Welcome to the land of smiles
Thailand (previously known as Siam) has been populated ever since the dawn of civilization in Asia. There are conflicting opinions of the origins of the Thais. It is presumed that the Thais originated in northwestern Szechuan in China about 4,500 years ago and later migrated down to Thailand along the southern part of China. They split into two main groups. One settled down in the north and became the kingdom of "Lan Na.” The other settled further south, were later defeated by the Khmers, and became the kingdom of "Sukhothai.”
However, Thai history has been changed by the archaeological excavations in the village of Ban Chiang in the Nong Han district of Udon Thani province in the northeast. From the evidence of bronze metallurgy, it now appears that the Thais might have originated here in Thailand and later scattered to various parts of Asia, including China.
The controversy over the origin of the Thais shows no sign of definite conclusion, as many more theories have been put forward, and some even go further to say that Thais were originally of Austronesian rather than Mongolian origin. Whatever the outcomes of the dispute may be, by the 13th century the Thais had already settled down within southeast Asia.
About Chiang Mai's History
Chiang Mai's rich history goes back hundreds of years. Because of its prime location and fertile land, the valley that extends from the base of Suthep Mountain to the Ping River was settled in early times by several different ethnic groups, including the Hill Tribe group known as the Lua Tribe. Later, King Mengrai unified the different towns and villages into what came to be known as the Lanna Thai Kingdom. In 1296, he fortified the fertile valley area with a rectangular brick wall measuring 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) wide, and 2.0 kilometers (1.25 miles) long. Parts of the wall are still intact today, and the area within it is often called the "Old City.” King Mengrai went on to expand his kingdom to both sides of the river and beyond, naming it "Nop Buri Sri Nakorn Ping Chiang Mai.” This city became the center of the Lanna Thai Kingdom that later expanded and covered much of Northern Thailand. After that there was sporadic warfare for several generations, and Chiang Mai fell several times to both the Burmese and to a powerful kingdom to the south that was centered around the Choa Phaya Basin. Finally, Chiang Mai was taken by Krung Thon Buri, the capital of Thailand during that time, and under the fifth Rama, became a part of Thailand. Since the time of the Lanna Thai Kingdom, Chiang Mai has been a city for a total of 713 years.
