Northern Thailand - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 890

NORTHERN THAILAND
With much of today's Thailand resembling relatively flat farmland, it is surprising to en-
counter the mist-shrouded peaks and valleys that crown the northern reaches of Thailand.
Traders and migrants from Asia's mountainous interior trickled through the river valleys
bringing with them commerce and cultural attributes now geopolitically partitioned into the
Yunnan Province of China, Shan state in Myanmar and the various provinces of northern
Thailand. These migration routes were a southern spur of the so-called Asian silk route and
these mountains are the final southeastern stretch of the great Himalayan range that acted
as both a barrier and a conduit. The most enduring symbol of northern Thailand's connec-
tion to such seemingly foreign locales as the Tibetan highlands are the minority hill tribes,
some of whom claim Tibetan origin but have now dispersed throughout the high-altitude
valleys of the region hoping to preserve their traditional way of life.
The history and culture of northern Thailand was shaped by the Lanna kingdom (literally
'Million Rice Fields'), which is believed to have originated near present-day Chiang Saen,
a border town on the west bank of the Mekong River. In the 13th century, the kingdom mi-
grated south through Chiang Rai and finally settled in Chiang Mai. It prospered through co-
operation with Sukhothai and other city-state neighbours until its defeat in 1556 by the
Burmese. The occupation lasted 200 years until the Thai military leader Phaya Taksin
began his campaign to push out the Burmese after the fall of Ayuthaya. Once 'liberated',
the former Lanna kingdom was beholden to the new Thai kingdom based in Bangkok and
never again regained its independence, though its modern descendants continue to speak a
unique regional dialect and maintain old food ways and religious traditions.
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Chiang Mai
053 / POP 150,000
Chiang Mai is beloved by Thais and tourists for its (relatively) cool climate and its endur-
ing connections to its past as the capital of the northern Thai kingdom of Lanna. It is a city
of temples and culture classes and a gateway to the great outdoors of the northern moun-
tains.