Old Phuket Town and Sino Portuguese Architecture

Posted by Andaman Sam on April 29th, 2011 filed in Day tripping, Family fun, Tourist tips

There are so many things to see Phuket and usually time is not enough, but if you have done so many activities in Phuket, you can always take a relaxing walk in the old part of Phuket city, around Thailand, Dibuk and Krabi roads. You will be amazed by the beautiful architecture along these roads as you will be taken back a century ago. The architecture is a reflection of European influence on the island, including the Portuguese and the British who had interest in Phuket’s wealth since the 16^th century.

Hokkien Chinese who became big players in the building of the old part of the  city, had carried out Tin mining since the 18^th century and in the early 20^th century, under the Governor Phraya Rassada Nupradit, major European mining companies were invited in which led to the major infrastructure such as roads and canals built.

It is a very relaxing walk through these roads as you will see the style in which the shop-house were built, it was a place for both a family to live in and do business, using the front of the building to do business and the reminder of the house including the top floors as their private living space. During those days, businesses included banks, general stores and mining offices. Shop-houses are usually built in rows, giving the rise to Hokkien Chinese term Tiam Choo, meaning a row of shop-houses.

You will love these shop-house, if you love architecture because they where built with exact details where, there is a living room for general purposes and for receiving guests, followed by a space open to the sky with a well and the kitchen at the rear, upstairs is the family private area. In old days, the central open area was often the heart of the house because it is here where you would find women chatting while cooking or doing the washing and it also in the sense that the lungs of the house, allowed air to flow through even in the hottest month of April when temperatures rise to 38 degrees C.