by Leonard le Blanc: The History of Chatuchak Weekend Market
The Chatuchak Weekend Market, on Kamphaeng Phet 2 Road, Chatuchak, Bangkok, is the largest market in Thailand. Also known as JJ Market, it has more than 15,000 stalls and 11,505 vendors (2019), divided into 27 sections. Chatuchak Market sells many different kinds of goods, including plants, antiques, consumer electronics, cosmetics, pets, fresh and dry food and drinks, ceramics, furniture and home accessories, clothing, and books. It is the world’s largest and most diverse weekend market, with over 200,000 visitors every weekend.
Chatuchak Market has been open since 1942. In 1948, Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram had a policy that every province was required to have its own market. Bangkok chose Sanam Luang as the market site. After a few months, the government moved the market to Sanam Chai. The market moved back to Sanam Luang in 1958.
Moving to its current location
Starting in 1975, General Kriangsak Chamanan had the policy to use Sanam Luang as a place of recreational activity for the populace which will also be used for commemorating ceremonies. As General Kriangsak Chamanan was the chairman of State Railway of Thailand as that time, he thus permitted the use of land on the South side of Chatuchak Park as a market. His design was to recycle waste from the looming Din Daeng Garbage Mountain which has stacked up across the decades to use as landfills, where he recruited military engineers for the job. The park was fully completed in 1978 when General Kriangsak Chomanan became the Prime Minister.
By 1983, all of the merchants had moved to Chatuchak. At that time, the market was called Phahonyothin Market. In 1987, its name was changed to Chatuchak Market. The clock tower is a distinctive landmark in the Chatuchuk Market. It was built in 1987 on the occasion of King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 60th birthday on 5th December 1987, a cooperative effort of the market administration and Thai Chinese Merchant Association.
How much is the rent at Chatuchak Market?
Monthly stall rent for vendors at the market ranges from 10,600 to 17,700B. The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC) study found that most merchants have been selling at the weekend market for four to six years and have an average sales revenue of 139,500B per month.
Studies have shown that the Chatuchak Market is a centre for trade in illegal wildlife. In a survey conducted on 28th/29th March 2015, researchers counted 1,271 birds of 117 species for sale in 45 shops or stalls. Of the total, nine species were listed as “threatened” on the IUCN Red List and eight species as “near threatened”.
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