Category: Chiang Mai History

Wat Chedi Luang Chiang Saen history

Wat Chedi Luang by night

The history of Chiang Mai

Studying the history of Chiang Mai is one of my passions. In 1998 I moved from Bangkok to Chiang Mai but was heavily involved in the management of Destination Management Company. That company was Khiri Travel. From 1998 until 2012 I traveled a lot to Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Only after I left Khiri Travel in 2012 did I start to focus on Chiang Mai and North Thailand. I managed Tiger Trail, which later became Green Trails.

Chiang Mai a la Carte

In 2013 I founded the brand Chiang Mai a la Carte. Tiger Trail Thailand was a company that only offered adventurous tours and trekkings but I also wanted to offer tours on Chiang Mai history and culture. In 2016 Oliver Backhouse contacted me, which ultimately led to the creation of the Facebook group Chiang Mai Memories. The group now has more than 500 members.

A short history of Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is the political and economic center of North Thailand. The city was founded in 1292. It was the capital of a kingdom that was later on called Lanna, literally meaning “one hundred thousand rice fields”.  It was occupied by the Burmese from 1558 until 1774. The Burmese occupation and the wars following it left the city in ruins and depopulated. Under King Kawila the city started the recovery to its former glory. Chiang Mai gradually became integrated into the new nation-state Siam in the early 20th century. The arrival of the railroad in 1922 changed the city.

Songkran Festival

The Chiang Mai Songkran Festival

The Chiang Mai Songkran Festival: love or hate? The Chiang Mai Songkran Festival (ประเพณีสงกรานต์): there doesn’t seem to be a middle way. You either love it or you have it. Let’s make one thing...

Wooden church first Christian Church

The First Christian Church

Daniel McGilvary and the First Church Reverend Daniel McGilvary and his family arrived in Chiang Mai in 1867. The American missionary family traveled from Bangkok to Chiang Mai by boat, which took three months. Reverend...