Sampeng Lane

You're in Sampeng, the lane where it all began. Its official name is Soi Wanit 1, but everyone uses the old name, and it's the oldest street in Bangkok's Chinatown.

1The relocated neighbours

When Rama I decided in 1782 to build his palace on the east bank, a community of Teochew Chinese merchants was living there. The king asked them to move downriver, to this area outside the new city. They settled along this waterside path and quickly made it the capital's great market. Later, under Rama V, several fires led to new streets being opened, among them Yaowarat Road, which would eventually give its name to the whole district.

2A mysterious name

Nobody knows for sure what Sampeng means. Suggestions include a Thai word for a three-way junction, a Teochew word, an edible fern, or even, according to the historian Chit Phumisak, a Mon word meaning "noble". None has won out.

Sampeng never fully sleeps: by day it serves shoppers, and at night many shops reopen for the wholesale buyers who arrive in the small hours.

It is Bangkok's largest wholesale market, although in recent years online shopping has taken away some of its custom.

3What to look for

• The two-storey shophouses with old Chinese signboards.
• The porters with trolleys pushing their way through the crowd.
• The small altars at the entrance to many shops.