History of Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is both a city and a province. Eight hundred kilometres from Bangkok in the north of Thailand, along the Ping River and close to the Myanmar border, Chiang Mai is blessed with rich natural beauty. Almost 70 per cent of the region is covered by mountains and forests. Its population of more than one million makes it one of Thailand's largest provinces; an estimated 300,000 people dwell in the city, while hill tribes inhabit the surrounding mountain areas.

Exodus from China

The history of Chiang Mai goes back more than 700 years to Yunnan, a province in southern China. Many ethnic Thais lived in the Nanchao Kingdom of this region from the middle of the 7th century. Kublai Khan conquered the kingdom in 1254, and forced its inhabitants a few hundred kilometers south to what is now northern Thailand. These displaced immigrants founded many new towns in the region, the largest of which was Chiang Rai, about 100 miles north of present-day Chiang Mai.

Lanna Kingdom

It is here that King Mengrai of the Nanchao Kingdom created the Kingdom of Lanna. King Mengrai however, first had to contend with the Haripoonchai Kingdom, which had already been a lively centre of culture, art and religion for 600 years. After Mengrai and his followers conquered Haripoonchai, the new kingdom quickly grew, but was restricted to what is now northern Thailand. A larger Thai kingdom, established by King Ramkamhaeng, ruler of Sukhothai, simultaneously flourished in the south. The two leaders were on friendly terms, and both kingdoms grew strong.

Chiang Mais beginnings

In 1291, King Mengrai wanted a new capital, and chose a location on the rich farming land between the Suthep mountain range and the Mae Ping River. The city spread out, a wall was built and a defensive moat encircled the city, marking the beginnings of Chiang Mai as a distinct city. Soon, the good relations that existed between King Mengrai and his southern counterpart began to sour. King Ramkamhaeng did not want to accept the Lanna Kingdom as an equal, and he made repeated attempts to turn the kingdom into a principality of his own.

Burmese occupation

The Lanna Kingdom allied itself with the Burmese for protection, and remained under Burmese influence from the 16th to the 18th century. The city was abandoned for about 20 years from 1776 to 1796, later to be re-established by Chao Kawila, who is looked upon as a hero of similar status as King Mengrai. The region came under increasing Siam influence during the 19th century, and finally became a province of Siam in 1932. Even as modern Thailand’s second city, it retains many distinctive cultural features from the Lanna Kingdom period.

Chiang Mai today

Although small enough to get around by bicycle, today’s Chiang Mai is a bustling, thriving city that celebrated its 700th anniversary in 1996. Chiang Mai is widely considered as the cultural centre of Thailand, and in fact, many of the so-called Thai customs are really Lanna cultural activities that have been absorbed into modern-day Thai culture. The culture of Chiang Mai is not in its museums, but in its people; Chiang Mai is a living culture that is still very much alive in modern times.