| Chiang Mai | |
|---|---|
| เชียงใหม่ | |
| Chiang Mai | |
| Location of in Chiang Mai Province | |
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Chiang Mai
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Thailand |
| Province | Chiang Mai Province |
| Government | |
| • Type | City municipality |
| • Mayor | Tatsanai Puranupakorn |
| Area | |
| • City | 40.216 km2 (15.5 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 2,905 km2 (1,121.6 sq mi) |
| Population (2008) | |
| • City | 148,477 |
| • Density | 3,687/km2 (9,549.3/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 960,906 |
| • Metro density | 315.42/km2 (816.9/sq mi) |
| Time zone | Thailand (UTC+7) |
| Airport | IATA: CNX – ICAO: VTCC |
Chiang Mai (Thai: เชียงใหม่ [tɕʰiəŋ màj] ( listen), Northern Thai: ᨩ᩠ᨿᨦᩉ᩠ᨾᩲ᩵ [tɕiəŋ màj]) sometimes written as "Chiengmai" or "Chiangmai", is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand. It is the capital of Chiang Mai Province , a former capital of the Kingdom of Lanna (1296–1768) and was the tributary Kingdom of Chiang Mai from 1774 until 1939. 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 has been attracting over 5 million visitors each year, of which between 1.4 million and 2 million are foreign tourists (depending on the year).[1] 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 is one of three Thai cities contending to host the World Expo 2020.[2] It has also recently positioned itself to become a Creative City and is considering to apply for Creative City Status with UNESCO.[3]
Chiang Mai's historic importance is derived from its strategic location on the Ping river and major trading routes.
While officially the city (thesaban nakhon) of Chiang Mai only covers most parts of the Mueang Chiang Mai district with a population of 160,000, 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 within Srivijaya ward.[4]
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King Mengrai founded the city of Chiang Mai (meaning "new city") in 1296, and it succeeded Chiang Rai as capital of the Lanna kingdom. The ruler was known as the Chao. The city was surrounded by a moat and a defensive wall, since nearby Burma was a constant threat. With the decline of the Lannathai kingdom, the city lost importance and was often occupied either by the Burmese or Thais from Ayutthaya. Because of the Burmese wars that culminated in the fall of Ayutthaya in April 1767, Chiang Mai was abandoned between 1776 and 1791. Lampang then served as the capital of what remained of Lannathai. Chiang Mai formally became part of Siam in 1774 by an agreement with Chao Kavila, after the Thai King Taksin helped drive out the Burmese. 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.
The modern municipality dates to a sanitary district (sukhaphiban) that was created in 1915. This was upgraded to a municipality (thesaban) on March 29, 1935, as published in the Royal Gazette, Book No. 52 section 80. First covering just 17.5 km2 (7 sq mi), the city was enlarged to 40.216 km2 (16 sq mi) on April 5, 1983.[5]
The district is subdivided into 16 subdistricts (tambon), which are further subdivided into 77 villages (muban). The city (thesaban nakhon) Chiang Mai covers the tambon Si Phum, Phra Sing, Haiya, Chiang Moi, Chang Khlan, Wat Ket and Pa Tan, and parts of the tambon Chang Phueak, Suthep, Pa Daet, Nong Hoi, Tha Sala, Nong Pa Khrang and Fa Ham. There are further 3 townships (thesaban tambon) – Chang Phueak covers parts of the tambon Chang Phueak, and Mae Hia and Tha Sala the whole same-named tambon. There are further 6 tambon administrative organizations (TAO).
