榴槤、山竹、菠蘿蜜等已成為中國普通百姓餐桌上司空見慣的水果。
中新社記者：中國和東盟文化相近相通，這對自貿區建設起到哪些作用？
雷小華：中國與東盟地緣相近、民俗相通，彼此熟悉對方，能用最舒適的方式進行交往，相互猜忌和顧忌較少，有利於提升雙方互信水平，全面推進自貿區框架下全方位高水平的合作。
同時，因為文化相近相通，雙方交流語言障礙不多，溝通起來更加方便、暢通，有利於雙方人員往來和經貿合作。中國與東盟互為第一大旅遊目的地，就得益於此。
此外，文化的相近相通讓雙方彼此熟悉對方風俗習慣，有利於企業在當地市場開展調研，生產或推廣適銷對路的產品，滿足各國消費者的需求，有利於實現開拓對方市場和擴大產品市場占有率的目的。
中新社記者：中國與東盟之間人文交流淵源久遠，雙方以人文交流推動經貿合作的經驗，對RCEP建設有哪些借鑒意義？
一是相互尊重，包容互鑒。中國倡導與鄰為善、以鄰為伴，做相互信任和相互尊重的真誠朋友和戰略夥伴。正是有了相互尊重，中國和東盟之間形成了「和而不同」「求同存異」的局面。中國與東盟國家歷史文化多元包容、各具特色，民間交往源遠流長、歷久彌新，社會各界廣泛參與，交流渠道不斷拓寬，各領域交流密切活躍，民眾往來愈益頻繁，交流特色品牌不斷湧現。「親戚越走越近，朋友越走越親」，這個道理也適用於與RCEP國家的交往合作。
二是充分發揮華僑華人的橋梁和紐帶作用。東盟國家有大量華僑華人，他們不僅推動當地經濟發展，也促進了民眾對中華文化的認知和了解，提升中華文化影響力。
三是不斷夯實民間交往基礎。中國與東盟的教育、旅遊等人文交流具有龐大規模，這些是雙邊關係走深走實的基礎。
Feb 6, 2024
Paris En mémoire
A Dispersed Creative Network
The Sakon Hed festival illustrates how a dispersed network of creatives can come together and build creative capital through active collaborations and connections. This network is unique, in that it is still very much grounded by a commitment to the place and its tradition, and shows that the creative life of a place doesn’t necessarily need to be permanently situated to bring about a rich creative milieu. While there is an increasing number of creatives – particularly fashion designers – returning to open new indigo-related businesses in the city, there are also many more returning creatives who use the Sakon Hed festival as an opportunity to draw inspiration and bring new ideas back into the creative life of Sakon Nakhon.
Importance of Family Bonds and Networks
The festival is an example of a collaborative creative endeavour sustained by Sakon Nakhon’s creative diaspora.
Family bonds and family-like networks have been key to the revival of indigo-dyed products, and continue to sustain the creative ecosystem of Sakon Nakhon. Generational businesses such as Mae Teeta or Kram Thong and Mann Craft highlight the importance of not just drawing on
The Sakon Hed network is very much established and reliant on blood ties and family-like bonds. For example, Teeta Janpengpen (of Mae Teeta) is the grandmother of Gypsy Janpengpen, a key member of the network. Gypsy Coffee Drip is located next to the Mae Teeta shop in Dong Mafai village. Other members of Sakon Hed may not be related to each other but have nonetheless developed family-like bonds through years of childhood friendship. External visitors such as Chamroen Studio from Bangkok are connected through Mr Gypsy, who consider him as a ‘brother’. These family-like bonds explain the ability of the network to attract many external organisations to participate, calling on goodwill that only family-like relationships can rely on.
Diversifying a Creative Ecosystem
traditional craft knowledge, but also joint family resources to support the development of new ideas.
The indigo dyeing and weaving industry have been the dominant driver of Sakon Nakhon’s creative ecosystem. Prolonged investment and support from various government initiatives has undoubtedly helped revive it and contributed to its success.
However, we have seen evidence of other creative activities emerging in the past few years that have diversified and strengthened Sakon Nakhon’s creative ecosystem. New creative businesses ranging from indigo-related products to sustainable agriculture and farm produce have illustrated how a creative district can continue to grow and evolve even without significant government support. Sakon Nakhon’s example shows how a creative district can build and extend on existing resources to achieve a more diversified and self-sustaining creative ecosystem
(Source: Creative and Cultural Districts in Thailand; May 2020; britishcouncil.or.th)
Feb 8, 2024
Paris En mémoire
These contributions have been perceived as top-down and less flexible than local, self-organised efforts to nurture the creative community. A study by Chanorn identified OTOP as successful in stimulating local entrepreneurship, but also reported how local artisans felt it introduced divisiveness and promoted business models that were antagonistic to the cooperative nature of many community groups.
Educational institutions provide considerable links to resources and opportunities outside Sakon Nakhon. Kasetsart University Chalermphrakiat Sakon Nakhon Province Campus and Sakon Nakhon Rajabhat University have supported many projects that connect to public and private sectors, such as the example provided earlier where NSTDA commissioned Rajabhat University to develop the local dyeing and weaving industry.
Other examples include talks provided by experts during the Sakon Hed festival, such as Assistant Professor Tips Srisakunchaiyaruk (ผู้ศ์.ธิป์ ศ์รีสกุลไชียรัก) from Arsom Silp Institute of the Arts, on community development, and Ms Sirikun Lolpaikun (ดร.ศ์ิริกุล เลากัยกุล) from Brand Being, who shared her vision on branding community products. Sakon Hed talks were supported by the British Council Thailand, which also provided funding for online media production during the festival
Key Characteristics of Sakon Nakhon as a Creative District
Nature as a Driver of Creative Endeavours
Sakon Nakhon’s creativity draws upon the abundance of natural resources, attested by the indigo-dyeing and textile handweaving industry. Villages spread out in the Isan region cultivate this traditional craft. Many have made significant efforts to preserve the ancient craft, such as Mae Teeta, which rescued the seeds of two different varieties of indigo and grows them both to ensure their continuation. The revival of this craft in the 1990s, driven by renewed interest in organic and sustainable products worldwide, has also expanded the creative community to engage with agriculture and farming practices. The festival and network have given a platform for these industries in Sakon Nakhon to contribute to the creative and cultural richness of the area. This has expanded the scope of the cultural assets of the province to the forefront of contemporary life.
Sustaining and Developing the Dyeing and Weaving Craft Indigo-dyed products have recently started to make their way into Sakon Nakhon city centre, where shops are catering directly to collectors and consumers. Support from local universities with technical know-how has been crucial in introducing innovation to this labour intensive craft.
Opportunities to sell indigo-dyed textile products on a national and international scale is also emerging, sustained by efforts to establish quality standards and develop new modes of production, aided by branding, manufacturing and marketing support by various government initiatives. Newer indigo brands may communicate the indigo craft as a traditional practice as part of their message, but some, such as Mann Craft, focus on (re) discovering ways to extract pigments from different plants, creating new textile patterns produced artistically by weaving communities.
However, natural dyes and textile weaving are labour intensive, which justifies the high price of the more elaborate items. As the market becomes increasingly competitive, the sector must find ways to preserve its authenticity without impacting on product prices and, therefore, labour retribution.
Feb 11, 2024
Paris En mémoire
Close relationships and collaborations are key drivers of creative activity in Sakon Nakhon and are evident within the various communities in the province. Stemming from strong, intimate bonds, the indigo craft bridges different age groups and social identities. Skills are passed on between family members, and specific weaving patterns and dye recipes are developed within villages, which have an intimate relationship with the surrounding land, rivers, wetlands and mountains.
Age-old bonds are seen in contemporary indigo brands such as Mae Teeta, Kram Thong and Mann Craft, discussed earlier. These family businesses have transformed indigo textiles from everyday, traditional products, bridging an emerging class of creatives looking to develop business in their hometown to reach a global market.
The Sakon Hed network offers the strongest example of family-like bonds that build bridging links. Sharing the same passion for returning home to reconnect, the founding members described their team as brothers, sisters and friends. The festival is an opportunity to expand the network and ‘make more friends’, turning strong bonds into bridging opportunities with other creative communities outside the province (see p. 111).
Collaboration is based on respecting differences in taste and expertise, while carefully mediating and reaching consensus. Since Sakon Hed organisers do not conduct business together, there are no conflicts of interest or competition between them. Instead the focus is on creating a welcoming environment for the growing number of visitors.
The network has not relied on government funds or external influential partners to enable its growth. The success of the network and festival lies in this focus on collaborations and friendships, rather than just economic revenue. The organisers described the latter as a ‘social lubricant’, but not the main goal of Sakon Hed. What started as a family-like gathering has now become the largest independent festival in the province, where dispersed creative communities that live and work in bigger cities such as Chiang Mai or Bangkok come to meet, eat, drink and enjoy sustainable and creative activities.
The power of the Sakon Hed network to connect with a diversity of creative groups is remarkable. The festival draws talents to Sakon Nakhon temporarily to reconnect with fellow creatives, while also inviting friends from other provinces such as Surin (จังหวัดสุรินท่ร์) and Phrae (จังหวัดแพัร่) to share and potentially collaborate. This maintains bridging relationships among mobile groups of creatives from different provinces and regions. Siaw Sakon, also known as the Friends of Sakon, is an extended network of friends involved in the organisation of the Sakon Hed festival. They travel from other regions in Thailand to join the festival as exhibitors and organisers. For example, Phrae Craft (แพัร่คราฟ้ท่์), a creative network from Phrae province in the north of Thailand, are also members of Sial Sakon and exhibit traditional craft products at the event. This is an exchange, as the Sakon Hed network also joined Phrae Craft’s creative festival from 6 to 8 December 2019.
Many other groups, such as Folkcharm from Loei Province (จังหวัดเลย), and Charm-Learn Studio (ชีามเริญิ สต้ดิโอ) and Ruenrom Organic Living from Surin Province, participate at these events to share organic products, new soil-dyed cotton, ceramics and award- winning bento designs.
Feb 13, 2024
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Networks
As a geographically dispersed creative district, networks and community groups play an important role in Sakon Nakhon. The Sakon Hed network consists of locally born creative producers and innovators that come together once a year. The 18 founding members grew up locally but moved away to other cities. They reconnected four years ago with the idea of creating a platform for local creatives and craftspeople to come together, and this resulted in the Sakon Hed festival, held annually since 2016. In recent years, the Sakon Hed network has increased awareness of arts, craft and creative enterprises to showcase their work. Their independent status, without affiliation with the government or corporations, allows them autonomy and freedom in curating the festival.
