Wanmu Tea Garden (Xinyang, Henan producer) Dong Fang Mei Ren

 

first and second samples

third sample

I'm trying three more versions of another type of tea from the Wanmu Tea Garden (small factory producer), a Xinyang, Henan (China) tea producer.  There is a little more background on them from trying two yellow tea versions, that were exceptional, but I've still not turned up more depth of background.  Their website mentions a more history than that blog post, but nothing on this tea type.

These are presented as versions of Dong Fang Mei Ren, more commonly known in Western tea circles as either Oriental Beauty or Eastern / Asian Beauty (renaming around "oriental" moving to seem negative).  The other sample I have yet to try is described as an award winning black tea; it is probably a more standard offering type from them.  They would sell a tea like this, but may well be working out processing details, or which inputs make the best version of it.  

The review part goes into issues of it being true to type, and why to some extent that may not apply.  Some tea types are source-area limited, as pu'er is (from Yunnan), or Japanese tea versions (sencha, gyokuro, matcha, and others).  Teas like Wuyishan area oolongs or Longjing green tea could potentially be made from material from other places, but those are source limited too, so only versions from the original area would be authentic.  

It's my understanding that Dong Fang Mei Ren / Oriental Beauty is a style, relating to plant type, location input, and processed form, but that it's not tied to one origin area, beyond originating in Taiwan.  Good versions are made outside of Taiwan, in Thailand and Vietnam, produced by copying those three main inputs as closely as possible.  Those use plant types from Taiwan, which should also relate to using bug-bitten material.  

These teas are made using local plant types, so they won't be as similar.  I didn't know that when trying the first two samples, and had talked to my Wanmu contact prior to trying the third, to cover that by then.  So the goal, for them, might be to produce the best quality, most pleasant tea possible, using comparable but different inputs, that won't necessarily match the original aspect range closely.  Oxidation level is one main related concern, which I go into more in these notes.

Review:

#1, first infusion:  this looks a little lighter than the other, more golden and less towards golden-amber; it's surely less oxidized.  It will be interesting to see how that works out.

Flavor is interesting; very complex, covering more ground than is typical for just about any tea version or type.  It includes warm, rich, sweet tones and also some greener, lighter, more vegetal range.  It's a little early to say that's going to amount to a flaw or limitation but that's a natural early impression.  

The warm and rich flavors present are right for Dong Fang Mei Ren, which I still think of as Oriental Beauty.  There's honey sweetness and a citrus note, not extending into warm cinnamon type spice much, but it's complex in different directions, potentially including that.  Sure, I think it's there.  The vegetal note is along the line of green wood.  As a primary flavor input that wouldn't be good at all, but it balances better than it sounds in this.  

The feel has a bit of a related edge, almost implying bitterness is also present in the flavor.  It's in that space where feel and taste seem to overlap, astringency and bitterness.

#2:  interesting, also quite different.  I was expecting at least one of these to completely match the standard DFMR / OB flavor profile, but neither really do.  This is warmer and richer, and that part works.  Sweetness is ok; it would seem sweeter if there were more of an associated fruit note, which doesn't stand out, but there's some to make it balance.  There's a wood range flavor that's completely different than the mild green wood in the other, in this case more along the line of cured oak.  Someone might interpret that associated dry feel as linking with sourness, versus bitterness.  That's not how DFMR / OB goes.

I really thought that I'd be discussing how these fall well within standard DFMR range, describing how fruit in one compares to more cinnamon in the other, or something such.  Instead this might be about how they vary from that range.  These were presented as experimental tea versions, not a finished product that they've been producing for awhile.  That impression came from those yellow teas being absolutely spot-on for character, and very pleasant in aspect range.  Even great related to flavor complexity, cleanness, depth, and balance.  These two versions could be interpreted as showing flaws as much as promise, and falling much further from trueness to type.

Maybe that could relate to using a very different plant type material than what DFMR / OB is usually made from?  I don't know that part.  Of course processing also comes into play, and growing conditions inputs.  I'll try a lighter version of both; that may help them stand out more positively.

This makes me wonder what the third sample is like.  I won't know until I try it.

#1, second infusion:  it balances better.  Honey sweetness stands out as a dominant flavor this round, which is typically pleasant, in a lot of mixed flavor contexts.  This tastes a lot more like a good Jin Jun Mei I just tried at a favorite Chinatown shop recently than one would imagine it could.  I wonder if they could make something similar?

