Lhong 1919

This guide to Lhong 1919 in Bangkok opens in 2015, when pipes were falling off the walls and fifth-generation heir Saran Wanglee had to decide what to do with the riverside compound his family had owned since 1919. It follows the site back further still, to a steamship pier founded in 1850 by a Thai-Chinese merchant, and the wave of Chinese immigrants who stepped ashore here for the first time. You'll hear how the family's restoration stripped back the walls and uncovered murals no one knew were there. Step toward the shrine at the courtyard's heart before you leave.