| Bang Luang Market: Ancestral Origins a Source of Civic Pride | |||
| UPDATE : 5 April 2010 | |||
Located 60 kilometers southwest of Bangkok in Nakhon Pathom province's Bang Len district, Bang Luang Market has been enjoying a new lease of life since being formally launched as a cultural attraction early last year. The community market comprises several rows of antique, wooden shop house buildings that feature a rare combination of Chinese, Thai and Western architectural influences that really took off in commercial centers across the kingdom at the beginning of the 20th century. A sense of civic pride But members of the Bang Luang community don't wish to solely focus on the physical preservation of the site of their historic market, as they also want to share some interesting anecdotes relating to their ancestors, who played a key role in establishing the community. Somsak Youmak, the 44-year-old president of the Bang Luang Market development committee, says the village was established by a group of Chinese migrants who spoke the Teochew dialect, which was then widely used in China's eastern coastal region of Chaoshan. During the early years of the 20th century, Bang Luang village was crowded and prosperous due to trade and commerce relating to river travel. The village was once a transportation hub through which people heading for the southern provinces along the Tha Jeen River would pass. An old, wooden building featuring high ceilings that was once used as a cinema hints at the area's prosperous early years, along with a shop house building that was once used as an opium house. But when the move away from river transport toward road transport began taking place, the community slowly began to lose its luster as many of the younger residents opted to leave for more lucrative opportunities in Bangkok. "We've got some interesting resources tourists can tap into to learn about our history and way of life. We believe tourism is a way of generating income for members of the community, so we can make a reasonable living and continue to live here," Somsak says. As well as the neighborhood's interesting architectural attractions, local food is another draw card among tourists since these dishes also help visitors to learn about local culture. Several kinds of Chinese noodle dishes and desserts that are difficult to locate in other parts of the country can be found within the Bang Luang community.
Musical youth The development of the old market is not the only effort launched by the villagers to ensure that the community remains dynamic. In 2004, it was decided to try and revive a traditional Chinese musical troupe in a bid to inject a new lease of life into the neighborhood. The troupe is now playing a major role in the community by performing live during various ceremonial events. Several senior members of the community were involved in getting the project off the ground, and these individuals share the same desire to pass on their skills to young people in the neighborhood. "The troupe is the pride of our community," says Wiroon Leowongphuthorn, the 43-year-old director of the troupe, who is also one of five instructors. The string section includes 45 children aged from seven to 16 years old. Among the instruments used by members of the troupe are flutes, fiddles and guitars, along with drums, cymbals and other percussion instruments. Music lessons include an introduction to the hundreds of traditional Chinese songs that feature lyrics in the Teochew dialect. Practice is usually held in the evening after school within the courtyard of the community's local Chinese shrine. New members step in to replace the ones that leave the village every year to begin their higher education. Among the opportunities during which the youngsters can show off their musical skills are major festivals and events, such as the Chinese New Year festival, the celebration of the birthday of the goddess known as Tubtim, along with a number of other significant ceremonial events. Typically, the troupe makes its way around the community's streets and sidewalks playing their instruments in unison during these kind of performances.
The revival of the musical troupe represents just one effort by Somsak's generation at promoting a sense of community among local youths. However, he says that the older generations tend to enjoy stronger ties among themselves. “Senior members enjoy strong social ties [with each other], as well as with the community,” says Somsak, who is a member of the fourth generation to have descended from the original settlers. Parents and grandparents within the community have successfully managed to bring together within a single plot all the individual plots of land that were owned by early settlers. This is managed under the jurisdiction of the Bang Luang Samakkee Company, a firm established by active members of the community over 20 years ago as a strategy aimed at preserving the original land ownership structure and to prevent changes in ownership. In compiling the land, Somsak says the company had to buy back some individual plots that had previously been purchased by folks not living within the community, using donations made by members of the community. This land accounts for a site covering 23 rai (3.68 hectares). "Our parents and grandparents managed to demonstrate their great efforts at preserving our ancestral settlement," Somsak says. "They've already set a path that allows us to live gracefully here." Maintaining standards Since tourism can bring about both positives and negatives, Somsak points out that the committee decided to establish some regulations aimed at preventing any negative impacts that have been experienced at similar sites. Somsak says villagers agree with the committee that they do not seek to generate large profits from tourism, as they would rather benefit from activities that comply with the idea of a simple, rural life. To achieve these goals, villagers have agreed that they will only sell locally-sourced products or products that have a meaningful link with the community to visitors. They also intend to avoid the establishment of tourism-related businesses by non-residents. Somsak has made a personal sacrifice that's related to these rigorous regulations. He chose to stop working as an agent for a satellite television network since the committee urged members of the community against adding or adjusting anything that could create an eyesore within their community. "The sense of community established by our ancestors remains strong among our members," he says. "We want to show tourists only the features that relate to our traditional ways of life." | |||
วันอาทิตย์ที่ 25 เมษายน พ.ศ. 2553
Bang Luang Market: Ancestral Origins a Source of Civic Pride
สมัครสมาชิก:
ส่งความคิดเห็น (Atom)
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น