Sharing Ideas Around the Globe

Dear Boys and Girls,

In all my travelling around I have had a chance to see what happens when people from different cultures come together with open minds and share ideas with each other in a positive and friendly way.  The result is beautiful!

 

A European mansion in Phuket Town.

In Old Town Phuket, a good example of this sharing can be seen in historical houses that line the streets.  Built in a Sino-Portuguese style, these houses are a mix of Chinese (the Sino part) and Portuguese architecture.  A long time ago, Chinese citizens worked in Phuket in the tin mining industry and the Portuguese came as visitors interested in the work that they were doing.  During these visits, ideas were exchanged and one of the things the Portuguese showed the Chinese workers was how they liked to build their homes back in Portugal.  The Chinese liked what they were shown and they started to build their houses in Phuket just like them, but still with a Chinese touch.

The buildings along Thalang, Krabi and Debouk Road are all excellent examples of the
sharing that happened between the Chinese and the Portuguese.

These Sino-Portuguese buildings were built so that residents could both work and live in the same structure.  Your shop would be downstairs, and the rest of the building would be your home. 

You can find this kind of fusion (when two cultures come together and share ideas) in cooking, language, music, and just about anything else you can think of.  Can you remember a time when you shared an idea with a friend and worked together to produce some "fusion" of your own?

Can't wait to hear all about your sharing,
Mr. P