Bangkok: City of Angels

Оглавление

Joe Cummings. Bangkok: City of Angels

Отрывок из книги

A mural depicting a battle scene from Bangkok’s past. Murals depicting pivotal moments in the city’s history were often painted on temple walls.

Photography by Bill Wassman

.....

At the Lak Muang or City Pillar shrine, Bangkokians kneel and pay their respects to the capital's invisible guardian deities, while a hired Thai dance troupe offers a ceremonial performance.

Whether immigrant or Thailand-born, Chinese residents probably enjoy better relations with the majority population here than in any other country in Southeast Asia. Thai rulers in the 18th and 19th centuries made liberal use of Chinese businesspeople to infiltrate European trading houses, a move that helped defeat the colonial designs of the Europeans. The Thai monarchy also accepted the daughters of rich Chinese families into the royal court as consorts, thus deepening political connections and adding a Chinese bloodline that extends to the current Thai king.

.....