Fruit drops back, maybe extending into dried fruit more, maybe apricot.  The wood tone does soften, and for the most part transitions out.  It's not exactly type-typical for OB (I'll start writing the shorter form), but it's as close as these have been, and it's quite pleasant.  Feel is full, without much astringency, beyond that fullness.  You probably wouldn't think of green wood, or even vegetal range, when trying this, for this infusion.

#2:  this is better as well.  That wood tone has softened, with more complexity entering in.  Astringency hangs in there more, in that different form, but it decreases, with broader positive flavors making it balance better.  It is a lot closer to cinnamon spice; that's one decent interpretation for a main flavor input.  A good bit of wood offsets how one experiences that.  

It seems like oxidation level for both of these might be a little low, maybe less so for the second one, but possibly even for it.  Then maybe the material isn't as suited for this tea type, or at least it might not be able to duplicate how Taiwanese oolong material ends up in that form.  Looking up standard online references don't mention the plant type used, or at least the first two didn't, so I asked Google's AI to fill that in:

Oriental Beauty tea is made from a specific cultivar of the Camellia sinensis plant, but its unique flavor comes from being bitten by the tea green leafhopper. The insect bites damage the leaves, causing the plant to produce a special chemical reaction that creates a natural honey-like aroma and sweet taste. The tea is a type of oolong tea that requires this specific, pesticide-free process to achieve its distinct qualities. 

Plant: The base is the Camellia sinensis tea plant, with a cultivar often used being Chin-shin Dah-pang, notes Nih.

Insect: The tea green leafhopper (Jacobiasca formosana) bites the leaves, stems, and buds.

Flavor development: The insect bites trigger a defense response in the plant, leading to the production of chemicals like diol, which are converted into compounds like hotrienol during processing.

Pesticide-free: This process is only possible on tea plants that have not been sprayed with pesticides.

It's usually bug-bitten, as this covers.  I thought that Qing Xin / Chin Shin would've been a common plant type used, but one from Thailand I reviewed not long ago used a #17 variant, with good outcome.  Here's that review; it was from Tea Side (a Thai vendor selling Thai teas online), and that was the Ruan Zhi / Bai Lu cultivar, however one names that.

In looking up that reference I ran across lots I've written about lots of OB versions, from different places, made from different cultivars (plant types).  It would work to scan through another dozen posts here to get a feel for different range.  I won't go into what it means here here, but this covers lots of local Taiwanese cultivars / plant types:

this TRES / TTES content is off that agency site now, I think, so attribution would require some extra steps finding it on the wayback machine

#1, third infusion:  it's even better; this is evolving to taste a bit like bees' wax, not just honey.  That's really like Jin Jun Mei then (Fujian black tea from the Wuyishan area).  It's odd that it's so close, for being less oxidized (seemingly).  Kittichai, the Jip Eu Chinatown shop owner, just mentioned that good Jin Jun Mei should be a little less oxidized; it may relate to that, that the black tea style is also like that.

For flavor list this also includes a bit of citrus and dried fruit, and limited warm tone range, some mineral.  Feel is quite pleasant.  The vegetal edge is diminished, but I suppose a little is still there.  It's not that close to type-typical original OB but it's good.

#2:  warmer toned, which one would expect to match OB better, but that one wood flavor aspect and slightly dryer feel really throws that off.  It's also pretty good, but I suppose I like the first more.  It balances better, for the green wood and astringency generally dropping out.  This does include some fruit, but it's harder to appreciate as separate from a cured wood flavor range.  I tend to describe warm toned dried fruit as like tamarind, as a default, and it's not so far from that, just probably not so close either.  It probably works better to say it includes some dried Chinese date, jujube, and then a warm mineral tone that seems to link is really something else.

It's pleasant, but if this is an experimental tea it may not be quite there yet.  It's not balanced and pleasant enough.

Second review, the third type:

first infusion:  again a bit more vegetal than DFMR / OB tends to be.  The flavors are nice, bright, clean, and complex, but the range is completely different than that standard oolong type.  Some sort of warm tones are there, in the background, but this is mostly floral with some green wood sort of vegetal range, so completely different.  Maybe there's a touch of citrus fruit; I'll check again next round.

#2:  this tea is interesting for balancing between two different things.  On the one hand the astringency and vegetal range (mostly flavor related, not feel) ties to a lighter themed tea, not really a standard type that's easy to reference, but along the lines of green or light oolong.  Since it's a non-standard form it might come across as less approachable or positive, just due to being unfamiliar.  

