The Golden Clock Tower at the centre of Chiang Rai was designed by Chalermchai Kositpipat, the same artist behind the White Temple. It is a very different kind of statement — ornate, gilded, and covered in Lanna-inspired decorative motifs. The tower was built as a gift to the city in 2008 and has become one of Chiang Rai's most photographed landmarks, though it is easy to be slightly baffled by its ambitions when you see it in daylight.
The real show is at night. At 7pm, 8pm, and 9pm, the tower is lit up with coloured lights and accompanied by music in a ten-minute display that draws crowds from the nearby night market. The effect is kitsch but cheerful, and the surrounding square is lively with food stalls and people taking photographs. Whether or not it's your kind of thing, walking past at one of the show times is part of spending an evening in central Chiang Rai.