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Comment by Paris En mémoire on February 12, 2025 at 9:19am

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）

Comment by Paris En mémoire on February 6, 2025 at 3:18pm

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。

Comment by Paris En mémoire on April 15, 2024 at 9:03pm

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/

Comment by Paris En mémoire on April 7, 2024 at 8:51pm

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.

Comment by Paris En mémoire on April 6, 2024 at 4:41pm

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.

Comment by Paris En mémoire on March 9, 2024 at 3:41pm

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).

Comment by Paris En mémoire on February 29, 2024 at 8:15pm

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.

Comment by Paris En mémoire on February 27, 2024 at 11:12pm

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.

Comment by Paris En mémoire on February 25, 2024 at 1:21pm

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.

Comment by Paris En mémoire on February 25, 2024 at 1:20pm

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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