Then on the other side it also balances well, and is clean and complex, so it has a range of positive character going for it.  It just doesn't completely "make sense," related to falling outside of expectations.  Not just for DFMR / OB, but related to the entire range of standard tea types.  In a sense it tastes like an adjusted version of a green tea, not an oolong.

Setting all that aside the actual aspects are pleasant.  It includes some kind of non-descript fruit and floral range, and that doesn't really oppose the vegetal range (towards "green").  That last aspect is closest to green wood, but it might be even closer to a somewhat unfamiliar vegetable type.  Bitterness is really moderate, but present, but the flavor isn't so far off bitter gourd.  If that's unfamiliar I suppose it's a little towards okra?

In talking to Gisele about these, that tea contact, who works for them, she said that it probably wouldn't match normal DFMR / OB character for using a different, local plant type, and for growing conditions being different.  And of course processing steps wouldn't be a complete match; this isn't oxidized as much.  She said that her understanding is the range for OB is 60 to 85% oxidation level, and I suppose that kind of works, even though that kind of designation is problematic.  80 to 85 might be more normal, probably even overlapping with the lower end range of black tea (Shai Hong, often more lightly oxidized Dian Hong, as a sun-dried variation).

#3:  a little more spice emerges, and the tone warms; this creeps a little closer to standard OB range.  Deeper fruit tones seem to pick up, replacing brighter range that had seemed split between floral tones and fruit earlier on.  It's dried fruit, along the line of dried apricot.  This may well be my favorite of these three versions, but the "#1" version was pretty good too.  The third, the second I tried, had a bit of warm cured wood flavor, and dryness of feel, that threw it off a bit, to me.

It's odd judging these based on my judgment.  I love Oriental Beauty, so that should work, but I don't love green tea range as much as all other tea types.  If it's especially vegetal, like Japanese green teas tasting like seaweed, that's not so pleasant, per my preference.  This vegetal range matches with other green tea range, I guess.  I suppose it should match with Xinyang Maojian, the main type they make in this area.

#4:  a hint of citrus picks up, maybe along the line of tangerine peel.  This is the best that it's been.  If tones were a good bit warmer, if this had been more oxidized, it might actually come closer to normal OB range.  It's still good, it's just a different kind of tea.  I'm not sure that vegetal edge would ever completely drop out, but more oxidation may transition it quite a bit.  Just a guess; I really wouldn't know.

Brightness is good, how clean this is in effect, and intensity and complexity.  Sweetness level is good.  Feel is fuller and richer than it sounds, given how one might expect astringency to pair with some bitterness and vegetal flavor range.  There is some astringency, but it's limited.  It's not full, round, and smooth as light oolongs tend to be, but there is some fullness to it.

A green tea drinker who also likes light oolong might absolutely love this.  But it's hard for me to see it from that kind of perspective.  

I completely "get" Dan Cong, and the clean nature, intensity, and refinement match for this, but the flavor profile is completely different (from that oolong type).  And the feel.  There is a characteristic astringency edge to lower quality Dan Cong that partly matches part of this better than the smooth, rich, full, approachable nature of higher quality Dan Cong versions.  I've always wondered what that's about.  Does it relate to using more whole leaf, to growing tea at higher altitude, to getting processing steps just right?  Maybe all of those, or maybe it's something else.

#5:  hanging in there; this is still the best it's been, which is quite pleasant.  Again I think this is my favorite of the three versions.  To review the flavor list, which I keep mentioning in relation to what changes, in order of intensity, this is balanced between expressing dried apricot, a bit of citrus, cinnamon, and a vegetal range note, now in between a wood tone and some type of gourd.  If it's easier to relate to that last vegetal aspect isn't far off the small eggplant version Thais often use, which is almost nothing like the purple eggplant used in the US.

It's good.  It's not very close to standard Taiwanese OB, but still pleasant.  Thai versions of OB (I've probably reviewed a half dozen here) are much closer to that, but it's not a fair comparison, since they've imported those Taiwanese oolong related plant types, and are trying to replicate the growing conditions and processing steps.  Same for Vietnamese versions.  This is something else, that has to be judged as something different.  The more you expect it to be "type-typical" the worse it comes out in judgment.  Judged as a varied form of OB that leans a little towards green tea two of these versions would seem exceptional.