The Young Entrepreneur Chamber of Commerce (YEC) is a nationwide network with a local office in Sakon Nakhon that supports businesses participating in the Sakon Hed festival. YEC is a network of second generation business people who run mostly small businesses in the area. One notable initiative by YEC is an annual fundraising run in December to build and develop children’s centres in Sakon Nakhon.
The annual Sakon Hed festival in 2019 at Farm Hug Annual Festivals Festivals have become important temporary hubs to draw dispersed creatives and artisans to Sakon Nakhon to meet, share and network. Many people featured in this case study are young, returning talents, having studied or worked outside Sakon Nakhon city. The main Sakon Hed festival brings together a unique mix of indigo-dyeing and sustainable farming products across the province.
‘Sakon Hed’ (สกลเฮ็ด) means ‘Sakon Nakhon made’ in the Isan language. The festival has been held every year in December since 2016, to champion community-made, locally sourced products and services. The event offers workshops, talks and networking opportunities for artisans and visitors, attracting exhibitors and tourists from all around the province and the country. The festival is grassroots and volunteer-led, without significant funding support from one entity. Contributions come in different forms, from in-kind support by musicians to sourcing bamboo needed for stall structures. The festival has grown in popularity, attesting to the dedication of the organisers, and moved to a larger location for 2019. It coincides with Christmas to take advantage of the festive seasonal holiday, when many people are travelling back home.
Throughout the year, other cultural and religious festivities take place. Communities from around Sakon Nakhon Province construct large models of Buddhist temples out of beeswax. These impressive constructions are loaded onto trailers and driven through the city during the annual Wax Castle parade that concludes the Wax Castle Festival (เท่ศ์กาลแห่เท่ียนพัรรษ์า), taking place every year in October at the end of Buddhist lent. The Wax Castle parade is the biggest event of the year and it is supported by the local government, temples and other organisations.
Building Social Capital in Sakon Nakhon
Sakon Nakhon’s social capital owes much to the family-like bonds between groups and friends, underpinned by a strong sense of community.
While geographically dispersed, the creative and cultural ecosystem of Sakon Nakhon is held together by shared values of respect for traditional wisdom, nature and sustainable development.
Key actors such as the Sakon Hed network, creative indigo producers and sustainable farmers were identified with characteristics such as being dedicated, generous, collaborative, innovative, experimental, heartfelt, flexible, a good listener, team worker, open minded, kind, good advisor, good at problem solving, hardworking and able to say sorry.
Strong Bonds for Bridging
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Cha Ya Ta is an experimental studio that combines eco-printmaking with local hand dyeing and weaving. Cha Ya Ta Incha (คุณชีญิตว์ อินท่ร์ชีา) is an art educator at the School of Education, Roi Et Rajabhat University, and an expert in eco-printing. Her gelatin-printing techniques, which are sustainable and ecological, are taught through regular workshops at her studio.
Phukarm (ภ้คราม) is known for working with communities in the Phu Phan mountains to create hand-made textiles and embroidered floral patterns. Ms Pilan Thaisuang (คุณป์ิลันธน์ ไท่ยสรวง) is a returning resident who worked as a community historian in Bangkok. Since 2016, she has trained and worked with ageing local women weavers to enable their traditional designs to become contemporary products for different markets.
Institutional Collaborations and Policy Instruments
Thai central government has supported the indigo-dyeing sector through various entrepreneurial-based development strategies since 2001, during Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s first period in office. The Ministry of Industry established ‘entrepreneur development units’ to activate business, while the project One Tambon One Product (OTOP) aimed to stimulate entrepreneurial development in rural areas. In 2004, the Sakon Nakhon provincial governor designated indigo-dyed textiles as the official symbol of the province.
The SUPPORT Arts and Crafts International Centre of Thailand (SACICT) was established by royal decree in 2003 to ‘promote and support the integration of vocations leading to the creation of folk arts and crafts’.18 It has introduced quality standards and supports local craftspeople and entrepreneurs with training, branding, marketing, internationalisation, intellectual property and blending technological development with traditional practices. These measures were put in place at a time when the market for indigo products was saturated and many entrepreneurs were pushed out of business by competition.19
As a 18 result indigo entrepreneurs began developing distinct brands that communicated authenticity and the careful design of their products.20 In 2008, Kenan Institute Asia (K.I.Asia) introduced community capability development programmes to resource indigo textile production in Sakon Nakhon, supported by BEDO. Since 2011, the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in the textile industry – grouped under the name of Cloth Industry Cluster of Sakon Nakhon (CIC-Sakon, โครงการพััฒินากลุ ่มสิ ่งท่อผู้ายอม ครามจังหวัดสกลนคร) – has been supported by the Department of Industrial Promotion. The project is hosted by Kasetsart University. Since 2012, BEDO and K.I.Asia have collaborated with CIC- Sakon enterprises, implementing the Developing Indigo-Dyed Textile Industry Corporation Project within the indigo-dyed textile industry cluster, covering the full supply chain from indigo and cotton farming to marketing.21 In 2017, with the support of Sakon Nakhon’s Chamber of Commerce, the local campuses of Rajabhat and Rajamangala universities, Silpakorn University and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Handicraft Promotion and Development Association (AHPADA), Sakon Nakhon successfully applied to be nominated as a Craft City by the World Craft Council.
Support Arts and Crafts International Centre of Thailand. (2016). Annual report 2015-2016.
19 Chanorn, C. (2019). Dialectics of cultural production: Branding indigo-dyed textiles in Sakon Nakhon, Thailand. Textile 17(3), 312–326
20 Ibid.
21 Ibid.
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Social and Sustainable Creative Endeavours
(pg 55) Alongside the indigo craft communities, there are new groups of returning creative entrepreneurs that are heavily influenced by sustainable living, and are actively contributing to the creative and cultural buzz of Sakon Nakhon. Many of these businesses are reconnecting with their strong cultural roots and illustrate the increasing diversity of Sakon Nakhon’s creative life.
URANFARM (อุฬารฟ้าร์ม) produces organic cacao, orchids, salad and palm oil. It is owned by Mr Narongdech Urankun (ณรงค์เดชี อุฬารกุล), a local politician and farmer who is considered a pioneer of modern organic farming, introducing new crops and utilising different marketing and sales strategies by exporting to other regions. Mr Narongdech is a key member of the Sakon Hed
Case Study Sakon Nakhon
buffalo grazing – Ms Saisunee Chiyahongsa (คุณสุนี ไชียหงษ์า) and Mr Sakai Chiyahongsa (คุณสะไก ไชียหงษ์า), leaders of the Baan Na Chuk Organic network, which hosts the annual Sakon Hed festival. Gypsy Coffee Drip and Gypsy Camp are owned by Mr Gypsy Janpengpen (ยิป์ซี จันท่ร์เพั็งเพั็ญิ), another key member of the Sakon Hed network. Recognising an opportunity to service tourists interested in indigo products, he opened his cafe in 2014 next to the Mae Teeta shop. It is akin to a creative hub where local art and craft practitioners meet, including the Sakon Hed network. Like many others featured in this case study, Mr Gypsy returned after working as a researcher at Kasetsart University in Bangkok and witnessing the devastating 2011 floods.17 Na Come Home (นาคำาหอม) is a brand of organic food including rice, fruit, vegetables and herbs.
It is owned by Ms Ratikorn Tongsiri (รติกร ตงศ์ิริ), another returnee who left behind a job in Bangkok’s media industry in 2011. Concerned with environmental issues and aiming to promote healthy living, she became an organic rice and vegetable farmer. Ms Ratikorn expanded her farm and opened an organic cafe, Come Home Sakon, at the end of 2011. The cafe sells desserts, drinks and locally sourced goods as well as showcasing local indigo products. Come Home Sakon is popular with locals, visitors and a network of young entrepreneurs that gather here. Profits from Na Come Home and the cafe are donated to local childcare centres and schools, reflecting other initiatives that are giving back to the community. Kor Fai (ก็ฝั่้าย) produces natural cotton products and promotes community tourism in Baan Na Chok. Community tourism enables local residents to share resources with visitors for the sustainable benefit of both the community and the natural environment. As a plateau and drought area of Sakon Nakhon Province, Baan Na Chok is used for Dyeing Group, have used locally available resources such as buffalo manure creatively, to experiment with organic dyeing processes. They have developed both agricultural and community tourism, creating a successful complementary experience alongside their Kor Fai cotton products.
Hoop Thame (ฮ้ป์แตม) specialises in Isan graphic design, prints, craft and book-making. Mr umnart Sunaprom (คุณอำานาจ สุนาพัรม), a graphic design lecturer at Sakon Nakhon Rajabhat University, experiments with natural materials such as indigo dyeing on banana leaves, and offers hand-dyed textiles and hand-bound book-making workshops.
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Mae Teeta (แม่ฑีตา) was the first indigo-dyed product brand in Sakon Nakhon, set up in 1992 by Ms Praphaiphan Deangchai. The brand paved the way for the resurgence of indigo craft in the province. ‘Mae’ is a respectful term meaning ‘mother’, named after the founder’s mother, Ms Teeta Janpengpen (ฑีตา จันท่ร์เพั็งเพั็ญิ). Mae Teeta is a family-run business involving the founder, her sister, her daughter and her nephew in the
production of indigo-dyed textiles and clothes.
Ms Teeta and her daughter were pioneers in reviving indigo farming in Sakon Nakhon, by introducing indigo seeds harvested from the surrounding forests into cultivation. A family-like relationship extends to the producers who plant and spin cotton with traditional spinners. Clients are also included in this extended family. Mae Teeta has a loyal base of returning customers that trust the brand and recommend its products to
others. The younger generations of Mae Teeta’s family are fashion graduates who are developing clothing lines for younger customers and introducing the brand to an international market.
Contemporary Indigo-Related Products and Shops
A new generation of makers and producers are evolving indigo craft through a combination of experimental techniques, new marketing strategies and the creation of contemporary designs, as demonstrated by Mae Teeta’s example. Branding has become a key practice in the transformation of indigo-dyed textiles from objects
of everyday, personal use to commodities available for local, national and international trade.15 KramSakon is an umbrella brand for all the indigo merchandise produced by the indigo-dyed textile industry cluster.
It is made up of 20 community enterprises and four SMEs. Members of KramSakon were among the first to establish the Phra Kram street market to sell their products through a dedicated store. One of the stores, Kram
Hug, was started by a long established clothing producer, taking advantage of renewed interest in indigo products. It creates contemporary clothes, household items and accessories designed to appeal to a younger audience. Dominating a busy crossroads with large windows and outdoor plants, Kram Thong (ครามท่อง) and Mann Craft are owned by the same family and share premises. The stores are a key stopping point for important visitors such as the Thai fashion designer Princess Sirivannavari.
The store displays traditional looms, books and signs explaining the process of indigo production.
