Chiang Mai Information
and Travel Guide
 Chiang
Mai , also sometimes written as "Chiengmai", is the largest
and most culturally significant city in Northern Thailand, and the
capital of Chiang Mai Province. It is located at 18°47′20″N,
98°59′00″E, some 700 km north of Bangkok, among
some of the highest mountains in the country. The city stands on
the Ping river, a major tributary of the Chao Phraya river.
In recent years Chiang Mai has become an increasingly modern city,
although it lacks the cosmopolitan gloss of Bangkok. It has many
attractions for the thousands of foreign visitors who come to the
city each year. Chiang Mai's historic strength derived from its
important strategic location on an ancient trade route, and long
before the modern influx of foreign visitors the city served as
an important centre for handcrafted goods, umbrellas, jewellery
(particularly silver) and woodcarving.
While officially the city (thesaban nakhon) of Chiang Mai only
covers most part of the Mueang Chiang Mai district with a population
of 150,000, the urban sprawl of the city extends into several neighboring
districts. This Chiang Mai Metropolitan Area has a population of
nearly 700,000 people, nearly half of the whole Chiang Mai Province.
King Mengrai founded the city of Chiang Mai (meaning "new
city") in 1296, and it succeeded Chiang Rai as capital of the
Lannathai kingdom. Mengrai constructed a moat and a wall around
the city to protect it against raids from Burma. With the decline
of the Lannathai kingdom, the city lost importance and often was
occupied by either the Burmese or by the Thais from Ayutthaya. As
a result of the Burmese wars that culminated in the fall of Ayutthaya
in April 1767, Chiang Mai itself was so depopulated that the remaining
inhabitants abandoned the city for fifteen years (1776 - 1791).
Lampang functioned as the capital of what remained of Lannathai
during that time.
Chiang Mai formally became part of Siam in 1774, when the Thai
King Taksin captured the city from the Burmese. Chiang Mai rose
in both cultural, trading and economic terms to gradually adopt
its current status as the unofficial capital of the north of Thailand,
second only in national importance to Bangkok.
The people generally speak Kham Muang (also known as Northern Thai
or Lanna) amongst themselves, but the Central Thai ofangkok is used
in education and is understood by most. The old Kham Muang alphabet
is now only studied by scholars and Northern Thai is commonly written
using the standard Thai alphabet.
 Culture
Launched Khom Loi's 
A ceramics shop in Chiang MaiLoi Kratong (known locally as Yi Peng):
Held on a full-moon night in November. Every year thousands of people
assemble floating banana-leaf containers (krathong) decorated with
flowers and candles onto the waterways of the city to worship the
Goddess of Water. Lanna-style hot-air lanterns (khom fai) are also
launched into the air. These are believed to help rid the locals
of troubles and are also taken to decorate houses and streets.
Songkran: Held in mid-April to celebrate the traditional Thai new
year. Chiang Mai has become one of the most popular locations to
visit for this festival. A variety of religious and fun-related
activities (notably the good-natured city-wide water-fight) take
place each year, along with parades and a Miss Songkran beauty competition.
Flower Festival: A three-day festival held during the first weekend
in February each year, this event occurs during the period when
Chiang Mai's temperate and tropical flowers are in full bloom. The
festivities include floral floats, parades, traditional dancing
shows and a beauty contest.
Chiang Mai has several universities, including Chiang Mai University,
Rachapat Chiang Mai University, Rajamangala University of Technology,
Payap University and Maejo University -- as well as numerous technical
and teacher colleges. Chiang Mai University was the first government
university established outside of Bangkok.
Chiang Mai is a regional centre for a number of activities, including:
Hill-tribe tourism and trekking: A large number of different tour
companies offer organised treks among the local hills and forests
on foot and on elephant back. Most also involve visits to the various
local hill tribes. These include representatives from the Akha,
Hmong, Karen, and Lisu tribes.
Other outdoor activities: The varied local terrain also
offers opportunities for mountain biking, elephant riding, bamboo
rafting and kayaking. The area also has several golf courses. The
nearby national park that includes Doi Inthanon, the highest mountain
in Thailand, features many hiking trails.
Shopping: Chiang Mai has a large and famous nightly bazaar for arts,
handicrafts and counterfeit products of all descriptions, and a
number of large, well-appointed modern shopping centres.
Thai massage: The back streets and main thoroughfares of Chiang
Mai have a variety of massage parlours which offer anything from
quick, simple, face and foot massages, to month-long courses in
the art of Thai massage.
Local museums: These include the Chiang Mai City Arts and Cultural
Centre, the Hill Tribe Museum and the Chiang Mai National Museum.
Thai Cookery: A number of Thai cookery schools have their home in
Chiang Mai
Partner Sites
www.hotel-chiangmai.com
| www.chiang-mai-hotels.net
| www.1chiangmai.com
Provided
by Tourism Authority of Thailand
|
