LECTURE SERIES AYUTTHAYA: ANCIENT CAPITAL, NEW PERSPECTIVES

About this lecture

October 1371 Zhao Yan-gu-man (เจ้าอินท-กุมาร), representative of the king of Siam arrived at the Ming Court together with Lu Zong-jun, the Chinese envoy who travelled to Ayutthaya the previous year to announce the establishment of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). The Siamese delegate brought trained elephants, a six-legged tortoise and local products as tribute for the Chinese Emperor. The tributary trade relations between Siam and the Middle Kingdom lasted over 480 years. According to Ming Shi-lu, in September 1383, Emperor Hongwu’s envoy confer 32 bolts of patterned fine silks interwoven with gold thread and 19,000 pieces of porcelain upon the king of Siam.

However, most surviving ceramics are not imperial but every day ware or trade porcelain. These porcelains found their way to Ayutthaya through private junks and pirate trading networks during the 15th to 18th century. The lecture (in English) will tell the story of Siam’s Chinese community within the framework of Ayutthaya’s Tributary Relations with China through objects including porcelain shards found in Ayutthaya and artifacts found in Thai private collections that have been largely inaccessible to the public. It would be an excellent opportunity to view the treasures of the past, including Ayutthaya made-to-order blue-and-white and Bencharong from the author’s collection during the one-day exhibition accompanying the launch of her new book in Thai, ส่องลายคราม สืบหาจีนกรุงศรีฯ.

The exhibition will begin at 10:30, with a special remark from Mr Sulak Sivaraksa, following by the talk in English until 12:00. The Siam Society members are welcomed to join the book launch with a talk in Thai at 15:30.