The Curious World of Jim Thompson

It should be no secret that I am not a big fan of big cities in Southeast Asia; the main reason being the tropical climate and horrendous traffic. Even though we were there during the winter dry season, the heat and humidity were still oppressive even for us long-time New Yorkers. Although we visited Bangkok in the middle of winter, the maximum temperature during our visit was around 35 ° Celsius. It only took us a couple of minutes outdoors to be drenched in sweat. We were mentally and physically exhausted by the third day of our visit. Walking through the urban sprawl and crawling traffic, I can’t help but wonder whether any slice of pre-modern Bangkok survives.

For our flight to Bangkok, we were fortunate enough to fly business class with Thai Airways International. The amenity kits provided are co-branded with Jim Thompson, a celebrated Thai fashion brand renowned for its Thai silk. There is something about the unique pattern that piqued my interest. When I read online that the Jim Thompson House is one of the top tourist attractions in the city, I knew this would be the one museum I wanted to visit. Nestled on the bank of the Saen Saep Canal, this house museum is said to be a tranquil sanctuary in a sprawling concrete jungle. After a full day of temple hopping, we were happy to be here for a piece of tranquility.

Jim Thompson House is one of the city’s top tourist attractions.

Jim Thompson may not be a household name in the United States today, but he was once one of the most famous Americans in Southeast Asia. Born into a prominent family in Delaware, Thompson lived an eventful life that is worthy of a Hollywood movie. His mother, Mary Wilson Thompson, was an outspoken activist against Women's Suffrage. In a letter to President Woodrow Wilson, she once declared women in politics to be “dangerous, treacherous, and revengeful”. His father, Henry Thompson, owned and operated a major textile manufacturing business in Delaware. By all accounts, Thompson followed the typical life trajectory expected for a well-to-do upper-class American. He studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania and worked in a prestigious firm in New York City. He also indulged in the finer things in life, such as the arts and music.

Things began to change with the onset of the Great Depression and the outbreak of wars. Although the Thompsons were not financially impacted, he decided to quit architecture to enlist in the Delaware National Guard. He eventually joined the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the modern CIA. He worked covertly in Sri Lanka and North Africa during the war and arrived in Thailand shortly after the Japanese surrender. He was tasked with setting up OSS operations in the country and then worked as a military attaché until returning home in late 1946.

It did not take long before Thompson’s adventurous spirits brought him back to Thailand. He initially invested in a hotel but soon turned his attention to the textile industry, a field he was familiar with from his childhood. He was particularly interested in traditional silk production. At that time, Thai silk production was a small, unorganized cottage industry. He soon discovered that the silk weaving traditions were kept alive by a small community of ethnic Cham Muslim women, with lineage from modern-day Cambodia. These families were scattered across Bangkok, and there was no effort to organize among them until Jim Thompson came into the picture.

Interestingly, I used to keep silk worms as “pet” for school project.

Thompson’s Thai Silk Company, majority-owned by Thai investors, approached textile production very differently from most. Rather than setting up a centralized workshop, Thompson encouraged these women to continue producing the silks at their private homes, providing employment benefits and a guaranteed base income. This allows women flexibility to continue fulfilling their traditional roles as caretakers for the household. He would make personal visits to artisans' homes and personally befriended many artisans working under the company. Thompson helped upgrade their looms and organized a training network, introducing new designs and refining techniques from silk farming to silk printing.

A few rooms have climate control to conserve some of the more valuable artifacts.

What made Thompson’s silk company so successful is partly attributed to his extensive network of designers and tastemakers in the United States. His background in art and architecture proved very beneficial. Through him, Americans discover the artistry and quality of Thai silks. It gained international acclaim when Thompson’s silk was featured prominently in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, The King and I. Thompson not only revived the Thai silk industry but also made it a valuable export sought after worldwide. Interestingly, the domestic appetite for Thai silk is relatively limited due to its high cost and the way the fabric performs in a humid, tropical climate.

Through his extensive travel, Thompson amassed an impressive collection of Southeast Asian arts and artifacts, including wood carving, statues, carpets, and ceramics. To showcase his collections and entertain guests, he designed a half-acre private oasis filled with a grand traditional home and numerous pavilions. The lushly landscaped estate is an epitome of his life’s work. These structures here were disassembled and transported here from Ayutthaya and Bangkok’s Ban Khrua. They were faithfully reconstructed with two modifications. The main houses were elevated significantly above the ground, and he requested that the main staircase be placed in the center of the house, which is contrary to the typical traditional Thai houses. The architecture inevitably reminded me of the famous Amanpuri resort by Ed Tuttle.