| No. | Name | Thai name | Villages | Inh. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Si Phum | ศรีภูมิ | - | 17,162 | |
| 2. | Phra Sing | พระสิงห์ | - | 8,616 | |
| 3. | Haiya | หายยา | - | 14,818 | |
| 4. | Chang Moi | ช้างม่อย | - | 9,528 | |
| 5. | Chang Khlan | ช้างคลาน | - | 15,368 | |
| 6. | Wat Ket | วัดเกต | - | 24,094 | |
| 7. | Chang Phueak | ช้างเผือก | 5 | 27,421 | |
| 8. | Suthep | สุเทพ | 15 | 36,952 | |
| 9. | Mae Hia | แม่เหียะ | 10 | 15,656 | |
| 10. | Pa Daet | ป่าแดด | 13 | 15,931 | |
| 11. | Nong Hoi | หนองหอย | 6 | 13,144 | |
| 12. | Tha Sala | ท่าศาลา | 5 | 11,347 | |
| 13. | Nong Pa Khrang | หนองป่าครั่ง | 7 | 8,423 | |
| 14. | Fa Ham | ฟ้าฮ่าม | 7 | 7,193 | |
| 15. | Pa Tan | ป่าตัน | - | 8,855 | |
| 16. | San Phi Suea | สันผีเสื้อ | 9 | 8,466 |
Chiang Mai has a tropical wet and dry climate (Koppen Aw), tempered by the low latitude and moderate elevation, with warm to hot weather year-round, though nighttime conditions during the dry season can be cool and are much lower than daytime highs.
| Climate data for Chiang Mai (1961-1990) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 28.9 (84.0) |
32.2 (90.0) |
34.9 (94.8) |
36.1 (97.0) |
34.1 (93.4) |
32.3 (90.1) |
31.7 (89.1) |
31.1 (88.0) |
31.3 (88.3) |
31.1 (88.0) |
29.8 (85.6) |
28.3 (82.9) |
31.8 (89.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 20.5 (68.9) |
22.9 (73.2) |
26.4 (79.5) |
28.7 (83.7) |
28.1 (82.6) |
27.3 (81.1) |
27.0 (80.6) |
26.6 (79.9) |
26.5 (79.7) |
25.8 (78.4) |
23.8 (74.8) |
21.0 (69.8) |
25.4 (77.7) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 13.7 (56.7) |
14.9 (58.8) |
18.2 (64.8) |
21.8 (71.2) |
23.4 (74.1) |
23.7 (74.7) |
23.6 (74.5) |
23.4 (74.1) |
23.0 (73.4) |
21.8 (71.2) |
19.0 (66.2) |
15.0 (59.0) |
20.1 (68.2) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 6.9 (0.272) |
4.6 (0.181) |
13.0 (0.512) |
50.1 (1.972) |
158.4 (6.236) |
131.6 (5.181) |
160.8 (6.331) |
236.0 (9.291) |
227.6 (8.961) |
121.9 (4.799) |
52.8 (2.079) |
19.8 (0.78) |
1,183.5 (46.594) |
| Avg. rainy days | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 118 |
| Sunshine hours | 282.1 | 276.9 | 279.0 | 270.0 | 266.6 | 180.0 | 155.0 | 142.6 | 174.0 | 223.2 | 234.0 | 257.3 | 2,740.7 |
| Source no. 1: Thai Meteorological Department[6] | |||||||||||||
| Source no. 2: Hong Kong Observatory [7] | |||||||||||||
The city emblem depicts the chedi at Wat Doi Suthep in its center. Below it are clouds, representing the moderate climate in the mountains of northern Thailand. There is a naga, the mythical snake said to be the source of the Ping River, and rice stalks, which refer to the fertility of the land.[8]
Chiang Mai has over 300 Buddhist temples (called "wat" in Thai). These include:
Wat Suan Dok is a 14th century temple located just west of the old city-wall. It was built by the king for a revered monk visiting from Sukhothai for the rains retreat. The temple's large sala kan prian (sermon hall) is unusual not only for its size, but also because it is open on the sides instead of enclosed. There are many chedis which contain the ashes of the old rulers of Chiang Mai. The temple is also the site of Mahachulalongkorn Rajavidyalaya Buddhist University, where monks pursue their studies.
Chiang Mai hosts many Thai festivals, including:
The inhabitants speak Kham Muang (also known as Northern Thai or Lanna) among themselves, though Central Thai is used in education and is understood by everyone. English is used in hotels and travel-related businesses and many educated people speak English.[14] The Kham Muang alphabet is now studied only by scholars, and Northern Thai is commonly written with the standard Thai alphabet.
