Published on January 31, 2005

Younger Chinese now tending to steer clear of traditional outlets

Chinatown in Bangkok is losing favour among its local ethnic community as the new generation shops elsewhere for New Year preparations.

Though Yaowarat will still be crowded with people shopping for food and gifts on the eve of Chinese New Year, young buyers are gradually disappearing from the market.

“My friends don’t want to come to buy things here to celebrate the Chinese New Year. They said they don’t want to get stuck in traffic and it’s very hard to find parking. They say it’s very hot here”, said one teenager whose father runs a foods shop in Yaowarat.

Many teens prefer air-conditioned discount stores or supermarkets to do their New Year’s shopping.

“So you can see that today most shoppers in Yaowarat are senior citizens, who still follow tradition,” he said.

Teens also feel that Yaowarat is unclean – not a place where Chinese-Thais will always enthusiastically shop for necessities, from dried and fresh food to New Year cakes and delicacies, to celebrate the event or perform religious ceremonies in honour of family ancestors.

Vichai Jantacheewakul, who runs Sem Hong Huad, a dried food shop in Yaowarat, said his New Year sales have been declining over the years as most of his customers – the aged – die off.

“Fewer Chinese families are worshipping their ancestors at Chinese New Year,” he added.

Busakorn Saetang, owner of Tek Heng Long, which has been dealing in dried foods and daily merchandise in Yaowarat for more than 70 years, said that today, people in their 30s or 40s, when asked by their parents to buy some things for the Chinese New Year, will go to modern retail stores, instead of Yaowarat.

“The reason is that there they can find the things they need already wrapped up in plastic packaging. They don’t have to do anything, just take the items home,” she said.

Some young people prefer to order New Year treats from a restaurant rather than cook them themselves to use in worshipping their ancestors.

Big stores may be more convenient, but the new generation of Chinese-Thais are missing out on bargaining for the cheapest price, she said.

For example, Chinese soybean sauce in a 500-mililitre bottle can go for Bt50 at her store but costs Bt70-Bt80 in modern retail outlets.

Overseas Chinese from nearby countries such as Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia also enjoy hunting for bargains in Yaowarat, she said. Kanjana Chuengwisitthon, who has been selling Chinese New Year cakes and delicacies in Yaowarat for almost 30 years, said her place offers fresher and higher quality items compared to modern discount stores.

“We use premium flour and butter in making cakes and other confectioneries,” she said.

But since the 1997 economic downturn, Chinese-Thai customers have been cautious in buying goods, even New Year items.

“Today customers will buy smaller sizes and fewer New Year cakes. They even bargain hard before making any decision,” she said. Sombat Boonsamput, whose Yong Heng Huad sells boiled chickens in Yaowarat, said his store learned from past mistakes, when they got whammed by the bird-flu scare last year and their Chinese New Year chicken sales dropped by more than half.

“I decided not to stock chicken for the coming New Year as people remain frightened of the bird flu. We prefer to purchase chicken day by day,” he said.

Visut Sirisukachaiwut, whose Heng Heng shop sells boiled chickens in Yaowarat market, said the price of boiled chickens at Yaowarat had increased by Bt20 per kilogram to about Bt120. His store can clear 700-1,000 boiled chickens over Chinese New Year.

“We serve our regulars, who are confident in the good hygiene of poultry in the Yaowarat market,” he said.

Only the gold shops in Chinatown are thriving, with people who want to buy gold to pay respects to those they revere.

Jitti Tangsithpakdi, president of the Gold Traders Association, said gold has softened from Bt8,500 last year to Bt7,900.

“Most gold shops, including those in Yaowarat, have seen sales shoot up by 10 per cent since the beginning of this year. We expect sales to jump further by 10 per cent over Chinese New Year,” said Jitti, who is also president of Chin Hua Heng Co Ltd. The company runs two gold shops in Yaowarat and one on Charoenkrung Road.

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn

The Nation

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