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LEXICON

 

 

Chinatown Gate

Name of a Thai-Chinese Cultural Arch built on the Odeon Circle in Bangkok's Chinatown, which is a roundabout named after the Odeon movie theatre that in the past was located here, which however is nowadays nicknamed Dragon Head, as it is considered the proverbial entrance into Chinatown due to its location at the eastern end of Yaowaraht Road, which is nicknamed Dragon Road. The gate was built in 1999 AD, in order to commemorate King Bhumipon Adunyadet's Sixth Birthday Cycle at the age of 72, and of which the anniversary logo (fig.) is placed on the gate's roof, flanked by two dragons, akin to those often seen on Chinese-style rooftops with a flaming pearl in the centre (fig.). The gate's roof is in the keng-style, i.e. with upward curved corners, complete with Chinese Imperial roof decorations (fig.), and supported by dougong (fig.). A large plaque on the front side has a text in Chinese characters that reads from right to left: Shengshou Wujiang (圣寿无疆), which translates ‘King Without Borders’, or ‘Sage with Limitless Long Life’.  In front of the gate stands a marble statue of a rabbit, the fourth animal in the cycle of the traditional Chinese Zodiac (fig.), and which corresponds to the year in which this monarch was born. It was officially unveiled on 5 December 1999, the King's birthday, in a ceremony presided over by Princess Sirinthon (fig.), the second daughter and third child to King Bhumipon and Queen Sirikit. On its ceiling is a bronze plaque with the Chinese character Tian, which stands for ‘Heaven’, whilst exactly underneath it on the floor is a similar bronze plaque with the Chinese character Di, which means ‘Earth’. Visitors to Yaowaraht Road may come here to pay respect by making a wai gesture to the sky, the earth and towards the four cardinal directions, reminiscent of a northern-style kreuang thao thang sih ceremony, while standing and rotating on the bronze plaque in order to receive Qi. The gate is flanked by two Imperial Guardian Lions that were donated by China on the occasion of the King’s 80th anniversary in 2007. In Thai, the gate is known as Sum Pratu Watthanatham Thai-Jihn. See TRAVEL PICTURES (1) and (2), as well as EXPLORER'S MAP.