MCU TRAVEL BLOG: Chiang Kham

Chiang Kham
(The City of Thai - Lue culture)
Small is Beautiful District

Here we go!!!

Welcome everyone to Chiang Kham ; the land of Dharma, center for Thai – Lue study and the resting place among the nature.

Red bus (Chiang Kham - Phayao line)

Chiang Kham is a district of Phayao province. It’s located on the plain of three rivers; Lao River, Yuan River and Wan River. In the past, Chiang Kham was a civilization village of beings on the blank of river, and had appeared in the history that it was a colony (Chiang means city, kingdom as province) of Lanna kingdom (Chiang Mai) in Meng Rai period. In the early of Rattanakosin Period (Present period), the people from Yunnan (southern of China) moved to here by request of the prince of Nan – Jao kingdom (Nan, Chiang Rai in that time). Chiang Kham always had deveoped in social beings. We can see from modern house, road expansion, super market, technology and western culture, but here still protect meanly identify culture. Nowadays, Chiang Kham is a center for trade, education, health, farms and culture of Phayao province.

The March with Chiang Kham

North connect with Phu Sang (Phayao) and Thoeng (Chiang Rai)

East connect with Song Kwae (Nan ) and Xaignabouli (Lao)

West connect with Pong (Phayao) and Song Kwae (nan)

South connect with Chun (Phayao) and Thoeng (Chiang Rai)

The Center for Thai – Lue Study

Thai - Lue clothing

Every year on March, there are exhibition of Thai – Lue traditional culture about livings, clothing, entertainment and relations between self - culture with believing in religious. Thai – lue people is a group of Thai family, had lived on the blank of Khong River in southern of China, Myanmar, Lao and Thai. When they had moved to Chiang Kham, it’s still named the group or village like with local name in the past. For clothing, they can made it, from a thread become a cloth, which is identity. Nevertheless, In the fair has demonstration in wedding ceremony, ordination as monks and novices ceremony, designing Thai – Lue Fabric which has colourful and remarkable, making Tunk as flag and making traditional Thai – Lue food etc,.

Wat Phra Nang Din in the night

City of Dharma

Chiang Kham is a city of Buddhism in the northern of Thailand. By similarity, between original culture and the way of better life of Buddhism, it is crystallites of thinking to focus on the inner values of mind than material values. Nevertheless, Chiang Kham have many religious places around the city. That is giving opportunity in learning and searching knowledge in the base of life. Every Buddhist holy day (Wan Phra), there are offering ceremony and listen the Dharma sermon from the monk, meditation tours of the Buddhists around the city and activities in Buddhism of the students in high school. As a result, Chiang Kham is going to a learning center of people, and already to face with diversity of culture, economy and technology in ASEAN under identity of self – culture.

I would like to be a voice of Ching Kham people to invite anyone come to visit the city of Thai – Lue. I wish here is the land of dream where anyone are searching it.