On December 8th, a group of 25 Lifelong Learners met at the la.moon cold cafe shop located in the historic Anusarn building in Sanpakoi ready to learn about and explore the area. Ajarn Ajrapa Pradit gave us an excellent introduction to the history of Sanpakoi and the East Bank of the Ping River in general. We learned that the east bank was the area of Chiang Mai that first experienced and then drove modernization thanks both to the influence of the American missionaries and the Chinese businessmen. Sanpakoi really started to flourish after the railway station was completed in 2021 and Charoen Muang road became a center for selling machinery, including automobiles, and other large goods shipped via the railroad from Bangkok.
After the lecture, Micky Nimmanahaeminda, managing director of Anusarn Co., Ltd., and the great great granddaughter of Luang Anusarn Sunthor who built the historic building in 1934, led us on a tour of both the Anusarn building’s ground floor and several other nearby buildings. Everyone enjoyed hearing stories of local residents, learning details of the “colonial architecture”, and wandering into the interiors of several buildings which have been transformed from warehouses into cultural workshops and coffee shops.
The final presentation was given by Khun Danai Leosawathiphong, Managing Director of Siam Royal Orchid Collection which has been housed in the Anusarn Building for 46 years. The ROC creates handcrafted pieces from real orchids and flowers, aiming to support local women and offer unique souvenirs.