Some of the museums in Chiang Mai:
Chiang Mai has several universities, including Chiang Mai University, Chiangmai Rajabhat University, Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna, Payap University, Far Eastern University, and Maejo University—as well as numerous technical and teacher colleges. Chiang Mai University was the first government university established outside of Bangkok. Payap University is the first private institution in Thailand that was granted university status.
The Chiang Mai night-life has many bars, several discotheques, live music venues and one street with hostess bars which cater to tourists, located along Loi Kroh Road. It includes a walk-in arcade with a Muay Thai boxing ring near the Imperial Mae Ping Hotel.
Bars and late-night restaurants are located all over the city, but many can be found on either side of the moat's eastern flank (in the Thapae Gate area), with some live music venues along the Ping River near Nawarat Bridge, along Immanent road in the western part of the city or in the vicinity of the night bazaar. The Playhouse Theatre off Chang Puak road in the old city offers nightly shows and entertainment performed by Thai national performers. They also offer a unique Lanna dining experience surrounded by mountains and waterfalls. At the Galare Centre, there is a free display of Thai cultural dancing and music.
There is also a cluster of bars, American franchise fast food and coffee outlets together with more eclectic restaurants near the intersection of Chang Klan and Loi Kroh Road. Karaoke lounges can be found all over the city. Many are found at Chiang Mai Land Road, and some very large establishments along the length of Chang Klan Road, extending south from the famed night bazaar. There are only a couple of go-go bars in Chiang Mai.
Bus, train and air connections serve Chiang Mai well. A number of bus stations link the city to central and northern Thailand. The Central Chang Pheuak terminal (north of Chiang Puak Gate) provides local services within Chiang Mai province and the Chiang Mai Arcade bus terminal north-east of the city (requires Songthaew or tuk-tuk ride, see below) provides services to over 20 other destinations in Thailand including Bangkok, Ayutthaya, and Phitsanulok. There are several services a day from Chiang Mai Arcade terminal to Bangkok (a 10–12 hour journey).
The state railway operates 14 trains a day to Chiang Mai Station from Bangkok. Most journeys run overnight and take approximately 12–15 hours. Most trains offer first-class (private cabins) and a second-class (seats fold out to make sleeping berths) service. A third-class offered is the most economical service, its lack of comfort makes it unsuitable for many tourists.
To get to cities such as Mae Hong Son or Chiang Rai a plane or bus must be used. No trains are available to cities north of Chiang Mai.
Chiang Mai International Airport receives up to 28 flights a day from Bangkok (flight time about 1 hour 10 minutes) and also serves as a local hub for services to other northern cities such as Chiang Rai, Phrae and Mae Hong Son. International services also connect Chiang Mai with other regional centres, including cities in other South East Asian countries.
The local preferred form of transport is personal motorbike and, increasingly, private car.
Local public transport is provided in four forms: tuktuks, songthaews, less frequently rickshaws and the recently re-launched, though infrequent, Chiang Mai Bus service. Local Songthaew fare is usually 20–50 Thai baht per person for trips in and around the city. If the group of people is larger, the fare per person will be less. Tuktuk fare is usually at least 20 baht per trip (comfortable for two, but some can squeeze in four passengers); fare increases with distance. Chiang Mai's local bus service was relaunched in 2006. It serves routes in and around the city, although the service itself lacks the frequency and route mass as is available in other major cities.
