Khaw Soo Cheang Tomb (Ranong Governor's Cemetery)

On Rakhangthong Hill — Golden Bell Hill — on the edge of Ranong town stands the tomb of Khaw Soo Cheang (คอซู้เจียง), better known by his Thai noble title Phraya Damrongsucharit Mahisornphakdee. A Hokkien Chinese migrant from Fujian, he built a tin-mining and shipping business through the mid-19th century and was appointed Ranong’s first governor, founding the Na Ranong family whose descendants went on to govern Trang and Phuket. His youngest son, Khaw Sim Bee, is credited with introducing rubber cultivation to Thailand.

Experience

The tomb was built in 1883, a year after Khaw Soo Cheang’s death at around 86. King Rama V donated the hilltop plot — 375 sen and 300 square wa, a mark of royal favour rarely granted to a commoner — and the family commissioned a terraced stone platform, faced south, built up in tiers using granite shipped from China. Pairs of carved guardian figures flank the grave on the way up: fighting noblemen, court officials, horses, goats and tigers, each carrying its own symbolism of protection and status. They’re among the more unusual examples of 19th-century Sino-Thai funerary art in the country, and more than a century of tropical weather has softened the stone without erasing the detail.

The site is still ceremonially active. Newly appointed governors and senior provincial officials pay their respects here on taking office, and the local Chinese-Thai community returns each year during the Qingming festival to sweep the tomb and make offerings — a living link to Ranong’s tin-mining founders rather than a static monument. The Governor’s Residence, built by a later generation of the same family, and The Ranong City Pillar Shrine make natural companions on the same heritage trail.

Practical

Insider Tip: Visit in the early morning — the carved stonework on the guardian statues catches the low light best, and the hillside is markedly cooler before mid-morning.

Watch out: The tomb sits up a series of stone steps with little shade; bring water if you’re visiting around midday.

Entry is free, and the hilltop setting keeps the site quiet through the day. The tomb sits on Rakhangthong Hill off Route 4004 (the Ranong–Pak Nam road), on the right-hand side about 1 km from the town centre. View on Google Maps.