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One of the oldest areas of Bangkok is Chinatown. Located in the south of Dusit and Banglamphu, Chinatown Bangkok was the main hub of the erstwhile Chinese merchants. Its main street is known as Charoen Krung, which stands for ‘Prosperous City' in English, is believed to be the first paved road in Bangkok. The major attraction of Chinatown, Bangkok is the Temple of the Golden Buddha which is also known as Wat Traimit. This temple houses a 3 meter high image of Buddha. And more specifically speaking, the charm of this Buddha image lies in its 5.5 tonnes solid gold structure. There is one famous legend also attached to the Buddha image. It is believed that when the large stucco Buddha image was being moved by crane in development of a port, the crane operator by mistake dropped the image on the ground. Due to this unfortunate accident, the image lost its stucco covering. But amazing part was that, this stucco image of Buddha revealed its hidden solid gold image. Chinatown in Bangkok is very popular for its gold shops and pawnshops as well. Besides, the m ost interesting roads to visit in Chinatown are Yaowarat road which leads westwards from near Wat Traimit, and Sampeng Lane, known as Soi Wanit also, running parallel south of Yaowarat. In Chinatown there is a Thieves Market or Nakhon Kasem also. It is a good area to look and buy Thai or Chinese antiques.
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