A continuing environmental problem facing Chiang Mai is the incidence of air pollution which primarily occurs for a period of several weeks up to the beginning of April. This issue has been acknowledged for some time. Back in 1996, speaking at the Fourth International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement conference, which was held in Chiang Mai in that year, the then governor of Chiang Mai, Virachai Naewboonien invited guest speaker Dr. Jakapan Wongburanawatt, the Dean of the Social Science Faculty of Chiang Mai University at that time, to discuss the state of Chiang Mai air pollution efforts. Dr. Wongburanawatt stated that back in 1994, there were already increasing numbers of city residents coming to hospitals suffering from respiratory problems associated with city air pollution.[16] The Thailand Pollution Control Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is actively engaged in finding solutions with public awareness campaigns and other initiatives. During this period, unlike the majority of the year, air quality in Chiang Mai often remains below recommended standards with fine-particle dust levels reaching twice the standard.[17] The northern centre of the Meteorological Department has reported that low-pressure areas from China trap forest-fire smoke in the mountains along the Thai-Myanmar border. Chiang Mai’s air quality has been perceptibly deteriorating over the past ten years.[18] This is being addressed by a number of initiatives, and in part, is often seen in cities with increasing economic growth at the expense of a strong corresponding programme to counteract the negative effects of environmental impact. The city is often shrouded in smog during this period leading up to the rainy season. Fine particulate dust levels have sometimes been tested between 190 micrograms and 243 micrograms per cubic meter. (The standard acceptable level is 120 milligrams per cubic meter.) Amongst the minor sources of particulate matter pollution in Chiang Mai is the prevalence of burning in the city, with cremations, burning garbage, or vehicular emissions from poorly maintained diesel vehicles contributing. Added to these minor causes is dust raised during building and excavations.
The major cause of air pollution however as proven by recorded satellite imagery, is the age-old practice of burning-off undergrowth in forests in the mountainous regions, especially along the Thai-Myanmar border.
Chiang Mai’s problems are exacerbated by the fact that the city, like other areas such as Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, is located in a natural geographic bowl surrounded by mountains. The result is a slowing of air movement, picking up more particulates as they are released by cars and burning trash. Also as a result of this inversion effect, as air rises in the bowl, it effectively turns over and settles back down over the city until a welcome wind shift or rainstorm cleans the air. The Thailand Pollution Control Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is actively engaged in finding solutions to this hazardous problem and has been for several years as Chiang Mai's air quality index numbers are ever decreasing. Exacerbating this problem, one the most popular modes of convenient low-cost public transportation in Chiang Mai—as in the rest of Thailand—is provided by differently coloured pick-up trucks called 'Songtheouw'. Red Songtheouws (Red Cars or Rod Daeng) provide passenger requested journeys whilst other colours operate on fixed routes. People ride in the back of these trucks which are equipped with diesel engines. The exhaust systems on all of these trucks are bored out in order to increase horse power which then increases the amount of carbon emissions and heavy metals which get ejected out of the back of the vehicles. As a result, the streets of Chiang Mai are increasingly difficult to ride on when using a motorcycle. It is a very common sight to see motorcyclists protecting their breathing passages as they follow these trucks. The same can be said from the famous Tuk tuks which are ubiquitous in Thailand. The city authorities are well aware of this issue and have enacted a campaign to replace all of the older, poorly tuned offending vehicles with modern yellow and blue metered passenger taxis. As these older, air quality offenders are slowly retired, it remains to be seen if the regulating bodies will be able to effect change in Chiang Mai in the face of resistance the drivers of these vehicles who have traditionally made their living in this way for many years. It should be said that Chiang Mai is not the only Thai city with this problem as Songtheow and Tuk Tuk is the major mode of low cost transportation in Thailand. Unfortunately, because of Chiang Mai's inversion effect as the result of it being situated in a geographic bowl, the carbon emissions emitted from vehicles is made an even more troubling problem.
For several years, as Chiang Mai's air quality index has become more and more troublesome, in relation to the rest of the region, the recognition of the problem has been growing locally. Doctors in Chiang Mai have been noticing an increase in people coming to see them with upper respiratory difficulties. Chiang Mai has now enacted stringent regulation of emissions standards for all vehicles. Since 2008, police sometimes set up roadblocks to test exhaust emissions on the spot and officers will enact the law to ban offending vehicles as Chiang Mai continues to work actively towards a cleaner environment.
Harbin/China 2008.05.29