PHAN GAN GUIDE

The city of Chiang Mai is considered to be Thailand’s second most important city and one of its largest. Despite this, it remains a tenth of the size of Bangkok, with an estimated 400,000 people living in the greater urban area of the city. A growing community of long stay foreign residents and tourists swell this figure by an estimated 100,000 during the tourist season.

Chiang Mai is located approximately 700kms north of Bangkok and 250kms south of the Myanmar border. It sits well within the tropics, located 18° north and is surrounded by mountain ranges which form the tail end of the Himalayan range.

Chiang Mai sits in a broad valley at an elevation of 330 metres above sea level. The valley is dissected by the Ping River - one of the four main tributaries of the great Chao Praya - and it runs roughly from north to south.

As much as 70 per cent of Chiang Mai province is covered in mountains and forests. Agriculture, mainly fruit, vegetables and some rice cultivation, is the mainstay of the local economy. In the past ten years, tourism has become an increasingly important economic growth point for the city. Other industry includes cottage industry, handicraft production, exporting, small scale business and manufacturing.

The city dates back to 1296 when it was founded as the new capital of the thriving Lanna Kingdom. Lanna (meaning ‘a million rice fields’) predates the kingdoms of Sukhothai and Ayuthaya and incorporated an area stretching from Chieng Sean, on the northern reaches of the Mekhong river, to Lamphun, just to the south of Chiang Mai. It is one of the few cities in the world that boasts a fully preserved square mile moat and, even today, the corner ramparts and restored gates remain.

Chiang Mai has been continuously inhabited for more than 700 years, but its fortunes have waxed and waned at the hands of invading armies from Laos, Central Thailand and Burma. From the pinnacle of its strength under King Mengrai (c.1300) to its submission as a vassal state under the Burmese in the mid 16th century, the city has managed to remain largely independent and was only formally included in the greater Thai Kingdom when the Lanna monarchy was extinguished early in the 20th century.

Eighty per cent of the local population are deemed ‘Khon Muang’ (meaning Northern folk) and they speak a slightly different dialect to the central Thai language. The last census determined that there are 1,547,085 residents in the Chiang Mai province, although this figure doesn’t include the minority hill tribes whose status is often in limbo.

Chiang Mai is bordered by the provinces of Lamphun and Lamphang to the south, Mae Hong Son to the west and the country of Myanmar to the north. Chiang Mai is also home to Thailand’s highest mountain, Doi Inthanon, along with five other peaks counted among the country’s ten highest. It also has five main national parks and more than a dozen smaller ones.

The region enjoys a mild tropical climate, regulated by the mountainous terrain and the monsoon season. Three distinct seasons dictate the weather in Chiang Mai. The cool season arrives in November and is typified by dry weather and temperatures ranging from 15°C (60°F) to 25°C (80°C) in the valley. From March onwards, the hot season arrives, culminating in temperatures reaching 40°C (105°F) at midday in April but averaging 30°C (85°F). The first rains begin in late May and the rainy season continues through to October, with humidity above 80 per cent and daily afternoon downpours. Rainfall tops 250mm in September with lengthy overcast spells and all-day showers.

Lanna, land of a million rice fields, is the name by which the area of Chiang Mai and the North have been known for centuries. Bordered by the Mekong River and the mountains of Burma, and walled off by jungles from the central plains, Lanna - and the city of Chiang Mai - lived in remote splendour until this century.

The early power bases were along the Mekong River. In the mid-13th century, King Mengrai marched south to create an empire in the Kok River Valley, establishing first the city of Chiang Rai, in 1296. After capturing Haripunchai (now Lamphun) and securing joint leadership of Phayao, he sought a more central headquarters and looked for one in the Ping River Valley.

Here, Mengrai constructed a fortress and a temple, Chedi Luang. But, as they were unsuitable, he moved further north to establish Chiang Mai (New City) in 1296.

Because the Ping River frequently overflowed its banks, Mengrai built the royal city of Chiang Mai on high ground to the west, surrounding it with a brick and earth wall 1 mile on each side and surrounded by a defensive moat. A smaller wall once embraced a residential section.

Parts of the Chiang Mai walls are still intact today, and the area within is called ‘the old city’

The flowering of Lanna culture dates from the reign of warrior King Tilokaraja. So influential was he that the 8th world Buddhist Council was held in Chiang Mai in 1455.

Less than a century later, however, the kingdom and Chiang Mai were embroiled in many disputes, a situation the Burmese were quick to exploit. After repeated battles, Chiang Mai fell to King Bayinnaung of Pegu, in 1558 and was ruled by the Burmese for the next two centuries.

While Burma spared Chiang Mai, the destruction that it visited upon Ayutthaya in 1767 was devastating. The Burmese conscripted Chiang Mai’s young men and appropriated supplies for its war against Laos. So severe did the hardships become, that Chiang Mai was depopulated.

Chiang Mai remained empty for 20 years until Prince Kawila (’the hero of Chiang Mai’) triumphed over the Burmese in 1799 and established his headquarters in the city. For most of the 19th century, Chiang Mai was ignored by Burma.

When the European colonial power began coveting the region, Bangkok’s rulers realised their sovereignty over the area of Chiang Mai was in danger. In 1877, a Thai Viceroy took up residence in Chiang Mai and, untill 1939, ruled through a Chiang Mai Prince.

Chiang Mai acquired new importance with the dawn of the 20th century. A railway, begun in 1898, was pushed north through thick jungles and mountains, the last rail being laid in 1921.

But, while cities to the south began to grow as a result of investment by US government, Chiang Mai remained stable. It is only in the last 15 years that Chiang Mai started experiencing rapid growth.

So far, Chiang Mai has happily managed to avoid beeing changed too greatly by the outside world, and has retained its charm and centuries-old culture. With careful development, the attractions of Chiang Mai have been preserved. Today more people that ever enjoy the comfort and charm of Chiang Mai.