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Soft Infrastructures
Indigo Communities and Traditions The recipes for indigo dye and the patterns and motifs created through weaving can vary from one community to the other. Weaving communities grow indigo plants using traditional methods11 and make use of locally grown and spun cotton and silk yarns. A system of shared facilities keeps costs down, promotes collaboration and the circulation of resources and knowledge between communities. The weaving process is equally demanding and heavily reliant on the labour of women.
Girls are socialised from a very young age, starting with cotton spinning and picking. Women learn to work together, where the younger and less experienced weavers can observe the proficient ones, learn their patterns and practise under supervision, with knowledge passed on from older women to younger girls.12 This practice means the indigo-dyeing and weaving industry is managed 90 per cent by women. For example, in the Ban Cherng Doi cotton community enterprise group (วิสาหกิจชีุมชีนท่อผู้าฝั่้ายยอมครามธรรมชีาติบานเชีิงดอย), men are in charge of growing indigo and making dye, while women weave cotton into traditional patterns and invent new ones. Men may also deal with matters outside the home, or even occupy positions of power in the public sector that enable them to support the dyeing and weaving industry through policy decisions.13
Pioneers of Indigo Production and Community Enterprise Groups
To an untrained eye, indigo products may all look the same, but the expertise is embodied in the production process, the history of the practice, different techniques and additives used, and the quality of the woven materials. Some long established groups are distinct in the way they make, manage and develop their products. Nakhon Tumtao Agricultural Housewives Group (บานนครถำ าเต่า) was established in 2008 as a community-managed production network consisting of 372 indigo weavers from different villages, each member taking care of a specific part of the production process. The group is led by Ms Somkid Promchak (คุณสมคิด พัรมจักร) (known as Mae Soom: แม่สุ ่ม), who left to be educated elsewhere and returned in 1998. The group has collaborated with Kasetsart University and other agencies to research natural dyes and has developed its own recipe using lotus plants as an additive to the indigo dye.14
Ban Kamkha Indigo Weavers Group (บานคำาข่า) has been running since 1994 as a community enterprise producing hand-printed cotton. Ms Pira Prasertkantong (คุณพัิระ ป์ระเสริฐกานตง) is the local craft expert and instructor in a government- initiated project for local craft promotion (SUPPORT Arts and Crafts International Centre of Thailand – SACICT) and continues to innovate by introducing new patterns. The group’s goal is to grow its own cotton and create special recipe dyes incorporating mud and husks. Taking a different route to market, the Ban Oondong Nong Chaiyawal Indigo Community Enterprise (กลุ ่มวิสา- หกิจชีุมชีนท่อผู้ายอมครามบานอ้นดง-หนองไชียวาลย์) distributes its unique weaved patterns from indigo-dyed, hand-spun cotton threads through an online channel. Led by indigo expert Ms SuneePromkomol (คุณสุนีย์ พัรอมโกมล), it is supported by the Biodiversity-Based Economy Development Office (BEDO) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to develop sustainable natural products.
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Weaving and Dyeing Industries
Many indigenous groups live in Sakon Nakhon Province. These communities have an enduring tradition of weaving and dyeing cloth, and each group has devised specific techniques, patterns and styles that are regarded as a form of indigenous art and taught through the generations.5 Mud mee (มัดหมี ), or ikat, is a technique of resist-dyeing to pattern textiles, such as tying or stitching. Weaving is traditionally considered a duty for Phu Tai women in the community.6 In the past, textiles were woven for household products, such as clothes and bedding, as well as for important events and ceremonies such as weddings or Buddhist festivities. Dyeing
and weaving industries rely on proximity to natural resources, so they are distributed throughout Sakon Nakhon Province. The map (pp. 98-99, fig. 1) shows traditional communities and pioneer revivalist groups located outside of Sakon Nakhon city.
More recently, shops selling indigo textiles and products have started opening closer to the city centre. Every afternoon on weekends and public holidays, Rop Mueang Road (ถนนรอบเมือง) in front of Wat Phra That Choeng Chum is transformed into Thanon Pha Kram market (ถนนผู้าคราม), taking advantage of a new commercial space that opened in 2016. Vendors sell raw indigo materials and end products such as clothes or accessories, so all generations of indigo enthusiasts can sell, buy and network. The market was an initiative of Kasetsart University, with support from local government, the Department of Creative Industry Development and the Department of Industry Promotion. Named as a ‘northeastern style flea market’, indigo-dyeing
workshops are also held here. Others have opened permanent shops next to the market, such as
Thainiyom Kramsuay (ไท่ยนิยมครามสวย), which occupies a 70-year- old, two-storey wooden house.
Educational Institutions
Two universities in the city – Kasetsart University (มหาวิท่ยาลัยเกษ์ตรศ์าสตร์) and Sakon Nakhon Rajabhat University (มหาวิท่ยาลัยราชีภัฎ สกลนคร) – have been instrumental in reviving indigo-dyeing practices, bridging indigenous wisdom with modern science and technology.7 Local schools provide indigo workshops for students, while the Indigo Centre at the Research and Development Institute of Sakon Nakhon Rajabhat University was set up to support people from the surrounding communities in developing their craft practices.
Sakon Nakhon Rajabhat University was commissioned by the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) - (สำานัก งานพััฒินาวิท่ยาศ์าสตร์และเท่คโนโลยีแห่งชีาติ), owing to government policy introduced in 2000, to assist a community initiative in indigo craft revival.
Researchers worked closely with villagers to understand and catalogue the traditional practices – traditions surrounding the craft include the belief that dye vats are inhabited by spirits that can favour the dyeing process8 – and chemical processes of dyeing. What was once small scale and labour intensive with varying quality has transformed to meet an increasing demand for indigo textiles on the national and international market.9 This new knowledge supported some of the indigo revival pioneers, such as the development of a database system of Sakon Nakhon’s indigenous fabric stripes and patterns, which in turn contributed to the expansion of local craft knowledge.10
Transportation Hubs
Sakon Nakhon has a domestic airport with a daily bus service to Bangkok. A planned upgrade by Airports of Thailand (AOT) to create an international airport hub in the coming years will undoubtedly improve connectivity to the district. There are also two bus stations servicing routes to nearby cities such as
Udon Thani and Nakhon Phanom. (pg. 103)
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3 Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (2015). National parks in Thailand.
4Tjahja, C. (2020). Reorienting and sustaining design and social innovation: Insights from Asia-Pacific practices [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Northumbria University.
Public Spaces
Public spaces are often a rare commodity in Thailand,4 and can act as important hubs to enable civic, cultural and creative activities to happen. Lotus Park and the surrounding two parks located next to Nong Han Lake are considered the heart of Sakon Nakhon culture, supporting the recreational and cultural life of the residents.
Nong Han Chaloem Phrakiat Lotus Park (อุท่ยานบัวเฉลิมพัระเกียรติ) was created in 2009 by Kasetsart University Chalermphrakiat Sakon Nakhon Province Campus as part of a research project looking into the benefits of the royal lotus plant. Opened to the public in 2010, the park now features more than 100 varieties of lotuses and water flowers from around the world, with indoor and outdoor exhibition areas.
Suan Somdet Phrasinakarin and Suan Somdet Galyani Vadhana Parks (สวนสมเด็จพัระศ์รีนครินท่ร์และ
สวนสมเด็จเจาฟ้้ากัลยาณิวัฒินา กรมหลวงสงขลานครินท่ร์ หรือ สวนแม่สวนล้ก) are located next to Nong Han
Lake. Often described as the ‘lungs of the city’, they are the only large pedestrianised areas in Sakon Nakhon, kept cool by the large lake and the tall trees at the edge of the parks. They are prominent meeting points, hubs for recreational activities and places to gather for many public events.
Religous Structures
Given the fact that there are more than 400 Buddhist temples, only the most significant have been noted here. Built around the first century, Wat Phra That Choeng Chum (วัดพัระธาตุเชีิงชีุม) is one of the most important city temples of Sakon Nakhon. It was known as Phra That Nong Han (พัระธาตุหนองหาร) during the time of the Lan Xang Kingdom. Wat Phra That Choeng Chum represents Lan Xang influences in Sakon Nakhon culture and traditions. Located next to Nong Han Lake, it is a popular destination among locals and tourists, who
often visit to pay respect. Taking advantage of its popularity, local entrepreneurs have set up stalls selling indigo products around the entrance of the temple grounds. In front of Wat Phra That Choeng Chum is a walking street, hosting a creative weekend market called Thanon Pha Kram (ถนนผู้าคราม).
The Archangel Michael Cathedral, located in the subdistrict of Tha Rae (ท่่าแร่), serves the largest Catholic community in Thailand. Its original structure was built by a community of Vietnamese descendants who settled in this province more than 130 years ago after fleeing persecution. The cathedral serves as a reminder of the rich cultural influences of the province. (pg 101)
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Without women to transmit or inherit the skills of dyeing and weaving, traditional indigo textile production gradually disappeared.The communities’ close relationship with rich, fertile land and natural resources, and the valuing of local wisdom and indigenous knowledge, extend to sustainable agricultural practices in rice and beef. Small, family-run organic farms, such as Farm Hug, have increased in number in recent years, where traditional crafts and organic food production are brought together. This confluence of craft, culture and food makes Sakon Nakhon a unique creative district in Thailand.
Typology of Sakon Nakhon’s Creative and Cultural District Hard Infrastructures
Sakon Nakhon is characterised by the relative remoteness of the region, its natural resources and its close proximity with other national borders and cultures. Lying on a flat plain on the bank of Nong Han Lake, the city is surrounded by extensive farmland and national parks. North of Sakon Nakhon are the provinces of Bueng Kan (บ่งกาฬ) and Nong Khai (หนองคาย), while Udon Thani (อุดรธานี), the prominent city of the Isan region and Isan Buddhism, is to the west. The south of Sakon Nakhon is connected to the provinces of Kalasin (กาฬสินธุ ์) and Mukdahan (มุกดาหาร), and the nearest province is Nakhon Phanom (นครพันม), which is only 93km away. The region is close to the Laos border, where Vientiane is only 236km over the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge (สะพัานมิตรภาพัไท่ยลาว). Lying on a flat plain on the bank of Nong Han Lake, the city is surrounded by extensive farmland and national parks.
Natural Resources
The abundance of water sources is an important natural infrastructure for the province because other surrounding provinces in northeast Thailand (such as Udon Thani) are dry regions. Sakon Nakhon Province is dominated by large bodies of water and mountains. Nong Han Lake (ท่ะเลสาบหนองหาร) is Thailand’s largest freshwater lake and the surrounding wetlands are important
conservation areas. Nong Han Lake is fed by the Nam Pung River (ลำานำ าพัุง) originating from the Phu Phan mountain region (เท่ือกเขาภ้พัาน), and draining through the Huai Nam Kan River (หวยนำ ากำ า) into the Mekong River (แม่นำ าโขง). Other sources of water come from the Himalayas, where the Mekong River springs and flows through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam before flowing into the South China Sea. During its course, the Mekong River feeds the Songkhram River (แม่นำ าสงคราม) flowing through the northeast of Thailand, causing it to flood an area of more than 100 square kilometres every rainy season. This phenomenon sustains an aquatic and terrestrial ecology of countless wetlands; their biodiversity has high cultural and economic value in sustaining the communities for centuries.
