Chiang
Mai is one of the few places in Thailand where it is possible to experience
both historical and modern Thai culture coexisting side by side: the city
features centuries-old chedis and temples next to modern convenience stores and
boutique hotels. This dichotomy is best appreciated within the moat-encircled
old city, which retains much of the fortified wall that once protected the city
center as well as the four main gates that provided access to the former Lanna
capital city.
Chiang
Mai sometimes written as "Chiengmai" or "Chiangmai", is the
largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand, and is the
capital of Chiang Mai Province. It is located 700 km (435 mi) north of Bangkok,
among the highest mountains in the country. The city is on the Ping river, a
major tributary of the Chao Phraya river.
In recent years, Chiang Mai has become an increasingly modern city and attracts
approximately 1 million visitors each year. Chiang Mai gained prominence in the
political sphere in May 2006, when the Chiang Mai Initiative was concluded here
between the ASEAN nations and the "+3" countries (China, Japan, and
South Korea). Chiang Mai's historic importance derived from its strategic
location on the Ping river and major trade routes. The city has long been a
major center for handcrafted goods, umbrellas, jewelry (particularly silver)
and woodcarving.
While officially the city (thesaban nakhon) of Chiang Mai only covers most
parts of the Mueang Chiang Mai district with a population of 150,000, the urban
sprawl of the city now extends into several neighboring districts. This Chiang
Mai Metropolitan Area has a population of nearly one million people, more than
half the total of Chiang Mai Province.
The city is subdivided into four wards (khwaeng): Nakhon Ping, Srivijaya,
Mengrai, and Kawila. The first three are on the west bank of the Ping River,
and Kawila is located on the east bank. Nakhon Ping district comprises the
north side of the city. Srivijaya, Mengrai, and Kawila consist of the west,
south, and east respectively. The city center—within the city walls—is mostly
with Srivijaya ward.
King Mengrai founded the city of Chiang Mai (meaning "new city") in 1296 on the location of an older city of the Lawa people called Wiang Nopburi. Chiang Mai succeeded Chiang Rai as the capital of the Lanna kingdom. The ruler was known as the Chao. The city was surrounded by a moat and a defensive wall, Chiang Mai formally became part of Siam in 1775 by an agreement with Chao Kavila, after the Thai King Taksin helped drive out the Burmese. Because of the Burmese counter attacks, Chiang Mai was abandoned between 1776 and 1791. Lampang then served as the capital of what remained of Lanna. Chiang Mai then slowly grew in cultural, trading and economic importance to its current status as the unofficial capital of northern Thailand, second in importance only to Bangkok.
Chiang Mai is Bangkok’s little, nicer, cleaner, smaller, better, prettier sister in the north. (I’m clearly not biased at all.) Called the “Rose of the North” or “The Most Splendid City of Culture”, according to the government, the city was founded more than 700 years ago after several auspicious signs marked the area as a new capital city for the Lanna (Northern Thai) Kingdom.
