Translator: Sirapol Kwangtongpanich Reviewer: Nova Upinel Altesse
I am a Sampeng local.
Do you remember this twenty-baht note?
There is a picture of the king.
The picture is from an actual photo,
slightly modified.
But if you take a good look,
the backgrounds of them are different.
Because the [right] background
is from another photo.
This photo was taken in June 3rd, 2489 [BE].
While this photo
was taken in June 3rd, 2559 [BE].
These two photos were taken at the same place,
the same date and time, 70 years different.
This area is called Wat Koh (Isle Temple).
My home is in both photos.
I am a rope seller at Wat Koh.
"Was Wat Koh an isle?" is the question,
that I had wondered for such a long time but no one could have answered.
Until one day, I discovered an old map of my neighborhood,
with Wat Koh in it.
The map answered me that Wat Koh was once an isle.
Then I got a new question.
Where did Sampeng come from?
I started to research. I went to archives.
Finally, I got the answer.
Do you know Klong Thom ?
[The name] Klong Thom was from the filling of a canal
which is relevant to the origin of Sampeng, which is
Wat Sampluem Canal.
According to a quote from
The Chronicle of Rattanakosin,
it is said that:
[His Majesty] ordered Praya Rachasretthe
to take Chinese immigrants to the field
between Wat Sampluem Canal and Wat Sampeng Canal.
This is the Wat Sampluem Canal's map.
And this is the remaining of Wat Sampluem Canal.
Nowadays the canal has been completely filed
and become Mahachak Road, aka Klong Thom.
And this one, is the map of Wat Sampeng Canal
Here is the old photo of the canal mouth.
The temple you see is Wat Sampeng, or Wat Pathumkongka.
Nowdays the canal has been completely filled as well.
From one question, I have discovered various answers.
I've found that Sampeng was risen along with Ratanakosin,
Sampeng was named from a temple,
Sampeng was a field between two canals,
and my home
is located between these two canals.
Which means that
my home in this neighborhood was built along with Ratanakosin.
Suddenly I feel that my home has become a lot more precious.
I'm proud, and then I find out
that it is actually easy
for us to increase value of our community
by unveiling its own history.
You don't need to be specialists, nor archeologists.
Because it is about your own home.
You may begin at a small area like your home's alley.
You don't need to explore it as you stroll there daily.
It's like playing a treasure hunt.
And with some help, we all can do this task easily.
The first helper is stories
from parents, grandparents, and elders.
Local coffee shops cannot be overlooked as well.
Like Uncle Seng's coffee kiosk near my home.
He likes to tell me the story.
When The King Rama 5th visiting Wat Koh for ceremony.
Muslim around the area complained to the king
as they disliked being called 'arbung', and preferred 'nai hang' instead.
In which, his majesty accepted the request.
Then they requested one more; as they were muslim, could not consume pork,
to remove pork butcheries out of this area.
But the king rejected.
He said that, muslim didn't eat, but others did.
There weren't only muslim here,
but also Thai, Chinese, and Vietnamese living together.
This is oral history; having no evidences.
But for sure no one in my neighborhood calls muslim 'arbung',
we all call them 'nai hang'.
The next helper is books, maps, and pictures.
I used them when I visited archives,
as I began working on this.
Please don't be shocked about the data load;
you just use the part about your home area.
And the data you seek for, they often stay together.
Like in the book "Chinese Society in Thailand",
when you open it, suddenly you will see the old map,
with a description "this map is exhibited in Khun Jumnongjinarak's House,
Samchuk Hunred-Year Market, Suphanburi.
I rushed to the place next morning,
gaining lots of new information from the old map.
And let me tell you, this map is special;
it is written in Chinese, printed in 2467 [BE]. Now the map is 92 years old.
The map is like the clue to the treasure.
And sometimes it is like a time machine.
Let's say, right now
we're sitting at K-Bank Siam Pic Ganesha Theatre.
Would you like to know how this place was 92 years ago?
The horse racecourse has already existed.
And according from the symbols on the map,
this place was once a lawn.
Or in some cases, like the book of Sathienkoseth,
or Praya Anumarn Ratchathon. The book called "Féun Kwaam Lăng"
[The author] is also a Sampeng local.
Not to say 'like me' here.
He spent his childhood in Sampeng.
And he recorded his story:
where he lived, where his house is,
canals, bridges, each alley, each shop.
And when taking these information to compare with the map,
we will get the map with more details.
And for photographs,
it is an amusing helper.
It's our effort to seek for the place we are looking at.
The photo you are looking at is Tian Fah Hospital.
Changing from time to time.
If you can't remember, that's fine. Nowadays it looks like this.
