Re: Thailand
It is interesting that the Thais that now dominate Thailand came from Yunnan province [ but were not han Chinese ] and surrounding areas during the Mongol invasion.They created later a number of kingdoms one of which was Ayudhya which was renowned for centuries until the Burmese destroyed it. A half chinese general Phya Taksin kicked the Burmese out. Phya Taksin became the first King of Siam was half chinese and brought workers from his fathers hometown of Chaozhou to build the new capital city Thornburi. This I would imagine is why the chinese dialect that dominates the chinese community in Thailand is chiuchow [ that is the English name for the Chaozhou dialect and the people who mother tongue is chiuchow probably originating from the cantonese term for Chaozhou which is spoken in the former colony of Britain Hong Kong ] So the first king of Siam was half chinese. This kings name was Taksin and this I believe was why the former prime minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra chose that name when he changed his chinese name in for a Thai one.
I am currently reading The History Of Thailand by Patit Paban Mishra. There is an interesting quote on page 96. King Vajiravudh writing under the pen-name Asvapahu mentioned that "the Chinese had enjoyed the privileges of citizenship but were not showing loyalty to the adopted country" Now when and where has it been that the Chinese have been different ?
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments always welcome!