By Robert Carmichael
May 27, 2011
Phnom Penh - Whether you are a city resident or a foreign tourist, the chances are that one of the 3,000 vendors at Phnom Penh's Central Market has what you want.
Some stock all manner of food - meat, fish, rice, fruit and vegetables. Others sell a lot more - from stationery to pirated DVDs, electronics to clothing and the ubiquitous tourist trinkets.
The art deco Central Market with its vast central dome with four wings radiating off at right angles, was built in 1937 when Cambodia was under French colonial rule. For a time, its 45-metre-diameter dome was the sixth-largest in the world.
Cambodians call it Psar Thmei, which means the New Market, but decades of neglect meant the building and its surrounds had become rundown.
That has now changed. On Wednesday, the market was inaugurated for a second time after a 6-million-dollar refurbishment, courtesy of the French development agency Agence Francaise de Developpement in cooperation with city hall.
The agency's country head, Eric Beugnot, said motivation for the renovation, which began in earnest in January 2009, was twofold: The first was to refurbish an established landmark of the capital, but more importantly, renovating the market with its thousands of stallholders and central location would maintain Phnom Penh's economic heart.
'In every big city, there are concerns about economic life in the city centre,' he said. 'Most activities in new towns are at the periphery, so it's important if we want a city with equilibrium in economic life that we [maintain] some spots.'
The market's construction was meant to signal the start of a new era for Cambodia, but the next half-century went from bad to worse as the nation went through civil war, the Khmer Rouge takeover and then more civil war.
By the turn of the millennium, the country was at peace, but the building, which was still in use, was in a bad way. City authorities and the French development agency discussed how to undertake the work, the first since it had been built.
The renovation has seen a facelift for the main building as well as a new drainage system and improved sanitation. The hundreds of vendors based outside the main building, who previously huddled under umbrellas and tarpaulins during tropical downpours, now have a wave-shaped concrete roof over their heads.
The Central Market is an important part of life for the citizens of Phnom Penh, but it is also a key draw for tourists.
Those tourists are who 28-year-old vendor Srey Mao targets. She sells leather belts, bags and wallets, all branded with designer names such as Armani, Gucci, Dolce and Gabbana, Louis Vuitton or Mont Blanc. She cheerfully admits they are all knock-offs.
Like most vendors, Srey Mao is pleased with the new look. Her outdoor stall benefits from the new concrete roof, and that means business is up. Costs are up too, but not by much. She said the stallholders are happy.
'The market also looks much nicer than before, especially the walkways between the stalls,' Srey Mao said. 'In the past, we always had problems with the rain. It used to get very wet, but they have fixed that. It's a big improvement.'
Beugnot said Cambodia's tropical climate and long rainy season meant the restoration teams worried whether the steel and concrete dome in the main building was structurally sound.
'The main surprise is that without any renovation during more than 70 years and after probes of the concrete of the dome, the state of the concrete was excellent, so the building was very sound,' Beugnot said.
Inside the market under that high central dome, vendor Srey Mah, who has sold jewellery there for 20 years, said the surroundings are much improved.
'It looks so much nicer, especially the new roof they built for the outside area that had umbrellas and tarpaulins,' she said. 'Inside, it is much more comfortable with the fans they have installed.'
Beugnot said the fans work with the building's design to help beat the steamy hot season when daytime temperatures can reach 40 degrees. The Central Market's reliance on airflow, he said, makes it 'a model for natural air-conditioning.'
'It was built nearly 80 years ago,' he said, 'but it could be an example for modern buildings.'
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