Or this place, do you remember it?
Where you studied for Thai language and sociology.
You may not recognize "Lampoonchai".
But if I tell you [this is] Da'vance, Achan Ping,
it would be more familiar.
And this, is the flood in Bangkok,
2485 [BE], at Yaowarat Road.
69 years later, 2554 [BE].
Besides comparing places,
sometimes we also have to compare the happening events as well.
Or for this one,
it's a postcard,
described as Songwat Road.
But when compared,
it's not Songwat, but Yaowarat instead.
Nowadays, that place is called
Ratchawong Junction.
This kind of work needs an actual local to do this.
Because you see [the place] everyday.
Outsiders, even specialists, would find it's difficult.
In the past, the photos,
old photos are so rare.
There were only two or three [photos] found each year.
But in this past few years,
in the past three or four years, hundreds of photos were found.
Because there are new tools. [Besides] books, maps, or photos,
now we have videos too. And we can find them on the Internet.
Above all, you have the social networks.
You have friends who's going to play along with you.
By now, you [audiences] may be thinking;
"how can I do this like you? My home is not an old town Yaowarat.
There are no photos,
nor history to explore like yours.
I'd like to tell you that,
Ratanakosin is not the oldest in Bangkok.
Thonburusrimahasamut has been existed since the Ayuthaya era,
such as Thonburi, Bangkok Noi, and Bangkok Yai [districts].
And for old photos, I would like you to think like this:
whatever you see beautiful or interesting
and you like them, take the photo.
Each of your phone now has a camera.
The old photos you just saw, they weren't old photos when they were taken.
They [the photographers] just took what they saw beautiful.
If they didn't take the photos that day. we wouldn't see them today.
I wouldn't be standing here, might be selling rope at my home by now.
Some of you might be wondering,
"my alley has no name.
There is only my home there.
How can I do this?"
In this case, I'd say,
here is your chance to make a history.
If I were you,
I will name the alley, put a sign at the entrance,
take a photo [with the sign],
plot Google Map, share the location,
post on Facebook, put a hashtag
#SomchaiAlley.
If your alley has no name,
you may use your district name or landmarks.
You may start from your district,
such as Pom Prab Suttru Pai, it's from a fortress.
Sampanthawong and Yannawa were named after the temples.
For Phrakanong residents, please don't use Mae Nak Phrakanong.
Mae Nak is not [staying] there anymore.
She didn't move out [from the district];
the district has moved itself out.
They have rearranged the area.
Currently Mae Nak is in Suan Luang.
As for how to work by using district:
now at Pathumwan sub-district, Pathumwan District.
Here we have Sra Pathum Palace, Wat Pathumwanaram.
Let's find out together what used to be abundant in this are.
(Patum, patum patum patum.)
Yes, you are right.
But I don't mean the answer;
just by thinking about the origin, you are already in the right track.
And this is the answer from Wikipedia on how Pathum comes from.
It is said that
[the name] is from Wat Pathumwanaram.
But there is an evidence from the map in 2430,
showing that Wat Pathumwanaram was called Wat Srapathumwan.
Here is the photo of Wat Srapathumwan, 70 years ago.
And right now we are sitting in this area.
Even I mainly focus on my neighborhood,
I also have some information about other districts
and am ready to share without conditions.
Except for this case.
An undergrad visited me and said,
"I'm so exultant in you, brother."
It was quite a long time ago.
"I would like to be like you. Can you share some information?"
I was glad, asking where in Sampeng he lived, so I would give him the info.
He told me, "no, I'm not a Sampeng local. I'm a Bang Kae local."
So I told him, "you live in Bang Kae, then you should care about your area.
Why would you work on others ?"
Please don't do this. I encourage you to work on your neighborhood.
Since I've begun this task, I rarely bother with other areas.
I always keep in mind that we should respect the locals.
And when they begin, they will do better.
But sometimes I just can't help.
[I believe] You know VIvian Maier.
She is a posthumous selfie queen.
About hundreds of thousands of her photos were discovered.
She had visited Thailand once.
And she did take a photo in Bangkok.
I couldn't help wondering where she went strolling.
Here's the photo.
Imagine if Vivian Maier is still alive,
and she came back to take this photo.
And [if] the mirror is here,
this is what she will see in the mirror.
And where she's standing,
is this place:
Chareon Krung 38 Alley.
Since I've begun this mission,
I have a dream that one day, there will be locals from all areas working like me.
And we share our information, and put them together
in the same format,
and open [the result] altogether.
We would see the growth of our nation,
we would see the value of our nation, more, and more, and more.
Finally, Sampeng local would like to leave a question;
where do you live?
Thank you.