Chang-Sip-Mu — the declining heritage
See "The College in the Court", Learning Post, page LPLesson by Boon Boonprayoon
As Bangkok and its people strive to keep up
with the rapid changes of the modern world and culture, one part of our
living heritage, the chang-sip-mu, are gradually being
forgotten. As a result, the number of craftsmen has
declined.
This group has created great traditional architecture and artifacts portraying the grandeur of
Thailand through the rise of the Chakri dynasty.The school that trains this group of traditional artists was once called Suan Kularb Palace Adult School or the College in the Court when it was still under of the Bureau of the Royal Household. Now, it is now under the care of the Ministry of Education and its name has been changed to Kanjanapisake Non-formal Education Centre.
The story tells you about the 10 techniques of creating our national works of art and the reason why the number of the craftsmen has gradually declined. You will also find out what HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has done to ensure that the art of chang sip mu will be around for future generations to enjoy. You can find out more about the College in the Court from its website.
There are loads of unfamiliar words and expressions in this story but do not be discouraged! As you read through the story, look carefully at difficult sentences. Try finding the noun phrase that works as a subject of the sentence and a verb phrase that works as a main verb. Nouns in the story are often modified by adjectives to make vivid pictures of our splendid heritage. The meaning of difficult adjectives are provided at the end of the reading.
When you finish reading, try to work on the cloze test exercise at the end. It will help strengthen your grammatical proficiency.
strive - to do something in a planned and determined way
heritage - the history, traditions and qualities that a country or society has had for many years and that are considered an important part of its character
craftsmen - skilled person, especially one who makes beautiful things by hand
artifact - an object that is made by a person, especially something of historical or cultural interest
portray - to show or illustrate
grandeur - the quality of being great and impressive in appearance; splendour
Vocabulary from the story (by topic)
shimmering - shining with a soft light that seems to move slightly
awe - feelings of respect and slight fear; feelings of being very impressed by something
awe-inspiring - impressive; making you feel respect and admiration
founder - a person who starts an organization, institution
opulent - made or decorated using expensive materials; luxurious
tapering - to become gradually narrower; to make something become gradually narrower
gilded - covered with a thin layer of gold or gold paint
spire - a tall pointed structure on the top of a building, especially a church
artifact (or artefact) - an object that is made by a person, especially something of historical or cultural interest
sumptuous - very expensive and looking very impressive
trappings - the possessions, clothes, etc. that are connected with a particular situation, job or social position
craftsmen - a skilled person, especially one who makes beautiful things by hand
arcane - secret and mysterious and therefore difficult to understand
decline - to become smaller, fewer, etc.
heritage - the history, traditions and qualities that a country or society has had for many years and that are considered an important part of its character
devote to - to give an amount of time, attention, etc. to something
preserving - to keep something in its original state in good condition
threw open its door - to allow people to enter or visit a place where they could not go before
under the auspices of - with the help, support or protection of somebody or something
funding - money for a particular purpose; the act of providing money for such a purpose
The 10 techniques
distinct - clearly different or of a different kind
quintessential - the most important features
mural - a painting, usually a large one, done on a wall, sometimes on an outside wall of a building
depict - to show an image of something in a picture
inlaid - decorated with designs of wood, metal, etc. that are set into the surface
mother-of-pearl - pearl
feature - to have an important part in something
intricate - having a lot of different parts and small details that fit together
apprenticeship - a period of time working as an apprentice (a young person who works for an employer for a fixed period of time in order to learn the particular skills needed in their job)
Making ends meet
make ends meet - to earn just enough money to be able to buy the things you need
adhere to [a form] - to follow a particular set of beliefs or a fixed way of doing something
burden - duty, responsibility, etc. that causes worry, difficulty or hard work
solely - only
to be royally commissioned - to be officially asked by the royal family to write, make or create something or to do the task
Southern influences
tailor - to make or adapt something for a particular purpose, a particular person, etc.
restive - unable to stay still, or unwilling to be controlled, especially because you feel bored or not satisfied
hybrid - something that is the product of mixing two or more different things; mixture
miniature - very small; much smaller than usual
impoverished - very poor; without money
For a more precise meaning of the 10 techniques, I have provided more information on the 10 techniques in Thai here.
Today's activity
A Cloze test is intended to assess the student's ability in comprehension. Sometimes, the test is designed to test the student's knowledge of grammar, too. For the latter purpose, the student has to be aware of the sentence structure in order to choose the correct answer. In doing so, you have to find the subject and the verb of the sentence. Then you start looking for the other parts of the structure such as an adjective that works as the complement or adverb to gives more detail to the main verb.
Many adjectives can be used both before a noun and after a linking verb. Here are examples:
Attributive adjectives (used before a noun): the western bank of the Chao Phraya River
in the noun phrase 'western' is an adjective modifying 'bank of the Chao Phraya River'
Predicative adjectives (used after a linking verb): It is the country where corruption is rife. (rife means common)
in this sentence 'rife' is an adjective modifying 'corruption'
Choose the best answer from the list at the end without looking back at the story:
When the sun sets on the western bank of Chao Phraya River, the shimmering (1) __________ roof tiles of Bangkok's Grand Palace rarely fail to inspire awe.
Built in 1783 by the founder of the Chakri Dynasty, King Rama I, the 218,4000 square-metre palace compound used to serve as government offices and the king's (2) ___________ residence.
Today, the palace's opulent halls and (3) ___________ gilded spires house many of Thailand's most (4) ___________ works of art and (5) __________ artifacts, and the sumptuous temple complex that lies at its heart, Wat Phra Kaeo, draws millions of visitors each year.
But, as modern life moves further away from the trappings of tradition, the number of craftsmen trained in the arcane skills that shaped the palace has declined. As a result, evidence of Thailand's (6) ____________ heritage is now seldom seen outside temples, museums, or preserved (7) __________ buildings.
With (8) __________ skills in danger of being forgotten, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn helped established a college devoted to teaching and preserving Thailand's chang sip mu, or 10 traditional crafts.
While chang sip mu once referred to the (9) ___________ artists and craftsmen who would pass knowledge down from generation to generation, today the term is broadly used to define a set of 10 (10) ___________ techniques used in traditional Thai arts.
1. a. gold b. golden
2. a. office b. officer c. official
3. a. tapering b. taper c. taperred
4. a. importance b. important
5. a. religious b. religion c. religiously
6. a. architectural b. architecture c. architects
7. a. history b. historical c. historic
8. a. traditional b. traditionally c. tradition
9. a. origins b. originally c. original
10. a. distinctive b. distinction c. distinct