Phu Phan National Park (อุท่ยานแห่งชีาติภ้พัาน) is one of the important natural resources in Sakon Nakhon. Located in the Phu Phan mountains, a range of hills dividing the Isan region into two basins, the park was established in 1972 to protect the flora and fauna of the area,3 including the prized Siamese rosewood (ตนพัะย้ง). The indigofera tinctoria, known as the indigo plant or kram (คราม) in Thai, originates from the Phu Phan mountains. (pg 100)
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Famous Buddhist forest monasteries include Wat Pa Sutthawas (วัดป์่าสุท่ธาวาส), the temple of Buddhist master Mon (หลวงป์้ ่มั น), and Wat Pa Udomsompone (วัดป์่าอุดมสมพัร), where the relic of Fun (หลวงป์้ ่ฝั่ั น) is kept. There are well-known annual Buddhist events supported by local government, such as the Wax Castle Festival (ป์ระเพัณีป์ราสาท่ผู้่ ง) and the Boat Race (ป์ระเพัณีแข่งเรือ) at the end of Buddhist Lent Day (วันออกพัรรษ์า). All of these events involve local artisans – for example, to create the beeswax castles and decorations on boats, and perform traditional dance and parades.
The current population of Sakon Nakhon Province is around 1.1 million, and there are approximately 113,000 residents in the city centre. People here speak Isan, which is a Thai-Lao mixed language used around northeast Thailand. There are six different tribes in Sakon Nakhon – Saiyor (ไท่รญิอ), Taiyoy (ไท่โยย), Taiso (ไท่โส), Taikaleang (ไท่กะเลิง), Tai-Loa Isan (ไท่ลาวอีสาน) and Phutai (ภ้ไท่), the last one being the largest and oldest tribe in the area. These tribes have their own dialects of Isan language and have been engaged in traditional weaving practices of both silk and cotton for generations. These traditions have very much shaped the creative and cultural fabric of the region.
1Chanorn, C. (2016). Self-transformation strategies of development: The emergence of indigo dyed textile entrepreneurs in Sakon Nakhon, Thailand. Thammasat Review, 19(2), 1–21.
Sakon Nakhon is famous for indigo dyeing and textile weaving. Due to the abundance of the indigo plant along the Songkhram River (แม่นำ าสงคราม), which flows through the province, villagers have developed local wisdom and know-how to produce indigo-dyed textiles in a variety of patterns and styles. Indigo-dyed textile production declined in the Isan region during the mid-19th century due to
synthetic dyes and industrialisation.1 Farmers switched from growing indigo to more economically viable plantations such as rice, rubber, tapioca, cotton or sugar cane. Villagers, including women, started migrating to cities, reducing the number of agricultural labourers and weavers while swelling the ranks of factory workers. Without women to transmit or inherit the skills of dyeing and weaving, traditional indigo textile production gradually disappeared.2
Without women to transmit or inherit the skills of dyeing and weaving, traditional indigo textile production gradually disappeared.
Indigo-dyeing products on display at Mann Craft However, since the 1990s the indigo industry has experienced a revival. During and after the economic crisis of 1997, various initiatives were introduced by the government to stimulate job creation in the rural sector and incentivise workers to return to their hometowns. In this period, the idea of ‘local wisdom’ emerged as a central concept for the revitalisation of many artisan sectors, including agriculture, food, traditional medicine and crafts. Many of the pioneers of the indigo craft revival discussed in the case study started operating in this decade, initiating a new era of indigo production that brings together tradition and innovation. Owing to this revival, the processes of planting, harvesting, fermenting, dyeing and weaving have been passed on over the centuries, and indigo has become the key cultural identity of Sakon Nakhon. Indigo products embody traditional craft knowledge and practices, enabling relationships between different groups to be sustained – local community weavers and designers educated outside of the province, producers with a wealth of traditional knowledge and new consumers.
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This age-old craft, developed in close relationship with the land, was transmitted through the generations until modern production technologies of industrialisation overshadowed traditional practices. Thanks to a small number of pioneers, however, the craft was revived during the 1990s and has evolved since into a vibrant creative scene combining local wisdom with modern design influences. The renewed interest in traditional techniques, indigenous knowledge and environmental sustainability has instilled new energy into other sectors, such as agricultural production and sustainable farming.
In the past ten years, Sakon Nakhon has been developed on the basis of its agricultural resources. There has been a continuous increase in creative activities and businesses developed by citizens who moved back after working in other cities and regions. Since 2016, there has been rapid growth in creative networking and businesses around Sakon Nakhon and surrounding areas. Sakon Hed started out as a network of creative entrepreneurs involved in developing locally branded products that are modern, natural and sustainable. The network hosts the annual Sakon Hed festival (เท่ศ์กาลสกลเฮ็ด),
which has now become the biggest creative event in Sakon Nakhon. The festival aims to promote local wisdom, products, services and brands as well as raise awareness of the growing creative activities in this region.
The uniqueness of Sakon Nakhon’s creative scene is in the somewhat disperse nature of its members.
Traditional weaving communities are distributed across the province, while a growing base of returning talent gathers every year at the Sakon Hed festival, driven by an interest in crafts as well as a commitment to Sakon Nakhon and its traditions. Close relationships such as familial bonds and friendships are the drivers of fruitful collaborations: families and community groups can rely on shared resources to sustain their businesses, while a network of friends and volunteers can mobilise enough resources to create a yearly gathering during which ideas are exchanged and collaborations are arranged. As Sakon Nakhon gains prominence as a creative district in Thailand, the focus is on balancing environmental, economic and social sustainability.
Sakon Nakhon is famous for indigo dyeing and textile weaving. Sakon Nakhon is one of the largest provinces in northeast Thailand, at 9,600 square kilometres. Its history can be traced back more than 2,000 years through fossil and archaeological records. During the tenth century, Sakon Nakhon was called Muang Nonghan Luang (เมืองหนองหารหลวง) and was a major city of the Khmer Empire, until a long drought led to its depopulation. It then became part of the Lan Xang Kingdom อาณาจักรลานชีาง) from the 14th century and had a close relationship with the city of Vientiane in Laos. During the time, Sakon Nakhon was known as Chiang Mai Nonghan ( เชีียงใหม่หนองหาร) and was influenced by Lao cultures and traditions. During the Rattanakosin period, King Rama I (who ruled from 1782 to 1809) renamed the city Sakon Tawapi (สกลท่วาป์ี), which later changed to Sakon Nakhon (สกลนคร), meaning the City of Sakon.
[pg94] Sakon Nakhon is known as a cultural and religious city. There are more than 400 Buddhist temples.Many of them are Dhammayuttika Nikaya (นิกายธรรมยุต) or Buddhist forest monasteries (วัดป์่า), which focus only on scriptural study of the earliest existing Buddhist texts and meditation practices.
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The CEA‘s mission to model Charoen Krung as its flagship creative district, to learn from and develop other cities around Thailand, provides strong motivation. The CEA is playing a key role in linking public and private sectors such as the district offices, Thailand Tourism Authority, local businesses and communities, so the district can headline major festivals such as Bangkok Design Week to engage with a broader national and international creative network. This is undoubtedly succeeding in boosting creative activities in the district, in turn attracting a diversity of talents, start-ups, business ventures and tourism – and generating further cultural, social and economic capital.
Building on Deep and Diverse Cultural Roots
Charoen Krung has one of the oldest communities, having multigenerational settlements for more than 200 years. Family-like bonds within communities are further anchored by established educational, religious and cultural institutions, housed within heritage buildings that have etched various architectural and ethnic influences over the decades. These places maintain the community fabric by continuing to be spaces for gathering, learning, sharing and celebrating traditions, identity and knowledge that enable creative practices such as Islamic art, calligraphy and dragon dance to be passed on. These cultural assets are inspiring a new generation of creatives to set up events and businesses in restored heritage buildings, allowing them to enjoy the markets, participate in festivals, attend exhibitions or socialise in cafes, bars and restaurants. Peppered along narrow streets, these cultural pockets are a rare find in contrast to the congested and densely developed urban environment.
Sustaining Trade Centres
Charoen Krung Road continues its 19th century heritage as a centre of international trading. The
area is adjacent to major business centres served by vital arteries such as the Chao Phraya River,
Silom Road and Sathorn Road, where time honoured establishments can be found – such as
the Siam Commercial Bank, the Bangkok Bank, the Jewelery Trade Centre and new business districts containing law firms, insurance companies, banks, fine dining restaurants, luxury hotels, spas andhealthcare centres. While some businesses may have moved their headquarters elsewhere due to lack of space and parking issues, many still see importance in maintaining a presence in the area.
With excellent transportation links and proximity to many different types of businesses alongside its
growing creative credentials, Charoen Krung is an attractive place for start-ups and design studios to
operate from.
Executive Summary
Sakon Nakhon
Located in Isan (อีสาน), Thailand’s largest region, and surrounded by lakes, rivers, wetlands,
mountains and extensive farmland, the province of Sakon Nakhon (สกลนคร) is famous for its
indigo-dyeing and textile-weaving production. Its capital city, also called Sakon Nakhon, was
awarded the title of Craft City from the World Craft Council in 2017, and is gaining international
recognition for its naturally dyed textiles.（pg.88）
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Linking Between Organisations
The CEA is arguably the main driver of creative activities, with a mission to boost the creative
economy and activities in Charoen Krung. It plays a vertical, linking role in channelling resources and
people to encourage collaborations and investments from within and outside the district.
This can be observed in the successful renovation of Warehouse 30, noted as a key creative hub earlier, and hosting Bangkok Design Week by working closely with a number of local businesses in the area as well as external organisations to set up events and activities. The CEA does well in bringing groups of artists and design students, freelancers, studios and start-ups from outside Charoen Krung to showcase their work in noted creative spaces such as O.P. Place, River City Bangkok and House No. 1. The CEA’s multi-sector links, including private businesses, universities and public sectors such as Thailand Tourism and district offices, make it an important and powerful agent. Such observations allow this study to affirm that policy and central government initiatives through the CEA are largely responsible for Charoen Krung’s development as a creative district, in contrast to other districts studied – where development is attributed to local, existing and emerging cultural and creative assets.
