Rama III and the Chinese Taste: The Origins of the Sino-Thai Style in Bangkok
Under the reign of Rama III, commonly placed between 1824 and 1851, several of Bangkok's royal temples were clad in ceramics and filled with stone…
Understand 12 min read
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Oral traditions
Articles
Lanna, Kingdom of the North: from Mangrai to Dara Rasmi, Chiang Mai between Ayutthaya, Burma and Bangkok
For nearly six centuries, the north of present-day Thailand answered to a capital other than Sukhothai, Ayutthaya or Bangkok. Founded in 1296 by…
Understand 13 min read
Kudi Chin, on the Thonburi bank: the descendants of the Portuguese and the memory of a plural neighbourhood
On the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, facing old Bangkok, the neighbourhood of Kudi Chin brings together a Catholic church, a Buddhist temple, a…
Understand 13 min read
Wai, kreng jai and the smile: understanding Thailand's non-verbal codes
A greeting with palms pressed together, a hesitation to ask, a smile that does not always express joy: in Thailand, much communication happens…
Discover 11 min read
The Mekong between Thailand and Laos: a border drawn on a shared river
For hundreds of kilometres, the Mekong separates Thailand from Laos. Yet this line of water is no immemorial natural barrier. It was born of a…
Understand 13 min read
From the Ramayana to the Ramakien: how the Indian epic became Siamese
On the walls of Wat Phra Kaew, as on the stages of the *khon*, Phra Ram has been doing battle with Thotsakan for more than two centuries. Their story…
Understand 11 min read
Tha Rae, on the shore of Lake Nong Han: how Catholicism took root in Isan
On the edge of Lake Nong Han, some twenty kilometres from Sakon Nakhon, a boat-shaped cathedral towers over streets laid out with ruler-straight…
Understand 13 min read
Behind the Masks of Phi Ta Khon: What Dan Sai Really Celebrates
Every year, at the end of June or the beginning of July, Dan Sai, a small town in Loei province in north-eastern Thailand, fills with round-eyed…
Understand 13 min read