This post was originally published on South China Morning Post.
Thai-Chinese family’s rise from shophouse to conglomerate is a slice of Bangkok history
In the 1920s, a young Cheng Ni-tiang made several trips from his native Hainan Island to what was then Siam, eventually bringing his family – including firstborn son Hok Seng – to settle in the kingdom.In 1927, he opened a sundries shop in suburban Thonburi, located across the Chao Phraya River from both the historic city centre and bustling Yaowarat – Bangkok’s Chinatown. But it wasn’t until 1947 that the family business, under the impetus of the grown-up son, became the Central Trading…