Yet as discussed in the previous section, the CEA may need to play a stronger bridging role to connect horizontally between local businesses and communities by capitalising on their effectiveness in organising events. While businesses are more likely to connect vertically with public sectors such as the CEA, Thailand Tourism and district offices, they will need more assistance to connect with local communities and build on opportunities to work together to avoid potential divisions and inequality in access, wealth and knowledge – as seen in fragmented communities globally.8 The Co-create Charoenkrung project, initiated by the TCDC, was a welcome example of bridging constructively.
The TCDC organised various listening and co-design sessions with the community to learn what residents wanted to improve in their neighbourhood. This resulted in prototypes and models of some of the ideas that the residents came up with, such as providing signage to allow easier navigation through the neighbourhood, creating green pocket spaces, connecting alleys, rejuvenating and repurposing old buildings and redeveloping the riverfront.9
Key Characteristics of Charoen Krung ’s Creative District
Examining Charoen Krung through multiple dynamic layers and assets allows this study to arrive at the following assessment of the role of this particular creative and cultural district. A Govenment-Designed Creative District Investment, resourcing and strategic planning by the Thai government are central to Charoen Krung’s public recognition as a creative district.
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Bonding in Communities
Bonding relationships are strongly evident in various older communities in Charoen Krung. Like a family, these bonds and relationships are important in maintaining a sense of trust and belonging. Participants from both the Haroon Mosque and the Talad Noi communities shared how they cherish community knowledge, culture and history.
Most members of the Haroon Mosque
community are blood-related with extensive kinship ties. The leader of the Haroon Mosque
community is considered a father, a senior brother and an uncle to those in the community. He is also a key connector to organisations such as the Bang Rak District Office and universities. His son
teaches Arabic calligraphy at the Haroon Mosque as a way to pass on the knowledge and techniques of Islamic art. Similarly, Talad Noi is a close-knit Chinese community with a 200-year history in the area. The majority who live here have Hokkien roots and their bonding relationships also reflect their lineage.
The leaders of the Talad Noi community collaborate with public sectors and organise creative events such as the Awakening Bangkok festival of light, as discussed earlier. Bonding relationships can be a double-edged sword if they are insular and inward-facing, relying entirely on family networks. This has been identified as a barrier in developing new relationships with others, preventing new information and resources to be exchanged.6
Similarly, this study has observed how the bridging relationships between the leaders of the two communities is tenuous, even though there may be informal and serendipitous mingling amongst the rest of the community through markets and festivals. Respective leaders of each community had never met each other until a workshop was conducted by the researchers, revealing how little they knew about one another.
They reasoned that they had no formal ways to connect or collaborate. Their communities are
located in different districts – the Haroon Mosque community is in the Bang Rak district while the
Talad Noi community is in the Samphanthawong district. It appears that such district divisions have
not been conducive to working together, even when they are involved in organising festivals. Such
siloed structures of bureaucracy are well-known barriers for collaboration and creative innovation.7
This lack of bridging relationships may further explain a lack of connection between the old
Muslim, Chinese and local communities and the new creative groups who are starting to establish
themselves in the area. The workshops revealed how local businesses and communities were not
connected well horizontally, indicating a need and opportunity for local government and the CEA to
broker such links more effectively in the future.
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Festivals, Event and Markets
There are many activities all year round in Charoen Krung that bring local residents and visitors
together. Markets, events and festivals are a chance to see the diversity of cultures, experience
a range of foods and learn about crafts, beliefs and lifestyles. These activities can be grouped into
cultural and creative events.
Cultural events include community walking tours, the Vegetarian Festival (เท่ศ์กาลกินเจ), the Ancestor Worship Festival (เท่ศ์กาลสารท่จีน), the Lantern Festival and Chinese New Year (เท่ศ์กาลหยวนเซียว), which have mostly been organised and led by local communities. These events are important opportunities that draw the community together, strengthen relationships between different generations and pass on traditions from the older to the younger. For example, the Chow Sue Kong shrine regularly has many events and festivals, beautifully decorated during such occasions to perform rituals and dragon dance. Regular fresh markets also serve different communities.
Prominent creative events include Bangkok Design Week, TEDxCharoenkrung, art and design
exhibitions and the Awakening Bangkok festival of light. These are notable for making Talad Noi
an attractive area for visitors, and in turn, what was just a residential Chinese neighbourhood has now become a prominent cultural tourist spot in Bangkok. Most creative events are supported by
governmental organisations such as the CEA and Thailand Tourism. Bangkok Design Week5 is
significant to the development and sustainment of the creative district. It generates a lasting and
memorable impact and also brings market opportunities to the creative businesses. Events such as this are part of a creative economy development plan by the CEA. These public events take place in prominent locations introduced under hard infrastructures, such as the Grand Postal Building (headquarters of the CEA), Warehouse 30 and also in other venues such as the River City Bangkok shopping centre, O.P. Place and O.P. Garden
Enduring and Sustaining Various Cultural Communities
Charoen Krung has one of the oldest communities in Thailand, based on a solid relationship built over more than 150 years. These enduring communities represent the largest groups of people who live together, take care of each other and share similar beliefs and practices. As noted already, cultural and creative events become important mechanisms to transfer local wisdom from
generation to generation. Retaining a strong sense of community is unique in an ever expanding megacity such as Bangkok, which in turn is vital in regenerating rich social capital.
This is expanded upon in the next section.
Building Social Capital in Charoen Krung
As an urban neighbourhood in Bangkok, there is a large and complex ecosystem with many actors
involved. Characteristics that were identified in these actors that enabled the sustainment of this
ecosystem includes acting as a connector and introducer, being collaborative, relatable, genuine,
local, trustful, sustainable and contributing to the organisation of events. The workshop with its
residents identified a complex social network of individuals, communities, businesses, educational
institutions, public and private sectors that form Charoen Krung (p. 86, fig.2). From this, two key
features of social capital stand out in shaping the ecosystem of the creative district.
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Transportation Infrastructures
Charoen Krung Road is the main artery through the district, connecting Yaowarat and Rattanakosin Island (เกาะรัตนโกสินท่ร์). The Charoen Krung area is walkable, allowing visitors to explore tourist landmarks, cafes and galleries. From the Grand Postal Building where the CEA is located, it is only around a one-kilometre walk to the Saphan Taksin BTS station (สถานีสะพัานตากสิน), situated at a prime location on the riverside, adjacent to Surasak station (สถานีสุรศ์ักดิ), Chong Nonsi station (สถานีชี่องนนท่รี) and Sala Daeng station (สถานีศ์าลาแดง), where the main business areas are located. Saphan Taksin station is Charoen Krung’s main transportation hub and the most crowded skytrain station in Bangkok, with more than 27,000 commuters. It was built in 1999 as the terminal station on the Silom Line, though now that line extends to the Thonburi area (ฝั่ั งธนบุรี) and terminates at Bang Wa station (สถานีบางหวา). The congestion and increased demand have led to plans to expand and reconstruct Saphan Taksin station.
(Street art around Talad Noi neigbourhood)
Charoen Krung has other access points, across Taksin Bridge and Taksin Bridge Pier. Built in 1980, Taksin Bridge, also known as Sathorn Bridge (สะพัานสาธร), crosses the Chao Phraya River
connecting Bangkok and Thonburi, providing the shortest route to reach the busy areas of Sathorn
and Silom Road. Commuters using the Chao Phraya Express Boats (เรือด่วนเจาพัระยา) travel to
Charoen Krung, Sathorn and Silom using Taksin Bridge Pier.
Soft Infrastructures
As one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Bangkok, Charoen Krung has a rich, diverse mix of cultures,
communities and languages, shaped by various waves of migration. Grounded and nourished by
strong and stable community groups, new creative businesses and communities are increasing in
number since Charoen Krung’s designation as a creative district. The area is experiencing the
benefits and challenges of this influx of new people, including tourism, accelerated by the
creative opportunities provided by the area.
The TCDC and CEA
The Thailand Creative and Design Center (TCDC) was founded in 2004 as part of the Office of
Knowledge Management and Development, reporting to the Office of the Prime Minister
(สำานักนายกรัฐมนตรี) and originally located at the Emporium shopping centre in the Phrom Phong
area (ย่านพัรอมพังศ์์) on Sukhumvit Road (ถนนสุขุมวิท่).
The TCDC is a public-facing organisation to raise awareness about the value of design, and support creative activities and businesses. It is active in organising events to connect designers, suppliers and clients, with seminars that encourage creative development and showcase the latest design trends. It acts as a key connector in the creative ecosystem, providing services such as a design library, material library, exhibition spaces, designer network and database. Its relocation to Charoen Krung in 2017 aimed to drive the urban renewal of the area and develop it as Bangkok’s first creative district. In 2018, the TCDC expanded into a larger organisation with the new task of encouraging the creative economy, and was renamed the Creative Economy Agency (CEA).
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It is the first house number in this district, with a unique blend of Thai-Western neoclassical design,
making it a landmark venue for hire. Contemporary landmarks are also noteworthy – for example, standing tall behind the Grand Postal Building is CAT Tower, where the Communications Authority of Thailand and Silpakorn University (มหาวิท่ยาลัยศ์ิลป์ากร) are located. Many design and digital media students mingle here with other workers that use it as offices. Some unusual places have also become tourist attractions.
Sathorn Unique Tower (สาท่รย้นีคท่าวเวอร์) was planned as a luxury apartment complex but was abandoned in the 1997 financial crisis and became home to itinerant squatters. Urban myths sprung up that it was a haunted building and it has since become an unusual tourist destination.
Tourism is a key driver of Charoen Krung’s creative economy. While the area has historically attracted affluent visitors and foreign travellers, its emergence as a creative district has attracted more cultural tourists to the area.
Its riverside is populated with luxury hotels, such as Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, the first hotel here, with a 150-year history and famous for its hospitality service training in Thailand. Other well-known hotels within the vicinity include Shangri-La Bangkok, Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel and Lebua. Most riverside hotels have their own private piers in order to shuttle their guests between the east and west bank of the Chao Phraya River.
Religious and Educational Structures The diverse cultures are reflected in various clusters of schools, churches, temples, shrines and mosques that exist side by side, reflecting Charoen Krung’s historical settlement. Religion has always been an important aspect of life here so it’s no surprise that schools are strongly linked to religious organisations. These infrastructures serve people with different beliefs, mainly Christians, Muslims and Chinese. Assumption College and Assumption Convent, both located on Charoen Krung Road, are Catholic schools next to Assumption Cathedral (โบสถ์อัสสัมชีัญิ บางรัก) – a key landmark in the area.
These schools provide education to the Christian communities that live nearby. Other schools include the Bangkok Christian College (โรงเรียนกรุงเท่พั คริสเตียนวิท่ยาลัย), Sajja Pittaya School (โรงเรียนสัจจพัิท่ยา)– which is a Chinese (Cantonese) school built in 1919 – and Buddhist schools such as Satree Wat Mahaprutharam Girls’ School (โรงเรียนสตรี วัดมหาพัฤฒิาราม) and Wat Mahunnopparam School ( โรงเรียนวัดมหาพัฤฒิาราม), which is reported to be the first public school in Thailand.