Si Thep, an early Siam city-state, before Sukhothai

 

We just visited Phetchabun, to a place in the mountains, then back to Si Thep, the Siam kingdom (?) before Sukhothai.  It's tempting to describe that as the first kingdom of Siam, but this kind of large gap in my own awareness of "local" history has me wondering what else I'm not in on.  It turns out that I've read quite a bit on that, from visiting museums and monuments in different places, some of which is referenced here.  Of course this isn't going to be a research paper quality reference of that history, but I'll pass on what I learned, it just includes some gaps and errors, sure even after adding more parts.  Per Wikipedia it was really a city-state; we can start with that, provisionally.

Many people are familiar with the Ayutthaya and Sukhothai kingdoms and eras, to a limited extent.  You can go visit old temple ruins in both places (those are two distinct locations, the capitals of those kingdoms).  We've been to both enough times that I couldn't say how many.  Maybe only 3 to Sukhothai, or maybe more, but definitely more to Ayutthaya.  We were just there, and the time before that wasn't so long ago.

only part of one of many ancient Ayutthaya temples

visiting Sukhothai in 2021

that was for Loy Krathong, in November, a great time to visit there

Then there was also a state / kingdom in the north of Thailand, La Na, that is well-known.  I referenced that in the last description of visiting Ayutthaya, I just didn't mention it:

Maps like that give you an impression that the boundaries of these empires or states were clearly defined over a long period of time, and they may have kept shifting a bit instead.  It still works as general background; for an extended time that's probably roughly where those boundaries were, give or take some minor transitions.

The Si Thep state (or whatever it was) was described as starting 1300 years ago by our guide on that outing.  It might have been harder for them to pin down a specific date when it ceased to be, since it would've declined over time, perhaps for different reasons.  According to him it was well established when the ancient Cambodian (Khmer) state associated with Angkor Wat wasn't developed yet.  It's hard for me to know how to place all that he said though; it seems possible a lot was left out, and some parts could've been wrong.  Not wrong in the sense that he was badly informed, but related to the whole broad picture changing over time as new details emerge (which gets covered in more detail here).

Scanning the Wikipedia article on Si Thep must fill in some mostly correct background:

Hindu-influenced era: 6th–8th century CE

The second phase of occupation (c. 6th–8th century CE) was characterized by the expansion to the outer city. As the monarchy emerged, Vaishnavism took an important role in Si Thep's society, with relationships to India, Funan, Chenla, and Dvaravati cultures.[12] Si Thep was an urban Dvaravati culture center since the 6th century CE, and one of the earliest communities in Thailand that made contacts with India, attested in stone inscription K 978, written in Sanskrit with Pallava script dated to the 6th century CE. So, Si Thep was developed into an early state along with other early Southeast Asian states like Funan, Chenla, and Sri Ksetra.[13] Charles Higham reports of a 7th-century Dvaravati inscription from Si Thep that states, [a new king took the throne]. " A moat enclosed 4.7 square km, while the Khao Klang Nai structure (Thai: เขาคลังใน) dates from the 6th to 7th century.[14]: 303, 308–309 

Buddhism-influenced era: 8th–10th century CE

This phase (c. 8th–10th century CE) was the most prosperous. An irrigation system was developed, and Mahayana Buddhism influenced art as relationships with India, Dvaravati and northeastern cities continued. Si Thep, Sema [fr], and Lopburi sites controlled the routes in the region.[12] The growth of Si Thep led to the establishment of its neighboring city, Tha Rong (Thai: ท่าโรง), located 20 kilometers northward on the bank of the Pasak River, which was later renamed Wichian Buri during the reign of King Nangklao of Rattanakosin.[15] Via Buddhism, several historical evidences supports the connection between Si Thep and another group of Dvaravati-influenced political entities in present Northeast Thailand, Wen Dan.[16]: 91–92 

During this era, Si Thep, together with Lavo, was the center of the mandala-style state, Dvaravati; however, due to the weather-induced migration or the pandemic, Si Thep lost its prosperity, and Lavo became the only center of power in the area until it fell under Khmer hegemony during the 10th to 11th centuries.[17]

Rise of Angkorian: 11th–13th century CE

During this phase (c. 11th–13th century CE), Shaivism was a great influence in Si Thep at Angkorian times, and Si Thep had relationships with Phimai in Mun River basin as Sema [th] ceased to control the routes. Due to Jayavarman VII's policy, Si Thep lost importance and was almost abandoned around the 14th century.[12] Prang Song Phi Nong and Prang Si Thep were built in the 11th to 12th centuries.[14]: 303, 308–309 

After the decline of Si Thep in the 14th century, a new kingdom, Ayutthaya, was subsequently founded southward on the bank of the Chao Phraya River in mid-14th CE, as the succeeded state,[2] as its capital's full name referred to the mandalas of Dvaravati; Krung Thep Dvaravati Si Ayutthaya (Thai: กรุงเทพทวารวดีศรีอยุธยา).[18][19][20][21] The connection between the ancient Mon people, the predominant population of the Dvaravati, and the present-day Thai people in central Thailand, who are the inheritors of Siamese's Ayutthaya, was established in several genetic studies performed in the 20th century.

