top of page

CHINATOWN (PART 2)

  • alessandrobordin5
  • Nov 28, 2022
  • 2 min read

Updated: Dec 6, 2022

FAMILY IS BUSINESS AND BUSINESS IS IN THE HOUSE


a mechanic handles gears in his workshop with people sitting next to him, in the background the workshop with the lights of a small temple inside the room - Chinatown, Bangkok, Thailand.d
A mechanic's workshop: one works and the others support - Chinatown, Bangkok, Thailand.
a lady turns the ladle in a pot with duck broth. On the left a series of roast ducks hanging from the stall and in the background, in the shadows, two other people - Chinatown, Bangkok, Thailand.
A place selling roast duck dishes - Chinatown, Bangkok, Thailand.

Speaking of the influence of Chinese culture over the centuries, it is only fair to say a little more about an architectural model that has spread far and wide in South East Asian countries: the shop-house. As the name itself suggests, the main characteristic of this type of building is to combine work space and living space, where the family running the business resides. Depending on the country, the characteristics of the area and the culture, some of the structural and stylistic details may vary, but in general two main types have been established: the first is developed on a single floor and has the part facing the street for the shop and the part at the back of the structure for the living areas; the second is instead developed vertically and has the business on the ground floor and the rooms on the upper floors.


The 1960s and 1970s in Bangkok were characterised by a boom in the construction of arrays of shophouses. Although they lost some of their charm in the following decades, they are still a ubiquitous feature in the city today. On several occasions and in different types of shops, I have witnessed the barrier between home and work breaking down by seeing some family member pop out of a door at the back of the premises that I had not initially paid attention to. A factor that struck me greatly and made me reflect on the centrality of the family in the management of business, in this case literally brought inside the home.


As in many other countries around the world, family-run businesses are the bedrock of society in Thailand. Suffice it to say that more than half of the country's businesses are run by families, and around 70% of the national GDP is attributable to them. Within this market sector, families of Chinese descent have played an absolutely dominant role for several generations. Having entered the country in search of new and better life opportunities, the Chinese and Sino-Thai component has come to represent a very substantial part of the country's upper-middle class.


a fabric shop with two employees sitting at the counter in the background. shelves of yellow and brown fabrics with two colourful Vespa in front of them - Chinatown, Bangkok, Thailand.
A fabric shop with two vespa parked inside - Chinatown, Bangkok, Thailand.
A mechanic's workshop: a boy works with an engine in the foreground and another in the background leaves the workshop. Gears and engines scattered in front of the shop - Chinatown, Bangkok, Thailand.
A mechanic's workshop - Chinatown, Bangkok, Thailand.









 
 
 

Comentários

bottom of page