Talad Noi (ตลาดนอย) in the north has a mix of Chinese, Catholic and Vietnamese buildings. The Holy Rosary Church (โบสถ์กาลหว่าร์ หรือ วัดแม่พัระล้กป์ระคำา) was built for the Portuguese Catholic community, the Vietnamese Temple (วัดญิวนตลาดนอย) there celebrates Mahayana Buddhism, and the Chow Sue Kong shrine (ศ์าลเจาโจซือกง) is one of the oldest Hokkien shrines in Thailand.
Other buildings include Hong Wong Kun (ศ์าลเจาโรงเกือก หรือ ศ์าลฮอนหว่องกุง) for Hakka descendants, the Muang Kae temple (วัดม่วงแค) for local Thai Buddhists, and the Haroon Mosque (มัสยิดฮาร้ณ) for its strong Muslim community.
These religious institutions are also important places to learn traditional arts, such as Arabic
calligraphy, which are taught to children in the community at the Haroon Mosque. Famous for
its Islamic art, it also provides classes to the public.
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Nearby the pier, O.P. Place on Charoen Krung Road Soi 38 has been a commercial building for more than 100 years, and it won the Association of Siamese Architects’ Best Architectural Conservation Award in 2008.
Currently it has more than 58 stores, mostly selling luxury furniture, art, antiques and homeware,
and is now one of the best places for buying art in the area.3
Next to O.P. Place is O.P. Garden, which was built in the 19th century and is located on Charoen Krung Road Soi 36. In 1936, it was turned into the first polyclinic in Thailand, where Dr Boonsong Lekagul (นายแพัท่ย์บุญิส่ง เลขะกุล) worked as a medical practitioner. 4 O.P. Garden was also the private residence of Dr Boonsong, who later became a pioneer of wildlife conservation in Thailand. In
2009 it was renovated by TCC Capital Land and became a shopping arcade with a focus on art,
design and craft.
River City Bangkok is another art and craft shopping centre in Charoen Krung. It was built in 1985 by the Italian-Thai Development Public Company (กลุ่มบริษ์ัท่อิตาเลียนไท่ย) and the Mandarin Oriental Group (กลุ่มกิจการแมนดารินโอเรียนเต็ล). River City Bangkok was the first commercial mall on the riverside in Thailand and it has more than 120 creative stores and contemporary galleries inside with collections from Asia and around the world.
It is also an art and antique trading centre holding RCB auctions. Since its opening there have been
more than 90,000 antiques sold in the RCB forum, a magnet for collectors and traders from around
the world.
Iconic Landmarks
Many iconic buildings are situated along the river next to well-known tourist attractions. Several of
these are heritage and conservation listed, being more than 100 years old, representing early modern, Western-influenced architecture in Thailand. For example, the Portuguese Embassy was marked out as an important creative landmark due to its cultural significance, architectural heritage and contemporary street art on the front wall. Its presence indicates the long relationship with Portugal, as many Portuguese have settled here since the 1760s.
The colonial-style building, which was designed in 1860 using local materials, welcomes visitors and provides tours. Another landmark is Custom House, built in 1886 in a neoclassical style, which was used as a customs office and hosted royal events in its banquet hall until 1959. It later became Bang Rak fire station (สถานีดับเพัลิงบางรัก) and then remained empty until 2019, when the owner, the Treasury Department of Thailand (กรมธนารักษ์์), began work with the Fine Arts Department of Thailand (กรมศ์ิลป์ากร) to restore the building, which will continue until 2025.
Charoen Krung Road Soi 30 (ซอยเจริญิกรุง 30) or Captain Bush Lane (ตรอกกัป์ตันบุชี) is an important
historical area of this district that housed early Western settlement. The name hails from John
Bush, a British sailor who lived on this lane and worked as the head of the Marine Department of
Thailand at the end of the 19th century. Captain Bush Lane connects to the main Charoen Krung
Road where House No. 1 (บานเลขท่ี 1) is located.
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Typology of Charoen Krung’s Creative District
As an area continuously developing since the 1700s through successive waves of migration, settlements and royal initiatives, Charoen Krung’s hard and soft infrastructures are layered with various historical, cultural and commercial influences
Hard Infrastructures
Another unmistakable place for gathering is the Grand Postal Building (ไป์รษ์ณีย์กลางบางรัก), which Long established hard infrastructures such as major arteries and buildings have been developed further through increased investment since Charoen Krung’s designation as a creative district in 2015. New BTS and MRT train extensions make it a major transportation hub, while the river that made it conducive to early trade gives this area a unique advantage for businesses to continue to prosper. As with many old districts, the long, narrow streets and small shops have discouraged large-scale urban development, keeping its underlying historical character intact.
Creative Spaces for Gathering There are a growing number and variety of art spaces and galleries around Charoen Krung.
Warehouse 30 is the most prominent. Located amongst abandoned warehouses behind the Portuguese Embassy, Warehouse 30 became a บ landmark when Mr Duangrit Bunnag (ดวงฤท่ธิ นนาค), a famous Thai architect and a key player in this district, renovated the warehouses into an art and design hub and market in 2016. His previous project, the Jam Factory, was very successful in turning another abandoned warehouse in Klongsan into an attractive art space. Warehouse 30 is home to a cafe, co-working space, art spaces, design shops and furniture store P. Tendercool, and it regularly provides public talks, events and exhibitions. It has become a creative hub for designers, artists and craftspeople to showcase and market their work.
