The Transmission And Impact Of Chinese Culture And Philosophy In Thailand

A number of countries in Southeast Asia have long been associated with China historically,which results in the "Southeast Asian Chinese Culture Circle".Hence,Thailand is among the Chinese Culture Circle nations.In fact,the relationship between Thailand and China has been so tight that the two countries have become somewhat like siblings according to the saying:"Thailand and China are a family of pro".Therefore,exploring the transmission and development of Chinese cultural thoughts in Thailand is one of the indispensable elements of the formation of the Culture Circle in Southeast Asia.Thailand and China have mutually shared many things in the history and these friendly exchanges between them can be traced back to thousands of years ago.According to the ancient Chinese records,Thai-Chinese exchanges began in the Han Dynasty when Thailand was not yet a unified country,but a cluster of those smaller cities,such as Dvaravati,Lavo,Syam and others.After the reunification of Thailand,in the period of the Sukhothai dynasty,Thai and Chinese officials established trade relations.At that time,there were Chinese citizens moving to Thailand.Thailand and China began their national integrations and cultural blends through commerces,marriages and other channels;therefore it results in the saying "Thailand and China are a family of pro".The earliest influence of Chinese cultural thought on Thailand was brought by overseas Chinese immigrants,because there was a large number of overseas Chinese who had moved to Thailand,and the overseas Chinese immigrants were very proud of their cultural thoughts.They wanted to pass on the cultural thoughts of their motherland to descendants,at the same time,the cultural thoughts would inevitably affect the national public of Thailand.Secondly,the rulers of Thai Thonburi dynasty(AD 1767-1782)and the Bangkok dynasty(AD 1782-now)were directly having Chinese blood.When they reigned in,the exchanges between Thailand and China were frequent,and the Thonburi King instructed to translate the famous works in Chinese literature,like The romance of The Three Kingdoms and the Western Han Dynasty,etc.During the Rama ? king period(AD 1824-1851),the famous Chinese philosophy classics The Analects of Confucius appeared.Though from the time of the Bangkok Rama VI to the Second World War(AD 1910-1945),and during AD 1948-1973,the exchanges between Thailand and China was temporarily cut off for all reasons,however,Chinese culture had been rooted in Thailand,the people of Thailand and China had been living in harmony and the relationship between Thai and Chinese culture had never been cut off or broke.After the mid-twentieth century,Thai-Chinese exchanges opened a new chapter in politics,economics and trade,culture and tourism,and the people from both countries wrote a rich chapter of glorious and friendly exchanges.The topic of this study is the transmission and development of Chinese cultural thought in Thailand,the main content of this paper is focused on the following issues:Firstly,what forms and contents of Chinese cultural thought have been transmitted and developed in Thailand?Secondly,what are the channels for transmission and development?Last but not least,the impact and role of Chinese cultural thought on Thailand,etc.The investigation,analysis and research of these issues is undoubtedly a very necessary and important subject under current circumstances of global integration.To this end,the topic of this paper is "The Transmission and Impact of Chinese Philosophy andCulture in Thailand",and the content is divided into five chapters:Chapter 1 Status of Multiculturalism in Thailand;Chapter 2 The exchange history of politics,economics and trade,religion,customs and culturebetween Thailand and China;Chapter 3 The transmission channel of Chinese cultural thought in Thailand;Chapter 4 Chinese cultural elements of Thai Chinese temples and shrines;Chapter 5 The influence of Chinese cultural thoughts in Thailand.Thailand is a free and open country.In Thailand,many foreign nationalities,foreign culture is living in harmony.The transmission of Chinese cultural thought in Thailand is also happened naturally.The initial forms and means of cultural exchanges are generally economics and trade,and the earliest thoughts of Chinese culture are introduced to Thailand with economics and trade.After the Chinese moved into Thailand,every aspect of Chinese culture gradually entered into Thailand.For example,religious culture,Chinese festival etiquette culture,food culture,all kinds of traditional culture in daily life,especially the famous literary works of Chinese literature,works of art,that carrying Confucianism,Taoism and other philosophers Philosophical classics are slowly taking root in Thailand.Thailand's Chinese culture once attracted the court's attention and had also been neglected by the government,but no matter what twists and turns occurred,Chinese culture has never disappeared from the Thai society.Especially in recent decades,many Thai sinologists began to translate and study Chinese classical works of culture and philosophy.For example,Chamnong Thongprasert,Thai's Royal Academy member,translated the Sources of Chinese ideas and cultural(voluume ?)and(volume ?),Professor Suwanna Satha-Anand translated The Analects of Confucius and Surat Preechatham translated Chuang Tzu.Besides,Thai's sinologist,assistant professor Thaworn Sikkhagoson has written Chinese Festivals and Sacrificial Rites,Sathian Bhonantha has compiled Oriental Saints and So.Siwarak The Real Person:the Way of Chuang Tzu,etc.All their works are printed more than three times.Chinese cultural thought had a great spiritual impact on local people of Thailand.In Thailand,as long as there is a place where Chinese people live,there will be Chinese temples and shrines,especially the shrines of Chaozhou people.Chinese temples and shrines have also become places for Thai people to pray for blessing.The Confucian]ove,loyalty and filial piety is also the ideal pursuit of Thai people.Taoist attitude towards life has also become an example of the life of Thai people.As China's national strength become strong,the Thai people's interest in Chinese cultural thought is growing and the attitude is more and more proactive.In the process of writing,in order to get the most real information,we read a lot of materials written in Thai,the sources of these materials are from government archives,the Inner Central Department,the Office of Religious Affairs in the Ministry of Culture of Thailand,the official website of the Bureau of Statistics of Thailand,etc.In order to get first-hand information,we interviewed Sinology experts,the Chinese school principals and had field visits to a number of representative Chinese temples and interviewed Chinese-style temple and shrines managers.All the information are selected and identified,and then we use the methods of contrast,statistics and synthesis to analyze and integrate.The paper will reflect the views of Thai Chinese sinologists on Chinese culture,the transmission situation of Chinese cultural thought in Thailand,and also to describe how Thai Chinese make great efforts for the inheritance of their ancestors' cultural thoughts in foreign countries.The transmission and development of Chinese cultural thought in Thailand is worth studying.Southeast Asia has a Chinese culture circle,which is a well-known and undeniable fact.However,how is this Han culture circle in Southeast Asia?What role should it play?What kind of value does it have?This is worth studying.Thailand is a part of this Chinese culture circle,so the study of the formation and development of cultural thought in Thailand and its integration with Thai culture is an essential part of the study of the formation and development of the culture circle in Southeast Asia,and it is also very representative.