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History, Culture, SituationThis section is meant to be an introduction to Thailand, briefly covering Thailand's history, culture, and the current economic, business, and government environments, along with some other things like the seasonal weather, language, ever so popular Thai ladies, and some odds and ends from my experiences here since 1994. Sublinks:
First impressions upon arrival
HistoryAbout 10 years ago, I had a page on the history of Thailand, but it was lost at some point. It's just as well because after exploring all regions of Thailand and Thai people over 13 years, as well as Lao, Cambodian and some Burmese, I've got a much greater understanding of the culture and natural history of the Thai people. Thus, I have started the process of rewriting a history page. In response to an academic inquiry about the origin of the word "Siam": There is not complete academic agreement on the origin of the name Siam, but I think it's fairly certain that the prevailing school of thought is correct: It comes from a Chinese word "sian" (or hsien) which meant "gold". The Chinese words for "sian" and "Siam" are spelled identically. (Chinese is not a phonetic language, e.g., the same spelled word in Chinese in two different parts of China can have two entirely different pronounciations, as I found out from a Chinese associate during a visit to China.) Chinese records going back centuries before westerners arrived refer to what's present day Thailand as well as the Thai people as "Sian". There is also the Shan state and Shan people in Myanmar (Burma) along the northern Thai border between Thailand and China, and it is also thought by many of these scholars that the name Shan also came from Sian / Hsien. You can find Thai language in some parts of southern China. It's also notable that Indians called old Siam "Suvarnabhumi" which means "Land of Gold", and Suvarnabhumi (pronounced like "Suwannapoom") is the name of the new international airport in Bangkok. There is considerable historical literature referring to places in modern day Thailand which in early recorded history were centers for gold trade and perhaps the origin of some gold. In later recorded history, the Siamese were known for adorning religious icons and structures with gold in large quantities (which attracted Burmese invaders), and the Thais still rub on small, thin foil leafs of gold onto Buddha statues as everyday rituals. Thailand was previously known as Siam, and the Thai people as Siamese, until 1939 when a constitution amendment changed it to Thailand and Thai people. I will rewrite that page in February 2008.
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