Another unmistakable place for gathering is the Grand Postal Building (ไป์รษ์ณีย์กลางบางรัก), which was the British Consulate during the 1850s before that moved to Phloen Chit Road (ถนนเพัลินจิต) in 1940. Thereafter it was renovated and used as the headquarters of Thailand Post, marking the birthplace of Thailands’ postal service.2 In 2017, the TCDC moved its main office here with a mission to develop it as a creative district, making it a hive of creative activities and events. The CEA also plans to use abandoned spaces in Charoen Krung for art and design exhibitions – for example, Marine Police Lodging (บานพัักตำารวจนำา) and the Custom House (โรงภาษ์ีรอยชีักสาม).
Aside from the landmarks mentioned above, there are three other prominent art centres – O.P. Place, O.P. Garden and the River City Bangkok Shopping Centre, near Si Phraya Pier (ท่่าเรือสี พัระยา). The pier, the largest in Charoen Krung, is next to a bus terminal. Si Phraya Pier is also located near luxury hotels as well as connecting to ICONSIAM, the largest shopping centre in Thailand, across the river.
2 Kongma, C. (2019). Central post office in Bang Rak. The Cloud. https://readthecloud.co/grand-postal-office/
3 Bangkok River. (2020). O.P. Place. https://www.bangkokriver.com/th/place/op-place/
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愛墾APP:地方文化意識運動～～根據陳明發博士的文創哲學，在推動地方文化意識的社會運動中，五大關鍵概念或元素，各自承擔著不同的功能，並共同塑造在地民眾的文化主體性、價值認同及未來行動方向。H概念對在地民眾的意義，可作如此理解：
Holism（總體性）—— 在地文化的整體認知
地方文化意識並非單一元素的堆積，而是一個具有整體性的動態系統，包括歷史記憶、語言、信仰、習俗、生態環境等多個層面。強調總體性意味著，在地民眾能更全面地理解自己的文化，而不僅僅是片面的符號或民俗展示。 促進跨代際的文化認同，使年輕一代能從整體視角理解地方文化的價值，而非斷裂地繼承部分傳統。文化保存與創新能同時進行，避免單向度的復古或全盤現代化的取舍困境。
Heuristics（啟發式認知）
意義：強調通過探索、經驗和發現來建立文化意識，而不僅僅是被動接受。 比 Holism 更具動態性，意味著文化認知不僅是完整的圖景，還涉及不斷深化的認知過程。 適合強調文化復興、教育和自主探索的重要性。
Hypercontextuality（超語境性）
意義：指文化意識必須被放置在高度複雜的、多層次的語境之中，以理解其深層價值。其強烈處，不僅僅是總體性的視角，而是強調文化的跨時空流變，以及多重語境的交織。適合強調地方文化如何在全球化、現代化與本地傳統之間進行複雜互動。
Heritage-consciousness（遺產意識）
強調文化認同源自對歷史、傳承和集體記憶的高度自覺。比 Holism 更聚焦於文化的深度時間性（Deep Temporality），即文化的延續性和歷史性。適合用於文化保護、地方記憶復興的社會運動。
Hegemonic Reflexivity（霸權反思性）
強調地方文化意識必須帶有對主流敘事、殖民遺產、經濟霸權的批判性思考。更強烈之處：不僅強調文化的整體性，還強調對外來意識形態的主動辨識和反思。 適合社會運動、文化解殖（decolonization）、地方文化復權等場景。
如果是強調整體性認知的深度與批判性，Hegemonic Reflexivity 可能是最有力的選項；如果是強調文化的探索性與流變，Heuristics 或 Hypercontextuality 則可能更適合。
Feb 6
Paris En mémoire
夜市人生
1. 针对夜市摊位的收费事宜，引起的一些非议，我怀着诚挚的心重申，我和团队的立意良善，以打造最有年味、最热闹、最有体验感的年夜市为初衷，矢为这片家园注入活力和新生，这背后的思考和想法，我愿与大家分享，希望能让大家感受到团队的用心和诚意，但我可以保证，绝非为了牟利。
2. 以下，容许我恳切要求占用大家社会资源和时间，巨细靡遗来剖析活动的起源和经过、以及我的思考和观点，以正视听。同时我也愿意谦卑接受指正和批评，需要改善的地方，我愿意和大家学习共进。
3. 自2018年我上任路阳州议员开始，复兴和生园一直都是我的使命和目标，要为路阳和生园重拾昔日光辉，让大家看见不一样的老街，让世界看见和生园。为此，六年多下来，我投入了大量资源，相信大家有目共睹，如今和生园已焕然一新，多项承诺已得到兑现，路阳成为光辉的家园，和生园变得不一样，而改变仍还在继续实现中。
4. 2018开始，我认为需要用新的思维，举办盛会的新方式，作为翻转和生园、重拾昔日光辉的重要第一步。于是我创建了「中秋和生园游会」的品牌，定义和生园作为婆罗洲最大型中秋庆典的新名片，而就是在第一届的园游会，我们开始征费办夜市，事实证明这活动取得空前巨大的成功，2019和2020的中秋和生园游会，身为时任首长的民兴党主席沙菲益也到来共襄盛举。
5. 尔后，2019年新年，我们决定为传统年夜市市场带来新活力，有别于以前简单摆个桌子、甚至打地铺的年廿九一日传统年夜市，我们就提出多办几天的夜市，除了制造更热闹的氛围，也开始提出由我们主办方（我的年轻志工们）来统一架设帐篷、设立舞台歌唱表演吸引群众、打造统一品牌来建立归属感、同时花点心思做好设计和布置，让人们愿意来打卡等等，这些都是当时首开先河，让人眼前一亮的创新之举，第一次办就得到很好的支持。
6. 是的，我们从第一年办就决定征收摊位收费，来提供刚才提到的服务，这得到了亚庇市政厅连续多年从不间断的支持，其中值得一提的是，志工顶着烈日当空或倾盆大雨，在夜市开始前就为档主架设好帐篷，档主根本无须用大车子挤进和生园自己设帐篷，这对于一些短期做生意的（自己手里没帐篷）、老人档主与小女生档主等，大大提供方便，他们只需带厨具进来就可开始营业。
7. 这样做最大好处是，我们不需要每天都封路，早上车子仍可进来，人们依旧可逛早市买年饼，尽可能降低对原本开店营业的业者干扰，另一方面也能为主办方大大提高效率，档主做完生意可以直接离开，留下我们的志工每天收过百个铁制帐篷到凌晨，这些付出，几乎没有人看得到，至今我仍深深感激。
8. 你可想象，做三天的夜市，每天都由同一批年轻志工开帐篷、收帐篷，还有协调档主进出时间帮忙接驳电源，甚至帮助一些不方便的档主抬厨具… 试问其他夜市有这种服务吗？更重要的是，这些帐篷都是由我们购买、保养和汰换，尤其透明顶盖的帐篷是特别要订做的。因为，这样采光度好，头上的灯笼和彩灯能映照进来整条街，制造很节庆愉悦的气氛，这也是为什么我们的夜市每年都过得好评，人潮汹涌，档主的生意兴隆是无可质疑的。
9. 尤有进者，我们向档主收取一天约170令吉（三天550）的收费，能够制造更为公平的经商环境，我不想点名某个夜市，但每周末的该夜市，显然已对店家造成不公平竞争现象，试设想，两排店的店租每个月做生意租金上几千（和生园），亚庇市区甚至过万，但夜市的美食档口才一天20或30，这对店家造成倾斜的竞争空间，最终本末倒置，苦了店家，这难道不应该纳入考量吗？
10. 大家可去看看每逢丰收节在KDCA举办的著名夜市，那里因为需求太大，采用价格竞标方式，价高者得，一天收费甚至过千，两个礼拜的夜市甚至破万收费，但大家都不以为然，为什么？因为有需求有供应，档主赚到钱，主办方也可用收益来做宣传、做布置、补贴活动，这可是州政府的活动，但大家都没有意见，因为这本来就符合市场行为，我们不能指望政府出完钱，也不能期待所有东西都是免费的。况且，双方都是自愿的。
11. 读到这里，我愿透明向大家分享，这次年夜市的开销情况。本次年夜市总开销为12万多，而档口租金的收入为6万左右，为开销的一半左右，剩下的都是我作为政府议员使用政府拨款补上。换言之，档口收费并不是盈利，更不是成本，我以补贴的方式来完成这项广受欢迎的活动。
12. 每晚两场醒狮舞龙表演，合共六场（12000多）；每晚歌舞表演（8000多）、设立绚丽舞台和影响灯光（20000多）、定制和设计布置（11000多）、包括梅花树布景等，还有聘请RELA志愿警队指挥交通（3600多）、给年轻志工红包（5100多）、工作人员伙食（4000多）、自己购买电线和电池协助档口供电（1800多）、刚才提到的购买与汰换透明铁制帐篷（25000多）、还有宣传和广告费用，来吸引人潮增加档主的收入，加上各种杂费开销，这些都是我们认为必要的开销。
13. 在这里面，需要强调的一点，市政厅的60块，仅仅是场地租用而已，合共我们给7000多块于市政厅。
14. 当然，收费与开销合理与否，大家可以都可以争论，我都予以尊重。但我认为，如今举办活动的形式和办法，都发生了很大的变化，如果我们不予管理、不设计、不布置、不宣传、不设舞台表演，等同走回头路，这不是我所愿意看到充满活力和年味的和生园。
15. 很多人其实不知道的是，年夜市和园游会夜市都经历我在朝在野的时期，也经历最艰难的疫情时期。即便在拮据的在野时期，我身在反对党，也继续承办两场活动 — 年夜市与中秋和生园游会，即便没有政府资源，我也坚持动用捐款等方式来办好活动，对我而言，这已是一种精神。同样的，档口收费也和现在差不多，开销一样巨大。我当时也能做得到，那为什么现在反对党不做呢？
16. 而在疫情时期，我和团队甚至别开生面，办了没人办过的“线上版年夜市”，在疫情最难，全城封闭的时刻，我依然想尽办法，筹集资源来办线上版夜市，给那些很不容易的商家一点生意。
17. 我很遗憾，但也明白，这是选举年，任何事情都可以被政治操作，作为攻击政敌的方式。我原本也不想多做回应，即便早前还听到有人用语音留言来“问候我全家”，我也心想，没事我一个人扛得起，但如今对方已经到了“闯上门”的方式，这对于我的员工、乃至辛苦付出的志工，无疑为一种冒犯，漠视了他们的付出和为社区的努力，于是我决定写下这篇文章，希望能继续得到大家的认同，继续做对的事。
18. 我知道，没有事情是能够做到完美。但我和团队无怨无悔、无愧于心、更无畏无惧，继续全心全意，推动和生园的复兴工作，打造和生园光辉繁华，打造美好的路阳家园，为大家点亮路阳。我愿我没让大家失望，也感谢很多沉默大众支持我、认同我、厚爱我的路阳乡亲们，也谢谢大家包括民兴党和进步党朋友的鞭策和关心，我会继续努力，心存善念，晋力而为，晋哲尽责。(原题：关于和生园年夜市的故事，原見：路阳州议员脸书 12.2.2024）
Feb 12
Paris En mémoire
