Hidden Wonders - Old Phuket - The Tin Legacy

Old Phuket Town dates back to the tin mining days of a century ago, when Chinese immigrants sought to make their fortunes from this precious ore.

For millions of international visitors, Phuket is an island paradise, wrapping sun, sand and sea into a glamorous package that attracts them back again and again. However, 150 or so years ago, the island attracted visitors of a different sort – Chinese migrants seeking to make their fortunes from Phuket’s lucrative tin mining industry.

Many were from the Fujian area of China, bringing with them their Hokkien culture and language; others were from nearby Penang, as well as traders from Malaysia, India and the Straits Settlements. Together they forged Phuket Town, channelling tin, goods and money through the port in Tongkah Bay in ever growing amounts.

Some gained mine concessions, making fortunes and establishing family dynasties on the island. They built huge mansions, similar to the colonial properties in Penang, and wore European clothes. Others set up trading companies and shops-cum-homes along Thalang Road, Old Phuket’s main commercial centre, and adjacent streets.

Today, tin mining has virtually ceased due to low tin prices and high extraction costs. In its place, the descendents of the tin pioneers have, like alchemists of old, transmuted cheap metal into gold – tourism gold. Degraded tin mines have been turned into lucrative attractions – the luxury resorts of Phuket Laguna, Blue Canyon Golf Club, Phuket Country Club and Phuket Boat Lagoon have all been built on top of mined-out land.

And the shophouses and mansions that line the roads of Old Phuket Town have become a fascinating tableau of discovery for travellers wanting to learn more about the heritage and culture of the early tin pioneers.

Preservation Push
Local interest in the heritage of the old town came to a head in 1992, when the government passed the new Environment Act that designated Old Phuket as a conservation area, covering 8 roads – Dibuk, Thalang, Phangnga, Phuket, Rasada, Ranong, Yaowarat, and Krabi – and two lanes – Soi Romanee and Soi Soon Uthit. The act set limits on building work, and encouraged restoration and local participation in promoting this heritage area.

Good cooperation between the local government and residents helped launch the Old Phuket Town Festival in 1998, highlighting the renaissance of Thalang Road and showcasing the baba lifestyle (see: Who are the Babas?), costume, food and architecture. The growth of this annual festival plus the recent move of the Tourism Authority of Thailand Region 4 into brand new offices on Thalang Road, inspiringly designed as a Sino-Colonial mansion in a bright orange coat, gives the TAT new ammunition to encourage tourists to discover the cultural allure of Old Phuket.

The Old Town Trail
Surprisingly, no travel agency yet offers walking tours of the Old Town, particularly as there are so many interesting places to admire, shop and eat.

Where to Begin?

The walking trail begins at the corner of Phangnga and Phuket Roads in front of the police station with its clock tower. Opposite is the old Chartered Bank building, the first foreign bank to open in Phuket in the early 1900s. With the tin industry in its heyday, the bank expected to handle large amounts of international currency and insisted on having a police station nearby for security. As the bank building is no longer used, the Thai Treasury Department has donated it to the Phuket Municipality for the creation of a museum celebrating the culture of old Phuket.

Follow the trail round into Rasada Road, and before going any further, make a detour into the old Thavorn Hotel. It was built in the early 1960s by tin magnate Tilok Thavornwongwongse, who was encouraged by the then prime minister, Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat, to diversify from tin into tourism. Unfortunately for Tilok, his timing was off. It was so difficult to get to the island in those days that tourists were few and far between. According to a note Tilok framed in the lobby, the hotel suffered severe losses for more than ten years. The only bright spot was the elevator, the first of its kind in Phuket, attracting visitors from around the island for their first ever ride up and down the floors. The elevator is still in service, as well as a magnificent staircase. There are also loads of old photographs and memorabilia of bygone ages in a wonderful small museum in the lobby (entrance 30 baht).

Thalang Road
If you have time to see everything, follow the map route, stopping to enjoy the distinctive architecture, sample some tasty food, make merit at a Chinese shrine or whatever else takes your fancy. Alternatively, decide what you would like to see and go straight there.

Whatever your choice, make sure you walk along Thalang Road, the centerpiece of the Old Town with its Sino-European facades and arched walkway along both sides of the vibrant thoroughfare.

Three types of shophouse have been identified – Chinese, neo classic and art deco, all in various stages of aging (occasionally, read delapidation). Admire those that have been lovingly renovated, such as the House of Beautiful Images on the corner of Soi Romanee or the China Inn Cafe.

On your journey, sample sticky pancakes at Aroon’s or sweetmeats at Wilai’s. Check out the richly coloured batiks of the Indian merchants. Breathe in the heady aromatic aroma of Chinese herbs at Nguan Choon Tong, the city’s oldest herbal shop. Outside an official sign classifies a neo classic arch with doric columns. Enquire about prices at the friendly Thalang Guesthouse, or browse around Sin & Lee, the first supermarket in Phuket opened over 50 years ago for wealthy miners to buy imported food and other products. If you have money to spend, visit Sin Yoo Chang, one of the best names in Phuket for old jewellery.

Browse and learn, stop and buy; you are guaranteed an interesting walk along Thalang Road.

Interesting Public Buildings
Phuket’s provincial and municipal authorities are playing their parts in the Old Town conservation efforts by renovating and utilizing old public buildings.

Phuket Philatelic Museum
Phuket’s first post office on the corner of Montri and Thalang Roads has been renovated and turned into the Phuket Philatelic Museum, providing interesting displays of old Thai stamps, old postal equipment, including phones, and even old letter sorting boxes. Open 9.30 am to 5.30 pm, Tuesdays to Saturdays, closed on holidays.

Thai Hua Museum
The oldest Chinese school in Phuket, Thai Hua School was built in 1911 on Thalang Road and has now become the Thai Hua Museum, serving as a community and exhibition centre for baba arts and culture.
   
Phuket Provincial Hall
The Phuket Provincial Hall dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, and its remarkable architecture earned it a preservation order from the Fine Arts Department. This beautiful building on Narisorn Road served as the American Embassy in the Oscar-winning movie The Killing Fields, which was filmed almost entirely in Thailand in the early 1980s.
   
The Chartered Bank building
The old Chartered Bank building on the corner of Phangnga and Phuket Roads has been donated to Phuket Municipality by the Thai Treasury Department for future conversion into a museum highlighting the Old Phuket heritage 

No. 63 Thalang Road
Phuket Municipality has acquired shophouse No. 63 Thalang Road, which will be completely restored along old architectural guidelines and décor from Dr Yongtanit Pimonsathean, a lecturer in urban planning at Thammasat University. It will become a showcase of how people lived a century ago, and be open to visitors as a living museum. 

Mansion Houses

Chinpracha House on Krabi Road
Of the grand mansions that once graced Phuket, only Chinpracha House on Krabi Road is open to the public. Built in 1903 by Tan Ma Siang, also known as Prapitak Chinpracha, it was modeled on the Sino-Portuguese style homes of Penang, where he had business connections. Most of the furniture came from his ancestors in Fujian, while the floor tiles were imported from Italy, and other items from Europe. His descendent Pracha Tandavanitj loved to collect old things and tell visitors about the house, which he ran like a private museum until his death in 2006.