So they're describing it as a city-state, not really on par with a full-scale kingdom.  It was actually founded in the 4th century (300s CE), but seemed to rise to prominence in the 8th century, as described.  To place that in relation to the Sukhothai time-frame, Google offers this:  "The Sukhothai era (1238–1438) was the first Thai kingdom..."

Some parts of this are especially fascinating, to me.  Apparently there is very little for written references in relation to this city-state, in part because (as I understand it) earlier versions of modern Thailand hadn't developed written language prior to the Ayutthaya era.  My understanding isn't much of a guide, and what I learned from our actual guide didn't seem as convincing as it might have been, even though he worked for the local Fine Arts Department that manages those sites.

Let me elaborate.  It's only recently that they've excavated the sites we saw, and learned that many of them exist.  Of course parts were there to be seen continuously since those centuries back, but not as much as you might expect.  Even the giant main site structure had been buried by soil, or so we were told (by another local; they might've had that wrong).  A fallen down structure being buried and lost is understandable, but not a monument of that size, tens of meters tall.

Other parts were fascinating, and less speculative.  They definitely incorporated aspects of Buddhism and Hinduism in their monuments, and even Khmer artwork, presumably from later on.  As the time periods changed apparently they kept updating design aspects and inclusions.  Indian influence was primary, but not the only external source.  They made parts of the monument, the one in the historical area section, from concrete, a technology our guide said that they would have imported from India.  Of course the Romans did a lot with concrete long before this time-frame, but it's especially fascinating to me that during Europe's "dark ages" they lost the technology to make it (even though it would seemingly be from a very simple recipe).

Across all of this experience it seemed especially odd to me that I'd never heard of Si Thep.  Or actually I probably had; when we visited Lopburi a lot of the historical references in a museum there would've covered that time-frame [or possibly not, per looking up museum display references, cited in a different section here], and that background, and according to our guide some very important artifacts from Si Thep are kept there.  That we saw, no doubt, whether or not the whole background was clear.  

I'm just not great with keeping track.  Of course it was amazing to me three years ago, during that visit, that Thai history was that much more complicated than I had been aware, but not much of a detailed timeline stuck with me.  The more ancient parts were especially fascinating, from 3000 years ago or more, but I'm skipping covering that here.

we hiked up this earlier in the day, which is more difficult than it looks

good views up there

this very zoomed-in temple was playing music we could hear up there, maybe 8 km away

our guide was great, and that historical site dog joined in as a greeter

very old Buddha cave-art in a cave at the top

Lopburi museum reference:

I looked up a museum exhibit reference we visited in Lopburi in December 2022 to see what it said about this history, and if possible about Si Thep:

Si Thep is an hour and a half drive from Lopburi, north of there, so although it's possible that the map scope extends further up, and I cut it off, it seems more likely that Si Thep just didn't make this reference list and map graphic.  It was definitely from that time period, and also heavily influenced by Indian culture, as they describe, but it just wasn't mentioned here.  Strange.

But then if this museum content was from prior to 5 to 10 years ago and much of the scope of ruins at Si Thep were unknown then the omission makes sense.  It just wouldn't have seemed like there was that much up there, never mind a large city-state center complex, and massive monument, second only to Borobudur (in Java, Indonesia) in size from that early time period, according to our guide.  Let's take a look at that, even though similarities or differences might not stand out at a glance:

it's big (from Dec. 2015)

seemingly related to Buddhism

Of course this isn't a claim about tight linkage in background themes between Si Thep and Borobudur, in Indonesia.  Our guide said that it's the only other larger related time period monument in SE Asia.  One might naturally wonder how the later temples at Siem Reap fit into this.  I won't get too far into that, since it's another long history that I'm not all that familiar with, even though I've been there twice.  But citing more related background, about visiting another place, does partly link it together.  

