Northern Thailand Thailand Mediocre Formation And Historical Change

Thailand is a country of multiple ethnics, most part of which is made up of Thai ethnic groups. As their main branch in northern Thailand, Thai Yuan People have imposed great influences there. However, no work has been done to systematically explore the historical origin and the historical changes of Thai Yuan People.The data about Thai Yuan People in northern Thailand are scarcely found in both works of chronicle and Lan Na primary sources in modern Thai transliteration. And the references are limited in hand. I attempt to explore the resources widely in order to perform systematical study on Thai Yuan People, with great expectations to fill the gap in academic field, additionally offer some suggestion on the study of the ethnic history of Thailand, and promote the academic exchange between China and Thailand in the scope of history, ethnics, and culture. In this dissertation, I conduct a historical literature and field study to reveal the historical changes of Thai Yuan People during important periods.The dissertation is divided into three parts. They are the preface, the main body, and the conclusion. The preface discusses the background of the theme, the domestic and foreign researches, and the corresponding methods, innovations, definitions as well as structure of the dissertation. The body of the dissertation is composed of four chapters.In chapter one, I focus on the origin of the Dai-Tai people and the formation of the primal Thai Yuan People. They sprang up in the Mae Kok river basin and began their expanding in Mangrai Dynasty. Finally, they established the independent Lan Na Kingdom.In chapter two, I analyze the politics, economic and culture of Thai Yuan People, and their connections with surrounding areas from 13th centuries to the period before Lan Na was made a vassal of Burma. In addition, in this chapter I also emphasis the formation of the Thai Yuan cultural zone and its influence on the area to the north of Lan Na.In Chapter three I describe the rising of the Toungoo Dynasty, the sinking of Lan Na Kingdom, and the characteristics in different periods when Thai Yuan People were under the rule of Burmese and how they resisted. Besides, the social economic and cultural condition of Thai Yuan People is also discussed during the reign of Bummers rulers.In Chapter four I give an account of how the Thai Yuan People gradually escaped from the Burmese's control with Siamese's help, meanwhile at the expense of their surrender as a tributary state of Siam. Given the international and national situation, Siamese then strengthened their control over Thai Yuan People through the political, economic and cultural reform, which eventually led to their political identification and later formation of Northern Thai People.The conclusion offers a summary of the formation and historical changes of Thai Yuan People in different periods and the process how they became the northern Thai People.The outcome of this study reveals that the ancestors of Thai Yuan People were the branch of the Dai-Tai People who flocked to Mae Kok river basin, Chiangrai Chiang Saen area, the first Dai-Tai settlement in Thailand. After several years of development, Thai Yuan People finished their ethnic integration with the native people and established the famous Lan Na Kingdom, which had ever been the tributary state of China. They created the splendid Thai Yuan culture and influenced northern area of Lan Na deeply. However, Lan Na declined in Toungoo Dynasty and became colonized by the Burmese. In order to revive their country, the Thai Yuan People paid tribute to the Siamese and swept the Burmese invader out of the land of Lan Na.At that time, big changes appeared in politics, economic and culture when Thai Yuan people were under the control of Siamese. As a result, Lan Na became a part of Thailand. With their political identification forming, Thai Yuan people became the northern Thai people. What's more, in the last part the reason is reveled why the Siamese could successfully integrate the Thai Yuan People. Thai Yuan People and Siamese shared the same origin. And it is the small differences between the two ethnic groups that contribute to their integration.