Bangkok's famous Chinatown, located in Samphanthawong district on Yaowarat Road, is one of the world’s largest overseas Chinese communities. According to MostInterestingFacts.com, it ranks as the fourth of seven greatest Chinatown in the world. According to local folk belief, Samphanthawong district is the ‘realm of the Golden Dragon’, the guardian spirit that has watched over the community for centuries, and to whom locals believe they owe their good fortune, wealth and prosperity. Hence Bangkok’s Chinatown, more commonly known simply as Yaowarat – the ‘realm of the auspicious Golden Dragon’ – is the prime location and central stage for Chinese New Year celebrations in Bangkok. In 2012, the Year of the Dragon, Chinese New Year falls on 23 January. Chinese New Year celebrations will be held during January 19 to 29 in the Thai capital and 11 other provinces with significant Thai-Chinese communities. These are the provinces of Chiang Mai, Nakhon Sawan (Pak Nam Pho), Suphan Buri, Ratchaburi, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Chon Buri (Pattaya), Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat), Songkhla (Hat Yai), Phuket and Trang. In 2012, both countries will be celebrating the 37th anniversary of the re-establishment of Thai-Chinese relations on 1 July 1975. Chinese New Year celebrations to mark the arrival of the Year of the Dragon are expected to be even more significant and special because they overlap with three other auspicious occasions being celebrated by the Thai people in 2012. These are the 85th birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX, the 80th birthday of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, and the 60th birthday of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn.
	State authorities representing the Kingdom of Thailand and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are working together to jointly host a spectacular Sino-Thai cultural showcase entitled “From the Huang Ho (Yellow River) to the Chao Phraya River Basin”. The programme will feature a rich tapestry of Chinese cultural performances and performing arts dating back two centuries, and a magnificent programme of classical and traditional Thai performing arts. This cultural extravaganza will also be making its way to the 11 Thai provinces with established Thai-Chinese communities.

Other festival highlights and activities to welcome the Year of the Dragon include a traditional lion dance, the procession of the mythical golden dragon, live demonstrations depicting Chinese traditions and the Thai-Chinese way of life unique to Bangkok’s Chinatown, a food festival, stalls offering popular Thai and Chinese delicacies as well as local community products, and exhibitions of various interesting aspects of Samphanthawong district and Yaowarat, including its fascinating history. Traditional Chinese New Year theme decorations consisting of Chinese paper lanterns, paper cut-outs of popular Chinese auspicious phrases, vases of pretty plum blossoms, platters of oranges and tangerines and various other items considered symbolic of success, good fortune and prosperity, good health and longevity add to the festive feel of the occasion.

Chinese New Year celebrations and festivities in the 11 other provinces will also be in the form of themed events including cultural performances direct from the PRC, traditional and contemporary Thai and Chinese shows and stage performances, and displays of Chinese traditions, art and culture.

While a variety of contemporary elements have been incorporated through the passage of time, Chinese New Year celebrations throughout Thailand are a reminder of the rich cultural and artistic legacy and wealth of history preserved in these living museums.

The various Chinese New Year activities planned are being undertaken under the umbrella of a Thailand-China Culture and Tourism Exchange Programme designed to promote cross-cultural exchange; further strengthen Thai-Chinese diplomatic relations; and reinforce Thailand’s status as the gateway for visitors from the PRC for onward travel to other Asian destinations within ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific region. There are also plans for more Thai cities to establish twin city relations with counterparts in the PRC.

	Sino-Thai trade and cultural ties span the centuries. In times past, seafarers, marine merchants and traders sailed up the kingdom’s rivers with vessels laden with merchandise and precious goods including Chinese tea, silk and fine porcelain. As trade between the two countries flourished, permanent settlements of peoples of various ethnic Chinese origin were soon established. While the early settlers quickly adapted to their new way of life and adopted some Thai ways, they also continued to maintain strong cultural ties and practise the customs and traditions of their forefathers. Of these, the celebration of Chinese New Year remains the most important annual festival in the Chinese lunar calendar observed in the various regions of Thailand.
	Bangkok’s Chinatown, Yaowarat, also known as Sampeng to the locals, has always been a bustling centre of trade. At almost any hour, someone is selling something somewhere in Chinatown. Even before the first Bangkok department stores opened there in the 1930s, the Chinatown markets sold goods found nowhere else in the city. In addition to its famous gold shops and the trade in gold ornaments and pure gold, Yaowarat offers a fascinating range of merchandise. These include fresh as well as processed food items, fabrics, clothing, hardware, electrical goods and audio equipment.

Yaowarat is also famous for the interesting variety of delicacies it offers, all attractively priced. Its Chinese imperial cuisine is both authentic and highly affordable – flavour and quality said to rival or surpass that offered in mainland China and Hong Kong. Choices of popular eateries range from restaurants, markets and food stalls to street food.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand and local district authorities are working with private sector representatives to position Bangkok’s Chinatown as one of the world’s must see destinations, and are hoping to attract individuals of Chinese descent from various cities around the world as part of the kingdom’s overall tourism promotion strategy.

Top 7 greatest Chinatowns in the world
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