On a separate trip we visited a related Khmer temple at the edge of Thailand, in Sa Kawo province, again in December 2022, which related to this:

Thai fine arts department page on the temple:

Prasat Sdok Kok Thom is located at Nong Ya Kaeo village, Moo 6, Tambon Khok Sung, Amphoe Khok Sung, Sa Kaeo Province and away from the border of Thailand – Cambodia about 1 kilometer.

It was originally called “Prasat Muang Phrao”, and then Prasat Sadok Kok Thom and Prasat Sdok Kok Thom. The word “Sdok Kok Thom” is Khmer language, “Sdok”came from “Sadok” which meant to overgrown, “Kok” meant to reeds, and “Thom” meant to large. Therefore, “Sdok Kok Thom” meant to overgrown with large reeds.

The religious place was built in 1595 B.E., in the reign of King Uthai Thitayavarman II (1593 – 1609 B.E.) to bestow the Brahmin who left the buddhist monkhood named “Sri Chayantaravarman” or his former name “Sadashiva”. This Brahmin was a son-in- law of King Suryavarman I and also an officiant who performed the Royal Coronation Ceremony to King Uthai Thitayavarman II.2

Prasat Sdok Kok Thom was constructed by the style of Khmer architecture.

Those dates are a little confusing because they're based on the Thai dating that sets the time of the Buddha to zero, not Jesus's birth (it's 2568 now; they're 543 years apart).  A related Wikipedia page converts parts over:

Udayadityavarman II (Khmer: ឧទ័យាទិត្យវរ្ម័នទី២) ruled the Angkor Kingdom from 1050 to 1066 A.D. He was the successor of Suryavarman I[1]: 137  but not his son; he descended from Yasovarman I's spouse.

He built the Baphuon Temple to honor the god Shiva, but some of the sculptures are dedicated to Buddha. He also completed the construction of the West Baray reservoir and built the West Mebon, a raised-earth island in the center.[1]: 138 [2]: 103 [3]: 371 

The Sdok Kak Thom temple, located near the present day Thai town of Aranyaprathet, was also constructed during his reign. The temple was home to a gray sandstone stele, 1.51 meters high, with a detailed inscription that recounted the sequence of previous Khmer kings. 

This was from that temple:

And it looks like this:

It loses a little for people who don't read Thai, but this helps place it and other early somewhat local monuments:

Note that the time-frame for that temple fell between 1050 and 1066 (the beginning of the "Angkorian phase," in that other reference), with the main Buddhist related and most prosperous Si Thep time period falling between the 8th and 10th centuries (700s to 900s CE).  Our guide's reference to the main temple being 1300 years old corresponds to this, but that really was the second phase of Si Thep's development, with an earlier Hindu era from the 6th to 8th centuries.

That's probably basically what our guide had been describing.  The mix of different dates tied to different parts of the two sites we visited was probably a little confusing to me, but spelled out more clearly in those text citations it all comes together.

Additional thoughts on the Light and Sound show:

Is anyone still with me, through all of these tangents?  During that light and sound show one thing that came to mind was considering how authentic any presentation about that history could be.  I asked our guide, and he said that they tried to make the clothing (costumes) period specific, based on what little they could find of formal clothing back then.  It wouldn't have been much.  They were dressed like these guys:

Who were "holding up" part of the temple monument here:

I didn't get a good broad-angle shot of that monument section, so here's one from a virtual tour page hosted by the Thai Fine Arts Department that manages the site:

I guess that it doesn't look like much, but for something 1300 years old that was generally lost to time for an extended period it's still impressive, just probably not in good condition compared to the original form.  Of course they have more on the history from other sources; it wouldn't only be based on those ruins, as already covered here.  This reference covers the general area, with background on both sites that we visited, Khao Klang Nai (the Si Thep Historical Park) and Khao Klang Nok, the other monument where the light and sound festival was held.

On the subject of how "lost to history" monuments of this scale could be this was from the Sadok Kok temple we visited in Sa Kaeo province, the one that was part of the Khmer empire:

In 1901 a French explorer told the outside world that it was there.  Thais already knew that, but the historical context and meaning they probably weren't as clear on, although they probably also knew that it was a part of the Cambodian (Khmer) empire.  One particular stone with a lot of writing described important parts of the Khmer history in detail; that's what the citation means "inscriptions discovered there are more important than any inscriptions in Cambodia."  This Wikipedia source on Sdok Kok Thom describes that in detail:

The inscription (classified K. 235) is a 340-line composition, in both Sanskrit and ancient Khmer, carved on a gray sandstone stele 1.51 meters high that stood in the northeast corner of the temple's court. Dating to 8 February 1053, it recounts two and a half centuries of service that members of the temple's founding family provided to the Khmer court, mainly as chief chaplains to kings. In laying out this long role, the text provides a remarkable and often poetically worded look at the faith, royal lineage, history and social structure of the times.

