Origins of the Thai & Chiuchownese Culture
Kowloon city not only has the name 'Little Thailand', but also has the name 'Little Chiu chow' as Chiuchownese are living here. In the 1960s, lots of the Chiuchownese moved from Mainland China to Thailand and set up different trading networks with the locals there. At that time, the Chiu chow workers did not have sufficient money to marry the Chinese, so they chose to marry some Thai women instead, this made lots of the Chiuchownese family have Thai family members. When they immigrate back to Hong Kong, they will also bring their Thai families back to Hong Kong.
Then why do they choose to stay in Kowloon City?
At that time Kowloon City was next to the Kai Tak Airport, plus in Kowloon city there are so many Chiu chow people already living there, so lots of the Thai people decided to live in Kowloon City. After settling down, lots of the Thais chose to start their own business such as opening Thai restaurants or Thai grocery stores. Even though after the relocation of Hong Kong Airport to Chek Lap Kok and the closure of Kai Tak Airport, the Thais still decided to stay in Kowloon city, that's why you can still find lots of Thais or Thai culture stores in Kowloon City!
Then why will there be so many Chiuchownese people living here?
The Chiuchownese came to Kowloon city much earlier than the Thais. The earliest Chiuchownese came to Hong Kong can be traced back to the 1860s, at that time lots of the Chiuchownese will travel to Hong Kong by boat, or work as coolies on the boat, since Kowloon city at that time was still a coastal area, this had caused them chose to stay in the Kowloon city. The second wave of them arriving in Hong Kong is around the 1950s, those Chiuchownese will operate small businesses such as “rice store”, grocery stores or restaurants. Though now lots of them have moved out from Kowloon city, the reputation of those Chiuchownese food stores or restaurants that still stay in Kowloon city is very strong, so it still attracts lots of people coming here and enjoying a delicious meal.
泰潮文化的緣起
九龍城不止擁有'小泰國'這個稱號，其也因為曾經有許多潮州人在這裡居住而被稱為'小潮州'。在1960年代，許多潮州人從中國大陸移居到泰國，並與當地人建立了不同的貿易關係。當時的潮州工人沒有足夠的錢迎娶中國女子，所以他們選擇迎娶一些泰國女人來代替，這使得很多潮州人的家庭裡都有泰國人，並當他們回流香港時，亦會帶上他們的泰籍家人。
為什麼他們會選擇居住於九龍城
當時九龍城緊鄰啟德機場，加上當時九龍城已經有很多潮州人居住在那裡，所以很多泰國人都決定在九龍城居住。 安頓下來後，他們當中許多人決定開辦自己的生意，例如開辦泰國餐廳或泰國雜貨店。即使機場於啟德舊址已經關閉，並遷往赤鱲角後，泰國人仍決定留在九龍城，所以在九龍城這裡仍能找到許多泰國人或泰國文化商店！
那為什麼這裡會有很多潮州人居住
潮州人實際上比泰國人更早前來九龍城。最早來港的一批潮州人可追溯至1860年代，當時很多潮州人會坐船到香港，或者在船上當苦力，而當時九龍城還是一沿海地區，這誘因均令潮州人開始在九龍城聚居。 第二批來港的潮州人大約是在50年代左右，他們會經營一些小生意，例如米店、雜貨店或餐館。盡管現時很多已經從九龍城搬走，但是仍留在九龍城的潮州食店或酒樓名氣仍十分大，所以仍能吸引很多人慕名前來九龍城享受佳餚。
South Wall Road
城南道
Copyright 圖片版權
由組員自行拍攝 Photo taken by the group
Reference 參考文獻
Chabot, N, & Chaplain, I. (2012). Kowloon : Unknown Territory. Hong Kong: Blacksmith Books.
Hong Kong Tourism Board (2023)。SongKran HK 2023. Retrieved from https://www.discoverhongkong.com/uk/what-s-new/events/detail.id79934.songkran-hk-2023.html
Leisure and Cultural Services Department (2016). Kowloon Walled City Park - Historical. Retrieved from https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/parks/kwcp/historical.html
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蕭國健。（2015）。 《寨城印痕 : 九龍城歷史與古蹟》。香港：中華書局香港有限公司。