Bangkok Utopia: Modern Architecture and Buddhist Felicities, 1910–1973.

Prior to those chapters, Chua provides detailed explanations on the historical and cosmological frameworks of inquiry, notably how spiritual beliefs had contributed to the creation and growth of Bangkok. Here, Chua explores the conflicts between the absolutist reign of King Vajiravudh (Rama VI, r. 1910-25) and Chinese immigrants that shaped the perceptions of public space in early twentieth-century Siam. An ambitious and accomplished work, I Bangkok Utopia i discusses the politics of representations in architecture and urban space in twentieth-century Siam and Thailand. [Extracted from the article]