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LAST UPDATE: Thursday August 31, 2006

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Traditional Chinese Row Houses:

huket'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 adjoining city houses head to Thalang and Phang Nga Roads just north of the central fresh produce market. The former boasts the longest continuous rows of beautifully maintained houses, each with a beautiful Chinese door and individual décor that takes one back to another era. Though few of the Chinese here still speak their original tongue - most have integrated almost completely into Thai society - the condition of their houses speaks of pride in the heritage of their grandfathers.

Some have beautifully constructed little fences to the street, cutting off a tiny courtyard before the main door. Doors and windows are decidedly Chinese. But European influences are also embedded in the construction of these buildings, and occasionally in the mixed Chinese-European motifs on the facade.

The interiors are also a blend of Chinese and European, with many having a large central living rooms floored with imported Italian ceramic tiles decorated with the elaborate European motifs of old. Much of the furniture is beautifully carved in wood, and very Chinese, while wall hangings and other decors similarly recall old China. Of course it is only the lucky tourist who will meet a local inhabitant willing to show him into the private sanctum of his home.

The only way to really appreciate these delightful old homes is to walk the streets. Find the fresh produce market – where all of the local songtaew buses terminate – and walk north from the fountain. Streets to both left and right are interesting, though the finest group are found by turning left into Talang Road.

Most of the Chinese arrived on Phuket’s shores as poor coolies seeking work in the tin mines, for which this island was famous until very recently. They might have been poor, 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 tracks 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 old coolies-cum-moguls of the tin mines.

For an in-depth look at the way the Chinese in Phuket have shaped the island check out the PHUKET Magazine archives.