Back to the event theme, it seems like the prints of that period costume fabric would only be an interpretation drawn from later time periods.  The jewelry worn in the dancing they probably didn't have; according to our guide from early relics found they were using copper and tin (so brass, or other alloys), instead of gold in Thailand in that early period.  Of course there couldn't really be a reference to music from then, or dancing style; there isn't much written about the local history and culture, at all.  

So a lot of what we saw in that show was from general, modern Thai culture, informed by the Ayutthaya and Sukhothai era background.  They had the ancient king (in the story) pay respect to Shiva (I think it was him; a Hindu god, at least), so they at least mixed in a little related story line.  I suppose if that particular monument structure was created during the later Buddhist period it might not have all synced.

the related festival sales booths parts were nice

One last tangent:  for being from a rural area myself (in PA) I love small towns in Thailand, and Si Thep had a great feel to it.  We walked around a market area in town and found all sorts of great food for next to nothing, buying fruit and snacks to go with it.  Walking around that festival people seemed incredibly relaxed and friendly, familiar from my own earlier days.  I suppose they're still like that back there now; I visited last a year ago (rural PA), and people there are nice.  As they are in Si Thep.

I would highly recommend Bangkok locals or expats go and check it out.  It's like visiting Sukhothai before developed tourism shifted everything there to a tourism themed hotel, hostel, restaurant, or gift shop.  Actually Sukhothai and Ayutthaya are both great too (you'd be crazy to not eat boat noodles visiting the latter), perfect places to rent a bike and check out at a slow pace, or just to walk around.  But Si Thep adds a local small-town feel, at the cost of them still developing the museum display side of things.

if you do hike up that mountain wear pants (there are mosquitos), carry plenty of water, and take your time

Visiting Ayutthaya, Thailand's ancient capital

 

Time to switch this to a travel blog theme.  There is no specific point in describing a weekend outing, and usually I don't, but I wanted to share some pictures, so I will this time.  There's a point I'll cover about Thai versus US culture at the end, that somehow really stood out to me in a modern mall there.

Ayutthaya is the newer of two old capital cities in Thailand, with Sukhothai being the earlier version.  Going back Thailand had changed size and coverage area in the past, as Siam, so that there was also a Northern capital of a different empire earlier on, the Lanna kingdom.

more on this in a Wikipedia page

This trip was barely over 24 hours, so we didn't get around to visiting any museums.  Ayutthaya is an hour and a half drive north of Bangkok, so it's convenient for a short trip.  Eye (my wife) is a trained tour guide, so she would sometimes start in about deeper history, but it was nice for me to just enjoy the surroundings.  We've been there a few times, so I've already heard it, and it doesn't stick.

We checked out a 500 baht a night hotel there when we first arrived, but it was too rough, so we stayed in the last hotel we stayed in there, Ayotayah, which was 890 instead (maybe $25; not bad).  It's especially nice because it's close enough to the temple areas, which are spread out, that you can rent a bike right beside the hotel and bike a few blocks over.  That rental cost 60 baht for one bike and 80 for the other; around $2 each.  It's definitely budget travel.

I'll say a little about the temples but this isn't that sort of post, about providing the history.  The names of those places barely stuck with me while I was in them.

not bad for a $25 hotel room

a bit basic as pools go, but 5 years ago our kids would have loved it

Korean barbecue the night before, or mu kratha, the Thai variation

lots of choices of bikes, and of course the two we picked were a little janky

iconic Buddha statue head in a tree at Wat Mahadat

she is a great travel companion, truly in her element

it was up to 35 C that day, in the upper 90s F

boat noodles are the standard local food, 20 baht for a small bowl

20 baht for a coconut too (60 cents), perfect on a hot day

lots of the biking was around park area spaces and ponds

we did pay respects in a few places

sort of controversial now, many say riding elephants isn't ethical.  after a few centuries of them being domestic working animals it comes down to how the chairs impact them.