托卡爾丘克·小咖啡磨～～小咖啡磨是在某個手工作坊裡造出來的，而後才落到某個人的家裡，人們每天上午在那兒磨咖啡。一些溫暖而有生氣的手拿過它。有些手曾將它緊緊貼到胸口，在印花布或法蘭絨的下面跳動著一顆人的心。
小咖啡磨像每件物品一樣接受了世界的全部混亂：頻仍遭受射擊的火車的慘象，緩慢流淌的血的溪流，每年都有不同的風在被拋棄的房屋窗口嬉戲。小咖啡磨吸收了漸漸冷卻的人們屍體的熱氣，承受了人們拋棄一切熟悉東西時的絕望心情。無數雙手觸摸過它，那些撫摸過它的手都對它寄予過無限的深情和剪不斷、理還亂的思緒。小咖啡磨接受了這一切，因為大凡是物質統統都有這種能力——留住那種輕飄飄的、轉瞬即逝的思想的能力。」
(引自“米霞的時間”, 《太古和其他的時間》 [波蘭] 奧爾加·托卡爾丘克 [Olga Tokarczuk, 1962 ]；出版社: 四川人民出版社；原作名: Prawiek i inne czasy；譯者: 易麗君/袁漢鎔；2017-12；註：作者為諾貝爾文學獎2018年得主、國際布克獎得主；本书是她成名作；一部魔幻現實主義的碎片化小說，八十四塊時間的裂片，拼貼出歷史的斑斕大夢。）
Apr 29
Paris En mémoire
默默詩選：第一種散步
一個人散步真愉快
路過毒蛇脫殼的花園
路過思想的戰場
路過懷念雨聲的梧桐
路過哈哈鏡收藏家的別墅
心像太陽能下的石頭
躺著站著樣樣都行
真愉快一個人散步
每一條路都像少年
路過恩人家就到他的窗上
畫一輪月亮祝願他永遠安安靜靜
路過仇人家就敲開他的門
面對面覺得一會兒他的臉像枯萎的荷葉
散步一個人真愉快
May 14
Paris En mémoire
卡爾·奧韋·克瑙斯高《在春天》～～當代文學大師、觀察與內省的天才卡爾·奧韋·克瑙斯高（Karl Ove Knausgård，1968），以四季為基調創作的四部曲作品第三卷。
克瑙斯高以四季為主題的四部曲文學計劃，在全新的《在春天》中呈現出一個完全不同的形態。這一次他拋棄了一切寫作的噱頭或設計，完全以一個父親的身份審視自己的家庭與生活，為剛剛出世的女兒記下這個她尚且一無所知的世界——她是在怎樣的期盼之下住進媽媽的肚子里，曾經和媽媽一起遭遇過怎樣的磨難，她的到來是如何治愈了這個家庭中的創傷，而在來到這個世上沒有多久之後，又在父親的照顧下經歷了怎樣忙亂疲憊的一天。
《在春天》是克瑙斯高敏銳、誠實、充滿思辨的寫作風格的又一次集中呈現，也是四部曲當中情感最為豐沛的一部。他在瑣碎的日常事務里反思自己與世界的關係，為剛剛出生的女兒講述人與世界的羈絆為何物，同時也引領我們重新發現人之生存於世的意義。
一改詞條的形式，記錄新生兒生命中的第一個春天，酸楚詼諧的旅途沉思錄，卡爾·奧韋·克瑙斯高四季隨筆第三卷
——你對現在的一切不會有任何記憶，一絲一毫都沒有，所以我會把我們生活的每一天替你記錄下來，把你度過的第一個春天告訴你。
與前兩部不同的是，克瑙斯高不再以詞條的形式講述世間萬物，而是以一個丈夫和父親的身份，講述新生命對於這個家庭的意義，她所代表的承諾和開始，以及在她來到這個世界的第一個春天里，一場充滿意外的長途旅行。這是一波三折的一天，也是充滿回憶與思考的一天，是滿懷沉思與自省的生活的切片。
拋棄一切噱頭與技巧，用精確的細節呈現人與世間瑣事的羈絆：在一趟好笑又心酸的公路之旅中感悟愛與死、生命與自毀、傷害與療愈
克瑙斯高在這本書里講述了一個完整的春日，從日出到日落，沒有逃避任何細節。女主人缺席的房子里處處故障，燈管壞了，拉鏈卡住，水管堵塞。四個孩子陸續醒來，中年男人給嬰兒換好尿布，繳清積壓的賬單，把年幼的姐弟送到日托中心，給大女兒凖備好早餐，接受兒童福利機構的問詢，然後帶著剛出生不久的女兒一起驅車前往赫爾辛堡探望住院的妻子，途中短暫拜訪了鄰居，在解決種種意外之後回返家中，和孩子們一起參加五朔節游行。在種種日常的瑣碎事務里，克瑙斯高向剛出生的女兒講述自己對於世界的思考：愛是什麼，生命的意義，性格的含義，真正的孤獨是怎樣的……
Amazon編輯選書，4.6高分好評，克瑙斯高寫作天賦高度升華之作，特別收錄瑞典藝術家安娜·比耶格爾精美插畫。
克瑙斯高獨特寫作天賦的高度升華，可與《我的奮斗》六部曲參照閱讀。挪威語原文直譯，全彩復刻瑞典藝術家安娜·比耶格爾精美插畫。
作者 | 卡爾·奧韋·克瑙斯高（Karl Ove Knausgård）1968年生於挪威奧斯陸。1998年以首部小說《出離世界》（Ute av verden）獲得挪威文學評論獎，2004年第二部小說《萬物皆有時》（En tid for alt）又獲得北歐文學獎。2009年至2011年間，克瑙斯高出版了六卷本自傳小說《我的奮斗》（Min Kamp），獲得挪威最高文學獎項布拉哥文學獎。在挪威，每十個人就有一人讀過《我的奮斗》。知名作家莉迪亞·戴維斯、扎迪·史密斯、傑弗里·尤金尼德斯、喬納森·勒瑟姆等也表示讀《我的奮斗》成癮，迫不及待地一本接一本讀下去。2015年9月，克瑙斯高獲得德國《世界報》文學獎（Welt-Literaturpreis，2014年得主是村上春樹）。2015年—2016年，陸續出版隨筆集四部曲《在秋天》《在冬天》《在春天》《在夏天》。2020年10月，最新小說《晨星》（Morgenstjernen）系列出版。
插畫 | 安娜·比耶格爾（Anna Bjerger）
瑞典畫家、藝術家，畢業於倫敦皇家藝術學院，作品收藏於路易斯安那現代藝術博物館、當代美術館、丹麥國立美術館、阿姆斯特丹市立博物館等。她的畫作常常取材於絕版書籍、旅行手冊和過期的雜誌與目錄中的大量攝影檔案，注重「從歷史中拯救圖像」，其繪畫主題則作為一種微妙的情緒，隱匿於風景與人物之中。
譯者 | 沈贇璐
上海外國語大學國際關係專業博士，現任上海外國語大學瑞典語專業負責人，挪威南森研究所訪問學者，瑞典於默奧大學訪問學者，上海高校優秀青年教師。曾獲挪威文學推廣基金會資助赴挪進行交流，擔任國內多家電視台挪威影視作品審譯工作，譯有《時代的女性見證者》《流浪》《迪娜之書》等挪威文學作品。
May 18
Paris En mémoire
丹纳《藝術哲學》特徵論～～古典繪畫絕不強調暴烈或痛苦的景象，引起憐憫和恐怖，像德拉克魯瓦的《列日主教的被刺》，德康的《死亡》或《桑勃族的戰敗》，阿利·斯赫費的《哭泣的人》。它也不表現深刻，極端，複雜的感情，像德拉克魯瓦的《哈姆萊特》或《塔索》。
它不追求微妙或強烈的效果；那是下一時代，藝術的衰落已經很顯著的時候的現象，例如博洛尼亞畫派中的嫵媚與出神的馬德萊娜，嬌嫩而若有所思的聖母，慷慨壯烈的殉道者。（第一章 意大利繪畫的特徵）
許多完美的作品都表現一個時代一個種族的主要特徵；一部分作品除了時代與種族以外，還表現幾乎為人類各個集團所共有的感情與典型。（引自第364頁)
由此得出一個結論：作品中的特徵越顯著越佔支配地位，作品越精彩。 我們用兩個觀點分析顯著的特徵：一個是看特徵是否更重要，就是說是否更穩定更基本；一個是看特徵是否有益，就是說對於具備這特徵的個人或集團，是否有助於他們的生存和發展。這兩個觀點可以衡量特徵的價值，也可以定出兩尺度衡量藝術品的價值。 我們又注意到，這兩個觀點可以歸結為一個，重要的或有益的特徵不過是對同一力量的兩種估計，一種著眼於它對別的東西的作用，一種著眼於它對自身的作用。由此推斷，特徵既有兩種效能，就有兩種價值。
於是我們研究特徵怎麼能在藝術品中比在現實世界中表現得更分明，我們發現藝術家運用作品所有的元素，把元素所有的效果集中的時候，特徵的形象才格外顯著。這樣便建立起第三個尺度；而我們看到作品所感染所表現的特徵越居於普遍的、支配一切的地位，作品越美。（引自章節：第四章 效果集中的程度）
Jul 11
Paris En mémoire
丹納《藝術哲學》形象思维～～
文明國度的特點是使圖像受挫，而讓概念佔了上風。在教育、談話、想法和知識的不斷作用下，對於事物的原始知覺會變得紊亂、破碎、消退，以致於被直截了當的概念、分門別類的術語、代數符號一類的東西所取代。
從此以後，思維就演變成純粹的抽象方式。如果還要掉頭回到圖像，那就相當費勁了，需經過一番病態的、全身痙攣的震撼，附以錯亂的危險的幻覺才能辦到。這就是我們今日的思維狀態，我們再不能很自然地成為藝術家了。
藝術是影子，才能是本體，藝術始終跟著才能的誕生，長成，衰落，方向。才能帶著藝術出場，前進，使藝術跟著它的變化而變化；藝術的各個部分和整個進程都以才能為轉移。（第81頁·第三章「次要形勢」）
文明過度的特點是觀念越來越強，形象越來越弱。教育、談話、思考、科學，不斷發生作用，使原始的映像變形、分解、消失；代替映像的是赤裸裸的觀念，分門別類的字兒，等於一種代數。日常的精神活動從此變為純粹的推理。……他把這個符號放進頭腦，插入一個分隔清楚，貼著標簽的格子里；這就是我們今日所謂的理解。我們看的書報和我們的知識在我們精神上堆滿抽象的符號；我們憑著調度的習慣，一有規律的合乎邏輯的方式，在各個符號之間來來往往。至於五光十色的形體，我們不過瞥見一鱗半爪，而且還不能久留，在我們內心的幕上才映出一些模糊的輪廓，馬上就消失了。如果能記住形體，有個明確的印象，那是全靠意志，靠長期的訓練和反教育的力量。（98頁·第三章「次要形勢」）
Jul 17
Paris En mémoire
丹納藝術哲學與黑格爾美學的交融～～黑格爾的藝術哲學有幾個要點影響著丹納，第一：美是理念的感性顯現；第二：藝術是認識真理的一種形式，也就是，藝術是以感性形式認識真理；第三：偉大的藝術作品是時代精神的產物。這幾個觀點交雜影響著丹納對藝術作品的詮釋和論述，特別表現在：不同藝術品所傳達的真理必然是屬於歷史真理，也就是真理不同階段的表現；以及，透過對藝術家的作品的深刻探討，就愈能洞察藝術家所處時代的種族（包括民族）特質和風尚。因此，藝術家是能夠洞見真理的人，尤其是他所身處的民族和時代的真理。藝術家和他的作品都是他的民族和時代的表現，這就讓我們想到黑格爾所說的：每個人都不能超越他的時代。但偉大的作品代表作家、他的民族和整個時代的存在方式和表現。就此而言，偉大的作家就像英雄人物一樣，他們的存在和作為是帶著整個時代的精神總量。更具體地落在作家所創作的作品上看，成功的作品都具有藝術創作的「典型」特徵，也就是，偉大藝術家在個別的感性作品中表現出普遍性，這也就是黑格爾美學中所謂的藝術的「理想」（Ideal）。
我們可以回到黑格爾的美學顯現在丹納《藝術哲學》中的幾個核心論述。
黑格爾在美學中所說的「一般的世界情況」（the general state of the world）是指時代整體的情況，黑格爾或稱之為「藝術中有生命的個別人物所藉以出現的一般背景」，黑格爾有時稱之為「有實體性的東西」，亦是指「精神現實的世界情況」，黑格爾有時稱之為「神性的東西」或「世界精神」。無論稱之為「實體性」或「神性」都表達了精神的普遍性和主宰性，精神的普遍性在世界中展現自己，因此就有了時間（時代）性的歷程發展，此稱為時代精神，古典時期的時代精神不同於文藝復興的時代精神；文藝復興的時代精神不同於啟蒙時期的時代精神。如果從精神現象方面來考察，精神本身也歷經一個從抽象到具體的發展過程：主觀（主體）精神、客觀精神和絕對精神。丹納在他的藝術哲學中所謂的「時代」所要表達的內涵其實是帶有黑格爾「時代精神」的印記，或者可以稱之為「時代氣息」或「時代風尚」。
黑格爾美學中所說的「情境」（the situation）是指藝術中有生命的個別人物所藉以出現的一般背景，必須經過具體化才能現出世界情況的特殊性，它使得個別人物得以實現他的行動，亦即，行動只有在限定的環境和情況中才能發生，這種限定性的環境和情況就形成所謂的「情境」。情境是更特殊的前提，它使得本來在世界情況中還未發展的東西得到真正的表現。黑格爾認為，藝術最重要就是尋找可以顯現精神方面具有深刻內涵的情境。簡言之，黑格爾所說的「情境」，主要是指具體的社會環境，在它的精神哲學中主要是指客觀精神的世界，或者稱之為倫理實體性的世界，也就是家庭、祖國、國家、愛情、友誼、教會等具倫理性的實在。
黑格爾美學中所說的「情志」（pathos）是指人的「思想情感」，即「使人的心情在最深刻處受到感動的普遍力量」，情志是具有普遍理性的情感力量，是理性和自由意志的基本內容。黑格爾認為，情志是藝術的真正中心，它打動了每個人的心弦，情志能感動人是因為它是人類生存中的強大力量，它是藝術能引起共鳴感動人之處，自然環境以及其他外在事物都應該看作次要的、附屬的東西。很顯然，黑格爾較能深入作為種族的內在本質，即人的普遍理性（包括道德理性）的力量，而非只是人種的身心特質。時代精神是普遍的、有實體的力量，這個力量需要人物的個性來達成它的活動和實現，而這個人物的個性就是情志，具體來說就是人物性格。時代精神化為人的情志展開行動，因此，情志是涉及行動，這很明顯是類似亞里斯多德在《詩學》中所說的，情節是悲劇的靈魂，而人物性格推動這個情節的發展。總之，黑格爾所謂的情志可以說是在個體（情感）中所蘊含的普遍力量（理性）推動（意志）世界精神的發展。（摘自：丹納[Hippolyte Adolphe Taine,1828-1893]著《藝術的哲學》，譯者傅雷[1908年－1966]；導讀·丹納「知人論世」的藝術哲學觀，作者：國立臺北教育大學語文與創作學系教授張炳陽）
Jul 22