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LAST UPDATE: Thursday August 31, 2006

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Traditional Chinese row houses

Phuket's Chinese heritage is shown by quaint traditional dwellings. Lining many of the streets of Old Phuket, many have been in continuous use since the 1800s.

To see the best examples of these historic dwellings head to Radsada Road and Phang Nga Road just north of the central fresh produce market. The former boasts the longest continuous rows of beautifully maintained houses, each with individual Chinese doors and individual décor that takes one back to another era. Though few of the Chinese here still speak their original tongue, the condition of their houses speaks of pride in the heritage of their grandfathers.

Most of the Chinese arrived on Thai shores as poor coolies. But they were imbued with a strong work ethic, and most created good lives for themselves, often marrying local girls due to the lack of Chinese females. More than a few rose from back-breaking labour in the tin mines to become moguls of business, and today their grandchildren command large tracts of Phuket’s land and control the lion’s share of its business. A large number of the resort hotels on Phuket were built with the fortunes created by these one-time coolies of the tin mines.

Chinese Shrines
The Chinese of Phuket have virtually all lost their original language, speaking only Thai. They are Buddhists and often use normal Thai temples and partake in Thai religious ceremonies. But they also maintain their close links with their traditional gods through their own shrines.

There are many Chinese shrines on Phuket, though only a half dozen are significant in size and following. A few of these can be found in Phuket town, and are worth visiting. One may enter, though it is expected that visitors remain quiet and unobtrusive whenever there are worshippers present.

The local Chinese are descendents of immigrants from the southernmost provinces of China, and from Hainan Island. The gods housed in the shrines here were brought from the island of Hainan during the 1800s, and because they were considered instrumental in stopping a local epidemic among Chinese coolies in the tin mines, they have attained an exalted status as patron gods of the island. Each year during the annual Vegetarian Festival the gods of each shrine are brought from their resting places and paraded through the streets in boisterous parades accompanied by a virtual war of firecrackers.