Guan Yin; there is some more recent Chinese influence

at the last temple--all in one afternoon, basically--the river was held back by a wall nearby

the raised temple area wouldn't have flooded anyway, but the plain area would have

lights in the trees were just coming on at sunset when they closed

A mall outing, and observation about Thai modern culture

We visited a local mall after the last temple, for dinner.  Malls are pretty common in Bangkok and elsewhere; there were two shopping centers near each other on the way there and back.

The dinner wasn't much, some food court food, and basic fare from a food festival.  That's a good place to pick up Thai snacks or deserts, or Thai sausages, both of which we bought (a custard).  The feel was nice there, informal, comfortable, functional.  There were a couple of people singing on a stage; I suppose that was a nice touch, although it seemed lively enough without it.  

they put grocery stores in malls, making it convenient to eat dinner and grocery shop there

It's hard to describe the feel, why it seems so familiar and comfortable to me.  It's something I've been considering a lot in different ways lately, why Thai cultural context feels at home to me, when I'm an outsider.  I think I've put part of it together.

Thais value social connections, in a way that would have been more familiar to Americans in the 80s and 90s.  Malls are an obvious part of that, but it goes beyond that.  It's easy to miss in that last photo but they do have delivery of all sorts of foods (the Lineman guy on a motorcycle image, center left), and of course online shopping platforms like Amazon (Shopee and Lazada).  But people collect in public spaces, often as families.  I saw two dads playing with little girls, about 8 or 9, at two different times there, reminding me of Kalani loving outings, any outings, and shared time with our family.

Kind of a tangent, but they had even celebrated Halloween at the other mall, which we stopped at the day before:

So malls have people in them, and celebrate "Western" holidays.  I don't think what I really mean is clear yet.

I live in Honolulu part time, however many months a year, and people there really value family connections, other social ties, and outdoor experiences, which are often shared.  They're not isolated in their homes, watching streaming content while ordering food, groceries, and everything else off Amazon.  Some are; I mean that the local culture retains plenty of that older connected feel.

My parents live in rural PA, and I visited DC last year for a week, both a year ago, so transitions in the mainland aren't completely unfamiliar.  I don't want to overstate it; things aren't terrible there, with everyone hiding out at home, avoiding public shootings, crime, and homeless encampments.  But to me the feel isn't quite as relaxed.  Maybe in a rural area it still is; the pace of life is as slow as you want it to be, and going out and taking a walk is a common theme.  People still value family, if they're in a close family.  And it's stunningly beautiful back there, nature and the seasons:

But there's an underlying tension.  People spend a lot of their time online, scrolling to see the status of countless negative diversions, related to the political divide, wars and conflict, crime, economic troubles, and so on.  It's natural to avoid some of that by cutting back on it, and catch up on some streamed content.  

I don't feel unsafe almost anywhere I ever go in the US, even walking by homeless people camps in Honolulu, but themes like that require that you heighten your awareness, and track what might go badly around you.  People wearing ordinary clothes or personal style appearances, like an American flag shirt or blue hair, could trigger feelings about the opposing side of that political divide.  Of course an actual political protest makes that more explicit.  They have those in Bangkok too; there's a semi-permanent one a few blocks from our house.  Maybe Thais bitterly hate "the other side," as is common in the US.  It's my impression that it's not a pervasive a lifestyle input, an identification that ties to a broad set of other themes, but that could be wrong.

I like it that my family are rednecks, that shooting guns and hunting are the fabric of their lives.  One might wonder if racism doesn't go with that, if some people "back there" might hate my kids, for being half Asian.  I'm sure that plenty of people on Oahu don't like me, because I'm white.  Thais don't just set it aside; I'm a complete outsider.  I've never noticed much overt animosity related to that, but it's not entirely positive either.

Somehow through all this I'm claiming that Thais experience the simpler, more socially open, less divided times the US went through in the 80s and 90s.  To be clear I think the political divide back there is largely artificially maintained, a diversion that's fueled by a propaganda based divided media.  Part of that might be as much a conspiracy as it sounds like I'm framing it to be, that it's easier to manage a populace that isn't divided by rich and poor, instead by left and right, even though that is the main division people really experience.  Trump and the Republicans let the government shut down in order to squeeze even more billions out for the benefit of wealthy corporations.  Biden and those before him do more of the same than actually reforming anything, and people don't really notice either.

Then the other parts of "late-stage capitalism" seem to have little to do with a natural end state of that free market based economy.  The crime, shootings, drug epidemics, homelessness; it's part of the wealth divide run amuck, and just as much a natural outcome of cost of living making inputs like a manufacturing base impossible to maintain.