Factors Contributing to Existence of the old shophouses in Chinese community, Ratchadamnoen Road, Nakhon Si Thammarat

Abstract

This research questioned what factors are affected to existence in the change of old shophouses in historic towns. The objective emphasized to explain coexistence and transformation of the old shophouses as the vernacular architecture that represented the way of life in the old community of Nakhon Si Thammarat as a historical trading port among the city's economic growth, the changes of transport routes, and the modernization together with government policies to promote historical urbanization that affected the existence of shophouses.

The study consisted of the living way, the identity of the shophouses, and the factors of change to affect the coexistence of the vernacular architecture under the viewpoint of vernacular architecture as cultural life, focused the old shophouses of Chinese community on Ratchadamnoen Road, which is the core of the city and has history, socio-culture, and the development that overlapped the physical community in many eras.

Methodologically, this research used qualitative study and field survey methods such as photography, mapping, in-depth interviews, and architectural surveys. The six shophouses were selected from 1) the reflected of this traditional community and culture, and 2) those aged more than 50 years, for comparative study. Data were derived from documentary sources; historical data, policy, economy, socio-cultural changes, and shophouses of the southern Thai region.

The results pointed out that the existence of shophouses in their everyday lives through kinship and awareness of the old Chinese community was called "Tha Wang." The impacted change is 1) the transportation route change. The car parking is essential for trade. 2) Modern life is altering local life. The factors determine the use of shophouses. Today, they use a shophouse as only a shop, but in the past, they used it to live (as a house with a shop). The characteristics of the old shophouses were found three types: 1) half-timbered and mortar shophouses, 2) Sino-European shophouses, and 3) modern Chinese shophouses. This old shophouses are often not adorned but focus on functional activities rather than appearance.