It probably sounds like a big cliche to talk about Wat Phra Kaew. And it is indeeded a huge challenge for photography to choose Wat Phra Kaew as its subject, because all the possible aspects that have ever existed of this place must have been portrayed and reproduced too many times already. By saying the words "photo" and "Wat Phra Kaew", most people are probably already turn off and want to hear no more what have to say next.

To visualize what the society was like then, you can think about some social context. For example,

It was the time when General Prem Tinsulanonda was Prime Minister.After numerous events of political violence and continuous coup d'etats, Thailand had been in the eyes of the world a closed country of simply unknown and nonexistent. So it was the time of a new chapter of Thailand. Westerners began to take an interest in traveling here, a third-world country that has just opened itself.

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In another way, Wat Phra Kaew was the culture of "oath-making". From newspaper headlines to

TV news, From ordinary people, husband and wives, TV stars, athletes, to politicians and beyond. Especially politicians. It probably safe to say  there hasn't been any government in the past that

did not perform oath-making in front of the Emerald Buddha - Wat Phra Kaew Morakot.

This must be a concrete evidence that proves how sacred this place is to Thai people.