His primary residence can be visited only on a guided tour, offering an intimate glimpse into Thompson’s extraordinary knack for collecting and infusing Western aesthetics into traditional Thai living. The most interesting space for me is the eclectic dining room, which features an Oriental crystal chandelier. One could only imagine the extravagant parties that took place here. With so many intricate architectural details and historical artifacts all around us, the tour could be a dizzying and disorienting experience. The house could be best described as a “cabinet of curiosity" in the classical sense.

Like all traditional Thai homes, this one features natural ventilation and a seamless connection with the outdoors. That may sound enticing until you realize that air conditioning is out of the question. I could hardly imagine living in Bangkok without air conditioning. Perhaps the tropical climate was more bearable eighty years ago. The heat and humidity in Thailand may be authentic, but they are detrimental to many delicate artworks hanging on the walls. Although the museum turned a couple of pavilions into climate-controlled galleries, many precious artworks were left out to decay.

As impactful as Jim Thompson was on the Thai silk industry, his claim to fame among many visitors is his mysterious disappearance in March 1967. By then, he had become a successful business magnate and was living a comfortable life. While on vacation with acquaintances in Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands, Thompson disappeared while taking a pre-dinner walk on his own. An intensive search, involving hundreds of locals and foreign personnel, began almost immediately. The search lasted eleven days and came up empty-handed. There was no evidence of foul play, kidnapping, or injuries. It was as if he just disappeared into thin air.

The circumstances of his disappearance were so mysterious that it did not take long for numerous conspiracy theories to emerge. Because he was a former OSS agent, many believed he had vanished to undertake another secret assignment for the American government elsewhere. Many in Thailand believe he was most likely kidnapped and murdered by business rivals. At the time of the disappearance, his company employed 1,300 artisans, and his products have become one of Thailand’s most prestigious cultural exports. Unfortunately, the cottage industry he championed eventually merged into a centralized factory in Korat.

Seven decades after his disappearance, Jim Thompson remains an iconic symbol synonmous Thai silk. With thirty retail outlets in Thailand, the brand and is still sought after all over the world. As expected, they constructed a modern annex housing a state-of-art gallery, restaurant, and a massive showroom. The architecture, deisnged by the Bangkok-based Supermachine Studio, is a work of arts in its own right. I was thankfully that neither of us were fashion forward; thus saving us from dropping hundreds of dollars at the store here.

Logically, there is a massive showroom/gift shop showcasing the most current offering from the company.

Besides Jim Thompson, another pivotal figure in the story of Thai silk is Queen Sirikit, the spouse of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, also known as King Rama IX. By wearing Thai silk extensively, she became the most effective ambassador for this traditional craft on the international stage. Her extensive international travel prompted her to become one of the foremost tastemakers in Thai fashion. She collaborated with the renowned French designer Pierre Balmain to create a stunning royal collection of Thai silk dresses, many of which are now on display at the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles, located on the grounds of the Grand Palace.

At the museum’s boutique shops, a small section is dedicated to White Lotus, an HBO anthology series with a massive cult following—the premise of the show centers on the drama of rich Westeners vacationing in an exotic destination. The most recent season was set in Thailand, specifically on the island of Ko Samui and Bangkok. The show’s creator, Mike White, has consistently excelled at incorporating local symbols and cultural icons into the production. Jim Thompson’s silk is widely featured throughout the episodes and provides the distinct aesthic of Thai luxury. It is great taht Thai silk is having another moment in pop culture because of the show. I am certain Jim Thompson would have been delighted.

The White Lotus collection at Jim Thompson.

For anyone who have watched the latest season, one of the more enigmatic character in the show might be Jim Hollinger, a wealthy co-owner of the fictional White Lotus wellness resort. The arc of his character is surprisingly similar to that of life of Jim Thompson. They both had a secretive chapter in their life in Southeasts Asia and ran a successful business empire. Even the character’s canal-side mansion looks awfully similar to the Jim Thompson House. One can’t help wondering if the choice the character’s first name was intentional. Brian and I jokingly refer to this trip as a unexpected White Lotus pilgrimage.

▲

Thai-Chinese Heritage in Bangkok